Note: as of today, helminthic therapy is considered experimental, and it's full risk profile is not completely understood. This is just my experience with it, not an endorsement nor advice. Also, you're excused if you think I'm insane for having tried this 
Some years ago, while looking for anything that could help my girlfriend's autoimmune issues, I came across the hygiene hypothesis and helminthic therapy.
The hygiene hypothesis comes from the observation that the prevalence of many autoimmune issues, like allergies, seems to be inversely correlated to the prevalence of intestinal parasites in a population (when controlling for other factors). As parasitic helminths secrete immunosuppressant substances in a very complex and dynamic fashion in order to not be destroyed by the immune system, the hypothesis proposes that the human immune system has co-evolved with helminthic parasites, and thus a complete lack of them and the substances they secrete can easily result in a disregulated, overactive immune system. This hypothesis is not a fringe theory, but also hasn't been widely adopted as the main driving factor of the rising rates of autoimmune disease. This is currently an active area of research.
Helminthic therapy got its start accidentally, when a researcher observed that many of his autoimmune symptoms had disappeared after an accidental hookworm infection. Nowadays, it rests on the foundation of the hygiene hypothesis. There has been mounting evidence that it could be helpful for quite a number of autoimmune diseases, at least for some people. But it's still not well established, accepted, nor understood. There have been some clinical trials that seemed to not show an effect big enough (although they have been severely criticized for not being long enough to allow the helminths to mature), but at least seemed to show it's generally pretty safe.
As indicated by its name, helminthic therapy introduces parasitic helminths in the body in hopes that they will contribute to regulate the immune system. Not any random parasite is used, as many are very dangerous, can migrate to other tissues, and/or even cause death. There were some safety criteria set down when they were researching for suitable species: for example, they must be species that can't cause contagion, that can't migrate to different organs, that don't cause disease below a certain population, and most importantly, that can't reproduce inside human beings. Four species were selected and have been used. I'll focus on the one I experienced, Necator americanus.
When I was researching this, I was quite horrified at the life cycle of N. americanus. The microscopic larvae penetrate the human skin until they reach the lungs. There, they go up with mucus, and are swallowed. In the course of three months, they mature in the intestines, and live there for about two years, feeding on some microliters of blood daily.
The results that many people got were encouraging, and so was the research on them. Despite their disgusting (for human sensitivities) and unsettling life cycle, they are considered safe when starting with low doses even for immunocompromised individuals (DON'T TRUST THIS IF YOU ARE!!! LOOK UP THE INFORMATION YOURSELF!!!), and if the initial side effects are too intense, they can be easily killed, as they're very vulnerable to antihelmintic medication. Once they mature (in about 3 months), they start producing substances to calm down the immune system, and side effects usually disappear.
So, it seemed safe enough and worth a try, as no doctor had been able to help my girlfriend. However I was not going to suggest something like this to het on purely theoretical grounds, so I decided to try it myself first. I'm allergic to pollen and dust, so if it helped it would be good anyways. And I also was personally curious.
I acquired 5 N. americanus larvae from a reputable provider. It looked just like a vial with water in it, as they're microscopic. I had to put the liquid on a cotton pad, stick the cotton pad to my forearm, and wait for 12 hours. I did so, there was just a very slight reddening and itch afterwards.
During the next few weeks, I experienced worse stool texture than usual, but nothing too bad. And at the two week mark (I think) I experienced a common side effect that is widely reported: "the bump". This is a sudden improvement in mood and calmness that seems to be related in some way with the development of the larvae (it's only reported with N. americanus). I think it actually came somewhat later than usual (when it does appear), and I was very surprised by it. But it still could be placebo.
Three months later, I had another 10 larvae. As they mature, you start being able to tolerate a bigger amount of larvae without too many side effects, and usually a population bigger than 5 (and that's if they all have survived) is needed for therapeutic effects. The second time itchiness in the place of inoculation was much worse, probably because the immune system had learned to detect them as a threat. However, I didn't get any more side effects at all, other than a somewhat less pronounced "bump" effect again.
Spring came, and my allergies were just the same, despite my hopes and wishes. As in some cases it can take up to two years of increasing the population to get a therapeutic effect, I continued. Inoculation itchiness kept being bad, the bump kept being good, and I had no other side effects. During this time, I followed the human helminth care manual, which is mainly a list of foods and medications to avoid, as they are known to harm helminths, and these are pretty vulnerable.
I looked into some larvae cultivation teks, but as I wasn't sure I would do it right, I decided to wait until I got therapeutic effects, and then try that.
However, life had other plans, we moved cities, and in the process I not only interrupted the dosing schedule (not a big deal), but didn't take the necessary food precautions.
A couple of years passed, and with my current weekly use of powerful antihelmintic substances (harmalas) it's sure all have died. In the end, I never got any kind of therapeutic effect at all, other than the unexpected bump. It was an interesting experience that seemed harmless to me, and I would have liked to get to a population more likely to help and see what happens, but compared to the immense help of harmalas, it makes no sense for me to do so. At least, I can now say that I've had human parasites as a psychoactive substance. But in most places that's better left unsaid
Again, this is an experimental treatment, there are still unknowns, and I got no benefit from it. I don't recommend it, don't do this. But I thought it may be of interest to some, given the DIY ethos of it and the peculiarity that it caused apparent psychological effects.
Stay safe!
Some years ago, while looking for anything that could help my girlfriend's autoimmune issues, I came across the hygiene hypothesis and helminthic therapy.
The hygiene hypothesis comes from the observation that the prevalence of many autoimmune issues, like allergies, seems to be inversely correlated to the prevalence of intestinal parasites in a population (when controlling for other factors). As parasitic helminths secrete immunosuppressant substances in a very complex and dynamic fashion in order to not be destroyed by the immune system, the hypothesis proposes that the human immune system has co-evolved with helminthic parasites, and thus a complete lack of them and the substances they secrete can easily result in a disregulated, overactive immune system. This hypothesis is not a fringe theory, but also hasn't been widely adopted as the main driving factor of the rising rates of autoimmune disease. This is currently an active area of research.
Helminthic therapy got its start accidentally, when a researcher observed that many of his autoimmune symptoms had disappeared after an accidental hookworm infection. Nowadays, it rests on the foundation of the hygiene hypothesis. There has been mounting evidence that it could be helpful for quite a number of autoimmune diseases, at least for some people. But it's still not well established, accepted, nor understood. There have been some clinical trials that seemed to not show an effect big enough (although they have been severely criticized for not being long enough to allow the helminths to mature), but at least seemed to show it's generally pretty safe.
As indicated by its name, helminthic therapy introduces parasitic helminths in the body in hopes that they will contribute to regulate the immune system. Not any random parasite is used, as many are very dangerous, can migrate to other tissues, and/or even cause death. There were some safety criteria set down when they were researching for suitable species: for example, they must be species that can't cause contagion, that can't migrate to different organs, that don't cause disease below a certain population, and most importantly, that can't reproduce inside human beings. Four species were selected and have been used. I'll focus on the one I experienced, Necator americanus.
When I was researching this, I was quite horrified at the life cycle of N. americanus. The microscopic larvae penetrate the human skin until they reach the lungs. There, they go up with mucus, and are swallowed. In the course of three months, they mature in the intestines, and live there for about two years, feeding on some microliters of blood daily.
The results that many people got were encouraging, and so was the research on them. Despite their disgusting (for human sensitivities) and unsettling life cycle, they are considered safe when starting with low doses even for immunocompromised individuals (DON'T TRUST THIS IF YOU ARE!!! LOOK UP THE INFORMATION YOURSELF!!!), and if the initial side effects are too intense, they can be easily killed, as they're very vulnerable to antihelmintic medication. Once they mature (in about 3 months), they start producing substances to calm down the immune system, and side effects usually disappear.
So, it seemed safe enough and worth a try, as no doctor had been able to help my girlfriend. However I was not going to suggest something like this to het on purely theoretical grounds, so I decided to try it myself first. I'm allergic to pollen and dust, so if it helped it would be good anyways. And I also was personally curious.
I acquired 5 N. americanus larvae from a reputable provider. It looked just like a vial with water in it, as they're microscopic. I had to put the liquid on a cotton pad, stick the cotton pad to my forearm, and wait for 12 hours. I did so, there was just a very slight reddening and itch afterwards.
During the next few weeks, I experienced worse stool texture than usual, but nothing too bad. And at the two week mark (I think) I experienced a common side effect that is widely reported: "the bump". This is a sudden improvement in mood and calmness that seems to be related in some way with the development of the larvae (it's only reported with N. americanus). I think it actually came somewhat later than usual (when it does appear), and I was very surprised by it. But it still could be placebo.
Three months later, I had another 10 larvae. As they mature, you start being able to tolerate a bigger amount of larvae without too many side effects, and usually a population bigger than 5 (and that's if they all have survived) is needed for therapeutic effects. The second time itchiness in the place of inoculation was much worse, probably because the immune system had learned to detect them as a threat. However, I didn't get any more side effects at all, other than a somewhat less pronounced "bump" effect again.
Spring came, and my allergies were just the same, despite my hopes and wishes. As in some cases it can take up to two years of increasing the population to get a therapeutic effect, I continued. Inoculation itchiness kept being bad, the bump kept being good, and I had no other side effects. During this time, I followed the human helminth care manual, which is mainly a list of foods and medications to avoid, as they are known to harm helminths, and these are pretty vulnerable.
I looked into some larvae cultivation teks, but as I wasn't sure I would do it right, I decided to wait until I got therapeutic effects, and then try that.
However, life had other plans, we moved cities, and in the process I not only interrupted the dosing schedule (not a big deal), but didn't take the necessary food precautions.
A couple of years passed, and with my current weekly use of powerful antihelmintic substances (harmalas) it's sure all have died. In the end, I never got any kind of therapeutic effect at all, other than the unexpected bump. It was an interesting experience that seemed harmless to me, and I would have liked to get to a population more likely to help and see what happens, but compared to the immense help of harmalas, it makes no sense for me to do so. At least, I can now say that I've had human parasites as a psychoactive substance. But in most places that's better left unsaid
Again, this is an experimental treatment, there are still unknowns, and I got no benefit from it. I don't recommend it, don't do this. But I thought it may be of interest to some, given the DIY ethos of it and the peculiarity that it caused apparent psychological effects.
Stay safe!
