“All things are poison and nothing is without poison, only the dose permits something not to be poisonous.” ~ Paracelsus

I started taking turpentine internally about 6 months ago to help recover from a massive candida and intestinal parasitic infection. At first, my family thought I was legit crazy, but they came around after they saw my healing progress. I had been ill for more than a year, and despite all my dietary and lifestyle changes (as well as a few rounds of pharmaceutical drugs) I was not getting better. I was extremely underweight from the parasites, unable to process and digest most foods and had developed severe food and chemical sensitivities. In my quest for recovery I went to multiple western doctors, hospitals, naturopaths, and alternative healers to no avail. While the standard healing modalities in this country could at least give me an answer to why I was sick, they could not fully heal me. The medications I was on would work for a while, but then the candida and parasites would adapt and come roaring back. My liver function became so compromised due to the medications and neurotoxins circulating in my blood, that pharmaceuticals were no longer safe for me. I was quickly dying, and desperately needed another option.

I started reading everything I could find on healing the body naturally from candidiasis and parasites. I tried different remedies, noticed how my body would respond, and made adjustments based on how I felt. I maintained a super-strict diet of no sugar, very little fruit, no dairy, gluten, animal products etc. Still, my tests continued to show a lack of progress… it was in this period of desperation that I happened across a random forum post about turpentine as medicine. A year ago, I would have laughed this off and moved along… after all, I have been programmed to believe that turpentine is poison, and should only be used for stripping paint! But this time, my mind was open (my body had made sure of that!)… so I did some more reading.

What I found was mind-blowing at first, but it made sense. 100% pure gum spirits of turpentine is simply the essential oil from pine tree sap. It works similar to other essential oils in that plants have evolved over millions of years to fight off fungus and other pathogens (using compounds such as terpenes) which are anti-fungal, anti-bacterial, and anti-viral. There is simply no substitute for Mother Nature’s medicine – pharmaceutical companies know this, and as a result many pharmaceutical drugs actually contain plant compounds (unfortunately usually along with some undesirable and toxic additives).

In my research I came across Dr. Jennifer Daniels – a western medicine doctor who brought to light the healing power of turpentine. As a graduate of Harvard and University of Pennsylvania Medical School, Dr. Daniels maintained a practice in the U.S. for nearly a decade – helping and healing patients with her model of fewer prescription drugs, and a range of diet and lifestyle changes (including turpentine in cases of severe or long-term illness and even arthritis). She has since relocated to Panama where she continues to practice medicine and share her knowledge with the world online.

Daniels discovered turpentine’s amazing healing properties after extensive research into an elusive remedy that was used by slaves in the 1800’s. This remedy was so powerful that even the plantation owners would go to the slaves’ quarters when they were ill. In addition to Dr. Daniel’s research, she conducted hundreds of interviews and discovered a common theme: when her patients were young, they would be given turpentine and sugar when they were ill. Some of her patients even had grandparents that were alive and kicking well into their 90’s and still utilizing this remedy. Interestingly enough, even the Merck Medical Manual (a pocket reference for physicians) from 1899 lists turpentine as a therapy for a wide range of illnesses, including meningitis, arthritis, and lung infections to name a few! Merck is now a pharmaceutical company and turpentine is no longer listed in their manual. Hmmm….

So after doing my research and exhausting all other options, I decided to give turpentine a try. I started with ½ teaspoon of turpentine to 1 teaspoon of pure cane sugar (I use Sucanat now and like it better; it’s just unrefined dehydrated cane sugar). Jennifer Daniels recommends sugar cubes which are fine too. Why sugar? It acts as a trojan horse to get the turpentine into the candida cells (candida LOVE sugar!). To quote Mary Poppins, (and I can’t help but sing this as I write) “A spoonful of sugar helps the medicine go down!!” – but you can also take it with castor oil. I took the turpentine daily for 4 days, and then dropped down to twice a week. After about a month I went to get retested – the parasites were GONE, and my candida was back in balance. Almost overnight I gained back 20 pounds (I was 95 lbs when I started) and my body shifted back into healing mode. My heart palpitations and neurological symptoms disappeared, and for the first time in a long time, I had energy again. I was no longer a dead-woman walking!

I continue to take turpentine as needed, and always have some in my medicine cabinet. As with any medicine, toxicity is in the dose – I’m no longer intimidated by the scary warning labels, so long as I am using a pure gum spirits of turpentine and being mindful of my dosing. You can buy the kind of turpentine I use by CLICKING HERE. If you’re interested in learning more about turpentine as medicine, I highly recommend reading more on Dr. Jennifer Daniels and checking out the links below.

Have you tried turpentine or other amazing natural remedies? Please comment below and share your experience! Namaste <3

CLICK HERE TO BUY 100% PURE GUM SPIRITS OF TURPENTINE

**Legal Disclaimer: None of the material on this website is intended as medical advice or to replace the guidance of your healthcare practitioner. The above article communicates only my personal experience with turpentine. It may not be a suitable remedy for everyone, and if you do decide to try turpentine, do your own research and start with a low dose (a few drops dissolved in sugar or castor oil) and see how you feel. I followed Jennifer Daniel’s protocol closely (although I took 1/2 teaspoon instead of a teaspoon daily) with good results. A little bit goes a long way, and if you take too much all at once you may experience Herxmeier reactions (flu-like symptoms as your body is temporarily overwhelmed with the toxins released from candida die-off). Keep out of the reach of children.

Sources:

http://vitalitycapsules.com/turpentine (audio)

http://vitalitycapsules.com/candida-cleaner-complete (free downloadable report)

www.youtube.com/watch?v=ucna–FLRMw (interview with Jennifer Daniels)

http://www.health-science-spirit.com/kero.htm (turpentine as a universal healer article)

https://archive.org/details/mercksmanualofma00newy (Merck Medical Manual, published 1899)