BLACK WALNUT | Genesis Health Products

Black Walnut Green Hulls

Juglans nigra.

Vitaklenz: 200mg

Vitaklenz for Kidz: 150mg

Black walnut has been used as an astringent, laxative and a vermifuge. It is used to expel tapeworms and other internal and external parasites.7 The American Medical Ethnobotany Reference Dictionary claims that the juice from black walnut hull is effective against ringworm,3 but some warnings have been issued regarding topical use (see below). Black walnut is traditionally regarded as anti-parasitic and a vermifuge.6 8

James Duke lists juglone as being anti-parasitic, antiviral and a fungicide,4 while Martindale claims some efficiency in treating lymphatic disorders such as scrofula.5 Hutchens records a tincture of the nuts, including the leaves and the green husk, as having traditionally been used for colic and to expel intestinal worms.10 Black walnut is often applied to treating cases of diphtheria, leukemia and syphilis, and to kill and expel intestinal worms.1

Juglans nigra and its constituents have exhibited in vitro bacteriostatic activity against the log phase spirochetes of Borelia bugdorferi and Borelia garinii, as well as bactericidal activity against Borrelia round bodies, showing promise in the treatment of Lyme disease.14 The chief known constituent of black walnut is juglone, which demonstrates antibacterial and antifungal properties.2 7

Black walnut, by virtue of its numerous constituents, has shown antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, antidiabetic, cardioprotective and anti-cancer activity.11 The tannins in Black walnut have shown antibacterial activity against Listeria monocytogenes, Staphylococcus aureas, E. coli O157:H7, Brochothrix thermosphacta, Pseudomonas fragi and Salmonella typhimurium, with particular effectiveness noted against S. aureus.9 11 12 While follow up research remains scant, correlations do exist linking black walnut constituents with anti-cholesterol and anti- hypertensive action.13

One constituent of black walnut that has shown promise in the application to a number of conditions is plumagin. This quinone occurs naturally within the roots, leaves, bark and wood of a number of walnut species, including Juglans nigra. Along with juglone, plumagin absorbs well into keratinocytes (most prominent cells within the epidermis) showing good antifungal, antiviral and antibacterial action (most likely from the result of redox cycling).15 Plumbagin has further shown success in larvicidal activity against Haemonchus contortus and Ascaris suum, two worm species commonly used for testing anti-helminthic treatments for human roundworms, while it has previously demonstrated marked activity against leishmaniasis (L. donovani and L. m. amazonensis).16 17

Anti-fungal properties have also been reported in literature, with C. albicans, C. tropicalis, C. krusei, C. neoformans, T. rubrum, T. mentagrophytes, M. canis and M. gypseum all identified as susceptible to black walnut in studies.18 19

Black walnut is listed as safe for short term oral use (typical oral dose is 1,000 mg three times daily with water), but is regarded as possibly unsafe for topical application. Due to the lack of studies, it is not recommended for use during pregnancy or lactation.1

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References:

“Possible Unsuspected Cause of Chronic Illness: Intestinal Parasites.” Alternative Medicine Shop. (Accessed May 22, 2003). http://www.altmedicineshop.com/ProductInfo/Paradex.htm
Moerman, DE. American Medical Ethnobotany: A Reference Dictionary. New York, NY: Garland Publishing. 1977.
Duke JA, et. al. Handbook of Medicinal Herbs. Second Edition. Boca Raton, FL: CRC Press. 2002.
“Parasites.” Health Concerns Index. 2002. MotherNature.com. (Accessed May 16, 2003). http://www.mothernature.com/Library/Ency/Index.cfm?id=1243003
Duke JA. Handbook of Biologically Active Phytochemicals and Their Activities. Boca Raton, FL: CRC Press. 1992.
Reynolds JEF (ed.). Martindale, The Extra Pharmacopoeia. Thirtieth Edition. London, UK: The Pharmaceutical Press. 1993.
A. R. Hutchens, A Handbook of Native American Herbs: The Pocket Guide to 125 Medicinal Plants and Their Uses, Shambhala Publications, 1992.
Jellin JM, Batz F, Hitchens K. Natural Medicines Comprehensive Database. Third Edition. Stockton, California: Therapeutic Research Faculty, 2000.
Feng J, Leone J, Schweig S, Zhang Y. Evaluation of Natural and Botanical Medicines for Activity Against Growing and Non-growing Forms of . Front Med (Lausanne). 2020 Feb 21;7:6. doi: 10.3389/fmed.2020.00006. PMID: 32154254; PMCID: PMC7050641.
Bruneton J. Pharmacognosy Phytochemistry Medicinal Plants. Second Edition as Translated by Caroline K. Hatton. Paris: Lavoisier Publishing, 1999.
Vu DC, Trang HDN, Thi KH,An overview of phytochemicals and potential health-promoting properties of black walnut 2020, 10, 33378DOI:10.1039/D0RA05714B.
Amarowicz R, Dykes GA, Pegg RB. Antibacterial activity of tannin constituents from Phaseolus vulgaris, Fagoypyrum esculentum, Corylus avellana and Juglans nigra. Fitoterapia. 2008 Apr;79(3):217-9. doi: 10.1016/j.fitote.2007.11.019. Epub 2008 Feb 9. PMID: 18325686.
Ho KV, Lei Z, Sumner LW, Coggeshall MV, Hsieh HY, Stewart GC, Lin CH. Identifying Antibacterial Compounds in Black Walnuts () Using a Metabolomics Approach. Metabolites. 2018 Sep 29;8(4):58. doi: 10.3390/metabo8040058. PMID: 30274312; PMCID: PMC6316014.
Cristiane Rodrigues Silva Câmara & Vicki Schlegel (2016) A Review on the Potential Human Health Benefits of the Black Walnut: A Comparison with the English Walnuts and Other Tree Nuts, International Journal of Food Properties, 19:10, 2175-2189, DOI: 10.1080/10942912.2015.1114951
Inbaraj JJ, Chignell CF. Cytotoxic action of juglone and plumbagin: a mechanistic study using HaCaT keratinocytes. Chem Res Toxicol. 2004 Jan;17(1):55-62. doi: 10.1021/tx034132s. PMID: 14727919.
Fetterer RH, Fleming MW. Effects of plumbagin on development of the parasitic nematodes Haemonchus contortus and Ascaris suum. Comp Biochem Physiol C Comp Pharmacol Toxicol. 1991;100(3):539-42. doi: 10.1016/0742-8413(91)90036-s. PMID: 1687553.
Croft SL, Evans AT, Neal RA. The activity of plumbagin and other electron carriers against Leishmania donovani and Leishmania mexicana amazonensis. Ann Trop Med Parasitol. 1985 Dec;79(6):651-3. doi: 10.1080/00034983.1985.11811974. PMID: 3834847.
Garza BAA, Arroyo JL, González GG, González EG, González EG, de Torres NW, Aranda RS. Anti-fungal and Anti-Mycobacterial activity of plants of Nuevo Leon, Mexico. Pak J Pharm Sci. 2017 Jan;30(1):17-21. PMID: 28603107.
Sytykiewicz H, Chrzanowski G, Czerniewicz P, et al. Antifungal Activity of Juglans regia (L.) Leaf Extracts Against Candida albicans Isolates. Polish Journal of Environmental Studies. 2015;24(3):1339-1348. doi:10.15244/pjoes/34671.

Black Walnut Green Hulls

Juglans nigra.

​References:

References: