Fox Tapeworm In Wild Garlic: You Should Pay Attention to This

Fox tapeworm in wild garlic – you should know that

Infection with the fox tapeworm is very dangerous, even if the chances of recovery have improved significantly over the years. However, there is still a risk of dying from the fox tapeworm, which mainly attacks the liver. But what does the wild garlic have to do with the fox tapeworm?

• The answer is: basically nothing. As the name suggests, the fox tapeworm is transmitted by foxes. Once foxes have contracted the tapeworm, they eventually shed the eggs.
• Tapeworm eggs end up attaching themselves to all sorts of plants, leaves, and fruits that are at ground level to about knee height.
• The risk of becoming infected with the fox tapeworm is therefore by no means exclusively due to wild garlic. However, wild garlic is one of the herbs that are particularly popular in the wild.
• Because tapeworm eggs are microscopic, it’s nearly impossible to spot them with the naked eye. To make matters worse, wild garlic is mainly eaten raw.

Minimize the risk of fox tapeworm infection from wild garlic

There is no doubt that an infestation with the fox tapeworm is still dangerous. However, opinions differ on the question of how high the risk of infection is when eating raw wild garlic.

• Quite a few voices consider another danger to be far greater. They assume that more collectors are harmed by confusing wild garlic with the poisonous lily of the valley or other plants than by the fox tapeworm.
• In principle, there is the option of boiling the wild garlic before consumption. However, wild garlic is so popular precisely because of its unmistakable aroma, and a lot of it is lost when it is boiled.
• Alternatively, wash the wild garlic very thoroughly under running water. In this case, however, you cannot be 100% sure that you have really removed all of the tiny, sticky tapeworm eggs – assuming that there are any on the wild garlic at all.
• If you want to be absolutely sure that there are no fox tapeworm eggs on your wild garlic, simply plant the spicy herb yourself.