Black walnuts are a surprising superfood with many health benefits. They have been used traditionally by Native Americans, Chinese, Indian and Russian cultures for centuries for a wide variety of ailments.

Modern science and research is only just starting to uncover some of the unique nutritional elements in these potent nuts that make them so effective for so many different conditions.

Here are 10 different ways that eating black walnuts or using black walnut hulls may help treat different diseases and benefit your health in general.

1. Parasites

Black walnuts, and in particular black walnut hulls that are harvested green, are a well known vermifuge and are considered a premier treatment for pinworms, tapeworms, hookworms and other intestinal parasites.

Much more on how to use black walnut hulls for parasites here, along with two other effect anti-parasitic herbs to use in conjunction with it.

2. Candida

Like intestinal worms, candida overgrowth is another common, yet rarely diagnosed and debilitating health problem affecting many people

Most people have some of the candida albicans yeast in their digestive systems and other areas of the body. Problems start though when intestinal conditions deteriorate with a diet high in simple sugars, drinking chlorinated water, prolonged stress and especially antibiotic use.

Intestinal candidiasis is an overgrowth of the candida fungus, which can actually weaken the walls of your intestines and release toxins into your bloodstream. This plays havoc with your immune system and can manifest in a whole range of baffling symptoms which can be very difficult for your doctor to diagnose.

Unfortunately, the common prescription of more antibiotics will often make things much worse. What is needed is a significant change of diet and a treatment plan, followed by effective probiotics to help normalize the intestinal environment and bring the overgrowth under control.

Studies on compounds found in black walnut extract have shown it to be as effective against candida as commercial antifungal treatments like selenium sulfide and zinc undecylenate.

It is believed that the naphthoquinone juglone, high levels of astringent tannins and other compounds in black walnut treatments change the intestinal environment to make it unfavorable for the candida albicans fungus and other harmful parasites.

3. Antifungal

Black walnuts skin problemsThese same antifungal properties make black walnut hull tincture a popular treatment for athlete’s foot, ringworm, jock itch and other fungal infections of the skin.

To treat these fungal skin conditions the black walnut tincture can be applied externally to the affected areas and is often reported in online forums to be more effective for those who try them than pharmaceutical preparations.

Always patch test any preparations like this on the skin of your inner arm for several hours before using them to test for allergic reaction.

4. Skin Conditions

Black walnut benefits may include helping to treat many other skin conditions and problems like acne, eczema and psoriasis.

For acne, the tincture is taken both internally and sometimes apply diluted externally as a skin treatment. If applying it to your skin, it would once again be best to test it first for your own sensitivity.

To do this, mix a few drops in warm water and dab a small area in an inconspicuous part of your face with a cotton ball and leave it for an hour or two to see if you have any reaction.

While there are reports online of success with using black walnut extract internally for eczema and psoriasis, the tinctures extracted in alcohol could be too harsh for these skin conditions.

It may be gentler and more effective to mix a small amount of black walnut hull powder with these avocado oil treatments for psoriasis and eczema. Especially with these conditions, make sure you patch test well first, perhaps even overnight, before using them on potentially sensitive areas.

5. Warts, Cold Sores and Herpes

Warts are growths on the skin caused by a viral infection. Black walnut hull extract is often reported to make warts shrivel up and die.

It is applied directly to the wart daily and covered with tape. This may take several weeks but many people find their warts starts shrinking and eventually die and fall off with this treatment.

There have also been cases discussed in online forums of multiple warts shrinking and disappearing after regularly taking these black walnut powder capsules. The suggested dosage was 2500 mg of capsules for breakfast and again with dinner.

Cold sores are also treated and their healing speeded up with black walnut hull tincture by painting them with a cotton wool bud several times a day. Due to the high natural iodine content, this would be visible so may be best done on a day off or before bed.

Herpes simplex type 2 is a more virulent outbreak of the HSV virus around the genitals. While the tincture or powder made into a paste may help speed up the healing of herpes blisters, it is reported that regularly taking black walnut as a supplement can greatly reduce the frequency of outbreaks.

6. Stop Sweating

In one of the more unusual benefits of black walnut, it is known to help reduce excessive sweating. The high levels of astringent tannins contained in the hulls are believed to have an effect on overactive sweat glands and decrease the amount of sweat they produce.

7. Digestive Benefits

Alongside its powerful anti-parasitic and anti-fungal properties for your gastrointestinal tract, black walnut has other beneficial effects on your digestive system.

Black walnut hull is said to tone and heal inflamed intestinal tissue, as well as improving the environment of the digestive tract for more effective assimilation and elimination.

It is for this reason that black walnut is unusually considered a treatment for both constipation and diarrhea.

8. Sore Throat Treatment

You can gargle with black walnut extract diluted in water to treat a sore throat, tonsillitis and mouth sores. Once again, the astringent tannins and naturally antiseptic iodine provide the health benefits.

9. Cardiovascular and Diabetes Benefits of Black Walnuts

In a study entitled The Effects of Daily Black Walnut Consumption on Blood Lipid Levels, black walnuts were shown to reduce LDL cholesterol (the dangerous kind) for men by over 4%, even further than the more common English walnuts in the same study. The researchers also noted that no weight gain was associated with their consumption.

Black walnuts have a similar nutritional profile to English walnuts and the same diabetes and cardiovascular benefits for lowering high blood pressure and reducing blood sugar levels can be gained from eating them.

10. Anti-Cancer Black Walnuts

Numerous studies have found juglone, a cytotoxic compound found in walnuts, and most predominately in black walnuts, to have anticancer properties. Juglone has been demonstrated to lead to cancer cell death by both apoptosis and necrosis (Juglone, a naphthoquinone from walnut, exerts cytotoxic and genotoxic effects…).

As usual, the cancer industry seems uninterested in natural treatments that can’t be patented and real human studies are unlikely. While it’s not the place of a website like this to give advice on life-threatening diseases like cancer, I’d personally thoroughly researched all the available options, including those that can’t be patented.

Black walnuts are also rich in powerful polyphenols, omega-3 fats and melatonin. All of which have properties that may help protect you from developing cancer.

Eating Black Walnuts

While English walnuts are a very healthy food that can be eaten in moderation every day, black walnuts appear to be a more high-powered version and are perhaps better viewed as a medicine to have occasionally, rather than a snack food to be eaten in great quantities.

Coming up is a recipe for black walnut pesto that is one of the more enjoyable ways to add this powerful medicinal and cleansing superfood into your diet.

I hope this page has provided an overview of the many health benefits of black walnuts, as well as shared some good options if you’d like to give them a try. I’d especially appreciate hearing about your experiences in using black walnuts for any health conditions or any other beneficial effects you’re aware of with eating them or using the concentrated extract or black walnut hull capsules.