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Nuts & Seeds · Nuts
Black Walnut: Nutrition, Benefits, Hull Uses and Side Effects
What's in a black walnut, what the human studies show, how it compares with the English walnut, how the hull fits a parasite cleanse, how much to eat or take, and who should be careful.
Evidence-based40 sources citedUpdated October 9, 2026
The Dr. Axe Score™
Scientific Evidence
4.8/10
Two human studies of the nut: a breakfast trial in 30 adults and a 30-day trial that 29 adults finished; plus composition and lab research.
Antioxidant & Anti-Inflammatory
6.2/10
More vitamin E and gamma-tocopherol than English walnuts and phenolics led by ellagic acid; less oxidative damage to blood fats after one meal; calmer immune cells in lab tests.
Clinical Effectiveness
6.0/10
Our judgment: a protein- and mineral-rich nut that kept people fuller, eaten by the handful.
Nutrient Density
7.2/10
Per ounce: 48% of the daily value for manganese, 43% for copper and 6.8 g of protein; little plant omega-3 or folate.
Why this score?
Why Black Walnut scores 5.9 / 10
The score rates the shelled nut; the hull is an herb with its own section below. Weighting: Evidence 30% · Antioxidant & Anti-Inflammatory 25% · Clinical Effectiveness 25% · Nutrient Density 20% (4.8×0.30 + 6.2×0.25 + 6.0×0.25 + 7.2×0.20 = 1.44 + 1.55 + 1.50 + 1.44 = 5.93, shown as 5.9). How we score
A transparent, weighted index built for foods. See how it’s calculated →
Interaction check: Low. One food-drug note applies to walnuts in general: levothyroxine's label lists walnuts among the foods that can reduce its absorption, so take it on an empty stomach as prescribed and eat black walnuts at a later meal.29 If a doctor has prescribed an antiparasitic medicine, don't add a hull cleanse unless that doctor knows.3 Interactions are rated separately and don't change the score.
Black walnut at a glance
Black walnuts are the bold-flavored nuts of Juglans nigra, a tree native to the eastern and Midwestern United States, and an ounce gives you 6.8 grams of protein with nearly half a day's manganese and copper.12 The green hull around the shell is used as an herb, and it ranks second among the herbs in my parasite protocol.3
- Fullness: in a breakfast trial of 30 adults, a black walnut muffin left people fuller than the same muffin made with English walnuts or with butter4
- How much: my rule for nuts in general is a handful at most a day5
- The hull: 500 to 1,000 mg twice a day for about two weeks, alongside wormwood and clove, once testing points to a parasite3
- Go carefully: a tree nut allergy, and no hull products in pregnancy, while breastfeeding or for children
Every black walnut grows inside a fleshy green hull, and under that hull sits a very hard shell guarding a sweet, oily kernel.1 You eat the kernel, a nut with a distinct, robust flavor and plenty of protein.1 The hull is the part used as an herb.
Black walnut hull is the second of the eight antiparasitic herbs in my Heal From Parasites Protocol.3 The nut belongs on your plate, too. I call nuts a nutrient titan.5
Keep your servings of nuts low, about a handful at most a day.Dr. Josh Axe, DC, DNM, CNSFrom The Biblio Diet (2025), ebook p. 104
Get the free Heal From Parasites Protocol
This free 30-day protocol lays out:
- Ten hidden signs of a parasite, and how to test
- Four phases in order: prepare, open your detox pathways, kill, then bind
- The antiparasitic herbs, ranked, with their doses, including black walnut hull
- The anti-parasite foods to build your meals around
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Open the free protocol →Did you know?
A black walnut tree can grow 30 to 38 meters (about 98 to 125 feet) tall and live 100 years or more.1
Growers have selected black walnut trees since the late 1800s, and more than 700 cultivars have been recorded.6
Black walnut is the second-most-produced walnut in the U.S., and Missouri leads production.1
What is black walnut?
Quick answer
Black walnut is the nut of Juglans nigra, a large hardwood tree in the walnut family that's native to the eastern and Midwestern United States and a close relative of the English walnut.1 Its fruit has three parts: a fleshy green hull, a very hard shell and the kernel inside, which is eaten raw or cooked.1
Black walnut grows across most of the eastern half of the United States, and it's prized for its beautiful, sturdy wood as much as for its nuts.61 Its cousin, the English or Persian walnut (Juglans regia), is native to Central Asia and widely grown across Europe.1
The hull and the kernel do different jobs, and their chemistry differs too. When researchers mapped the chemistry of black walnut's bark, leaves and hull, they tentatively identified 161 compounds, and they isolated juglone, ellagic acid and gallic acid from the hull.7 In the kernel, ellagic acid leads the 16 phenolic compounds identified across 11 cultivars.8
Black walnut nutrition facts
Quick answer
An ounce of black walnuts (28.35 grams) has 175 calories, 6.8 grams of protein and 16.8 grams of fat, mostly polyunsaturated, plus 48% of the daily value for manganese and 43% for copper.29 It also brings 14% of your daily magnesium and 12% of your phosphorus.
Calculated from USDA FoodData Central, SR Legacy FDC ID 170186, at USDA's 28.35 grams per ounce; % Daily Value uses FDA reference values.29
| Nutrient | 1 ounce (28.35 g) | % DV (1 ounce) | 100 g |
|---|---|---|---|
| Calories | 175 | n/a | 619 |
| Protein | 6.8 g | 14% | 24.1 g |
| Total fat | 16.8 g | 22% | 59.3 g |
| Saturated fat | 0.99 g | 5% | 3.48 g |
| Monounsaturated fat | 4.4 g | n/a | 15.4 g |
| Polyunsaturated fat | 10.3 g | n/a | 36.4 g |
| Linoleic acid (omega-6) | 9.6 g | n/a | 33.8 g |
| Alpha-linolenic acid (plant omega-3) | 0.76 g | n/a | 2.68 g |
| Carbohydrate | 2.7 g | 1% | 9.58 g |
| Fiber | 1.9 g | 7% | 6.8 g |
| Manganese | 1.11 mg | 48% | 3.9 mg |
| Copper | 0.39 mg | 43% | 1.36 mg |
| Magnesium | 57 mg | 14% | 201 mg |
| Phosphorus | 145 mg | 12% | 513 mg |
| Vitamin B6 | 0.17 mg | 10% | 0.583 mg |
| Zinc | 0.96 mg | 9% | 3.37 mg |
| Selenium | 4.8 mcg | 9% | 17.0 mcg |
| Pantothenic acid | 0.47 mg | 9% | 1.66 mg |
| Iron | 0.88 mg | 5% | 3.12 mg |
| Vitamin E (alpha-tocopherol) | 0.59 mg | 4% | 2.08 mg |
| Gamma-tocopherol | 8.2 mg | n/a | 28.8 mg |
| Potassium | 148 mg | 3% | 523 mg |
| Folate | 8.8 mcg DFE | 2% | 31 mcg DFE |
| Calcium | 17 mg | 1% | 61 mg |
| Arginine | 1.03 g | n/a | 3.62 g |
Manganese and copper are the standouts, and the protein is high for a nut. Of the 16.8 grams of fat in an ounce, 10.3 grams are polyunsaturated fat, nearly all of it linoleic acid, with 0.76 grams of plant omega-3.2
One ounce of black walnuts covers nearly half a day's manganese and copper
Three compounds give the kernel its character:
Ellagitannins and ellagic acid
The kernel's leading polyphenols
Ellagic acid leads the kernel's phenolic compounds.8 Your gut bacteria turn ellagitannins into ellagic acid and then into urolithins, and how much you make depends on the bacteria you carry.10
Gamma-tocopherol
A form of vitamin E
An ounce has 8.2 mg of gamma-tocopherol, alongside 0.59 mg of alpha-tocopherol, the form the vitamin E daily value counts.2
How do black walnuts compare with English walnuts?
Black walnuts and English walnuts are cousins, and each brings something the other doesn't. Ounce for ounce, black walnuts carry about 59% more protein, plus more magnesium, phosphorus, selenium, vitamin E and arginine. English walnuts carry about 3.4 times the plant omega-3, plus more folate, calcium and copper.211
| Black walnuts | English walnuts | |
|---|---|---|
Calories | 175 | 185 |
Protein | 6.8 g | 4.3 g |
Plant omega-3 (ALA) | 0.76 g | 2.57 g |
Magnesium | 57 mg | 45 mg |
Phosphorus | 145 mg | 98 mg |
Selenium | 4.8 mcg | 1.4 mcg |
Vitamin E (alpha-tocopherol) | 0.59 mg | 0.20 mg |
Gamma-tocopherol | 8.2 mg | 5.9 mg |
Arginine | 1.03 g | 0.65 g |
Manganese | 1.11 mg | 0.97 mg |
Copper | 0.39 mg | 0.45 mg |
Folate | 8.8 mcg DFE | 27.8 mcg DFE |
Calcium | 17 mg | 28 mg |
Black walnuts carry about 59% more protein than English walnuts
On my show, I've named walnuts, along with ground flaxseed, as probably the single best choice among nuts and seeds for quieting inflammation.12 Enjoy both kinds: English walnuts for their plant omega-3 and black walnuts for their protein and minerals, inside the same daily handful. For more, see the guides to walnut oil and the healthiest nuts.
What are the benefits of black walnuts?
Quick answer
Black walnuts give you protein, manganese and copper in a small serving, and in a breakfast trial of 30 healthy adults, a black walnut muffin left people fuller, with less oxidative damage to fats in the blood than after a butter muffin.24 Their hull, a separate product, is used against parasites, as the parasite section explains.
Where the research stands
Black walnut has two human studies of the nut itself: a breakfast trial in 30 adults and a 30-day trial that 29 adults finished.413 Its nutrients are measured in detail, walnut-enriched diets have been pooled across 26 controlled trials, and the hull's compound juglone has been tested in the lab and in mice, so each card below names what was studied.214
Ranked by evidence, black walnuts do the most as a protein- and mineral-rich food that keeps you full, with encouraging results for antioxidant support and mixed results for blood fats.
1
Protein and minerals in a small serving
Strong evidenceComposition · USDA FoodData CentralProtein, manganese and copper lead the panel, with useful magnesium and phosphorus, and an ounce carries about 59% more protein than the same amount of English walnuts; the exact amounts are in the nutrition table above.2911
Study takeaway: an ounce covers nearly half a day's manganese and copper.
2
Fuller after a meal
Emerging evidenceHuman studyRandomized meal trial · 30 healthy adults, each tried all three breakfastsIn a randomized trial, 30 healthy adults of normal weight each ate three breakfasts on separate days: a muffin in which black walnuts replaced part of the butter, the same muffin made with English walnuts, and a butter-only muffin; neither the people nor the researchers knew which muffin was which. After the black walnut muffin, people felt fuller than after either of the others, and both walnut muffins curbed appetite more than the butter one.4 Blood sugar and triglycerides after the meal didn't differ among the three.4
Study takeaway: a black walnut breakfast kept people fuller than an English walnut or butter breakfast.
3
Antioxidant support
Emerging evidenceHuman studyRandomized meal trial · 30 adults; 28-day walnut trial; composition; lab study of kernel extractsIn the same breakfast trial, lipid peroxidation, a marker of oxidative damage to fats in the blood, was lower after the black walnut muffin than after the butter muffin, while total antioxidant capacity didn't differ.4 In blood samples from the month-long walnut trial below, 28 days of either nut didn't change how well LDL cholesterol resisted oxidation in lab tests.1516 The kernel brings its own antioxidants, including gamma-tocopherol and phenolic compounds led by ellagic acid.28 In lab tests, black walnut kernel extracts lowered the inflammatory messengers released by stimulated human immune cells without harming the cells.17
Study takeaway: less oxidative damage to blood fats after one black walnut meal than after a butter meal.
4
Blood fats
Mixed evidenceHuman studyTrial · 36 adults, 29 finished, each tried both nuts; meta-analysis · 26 walnut trialsAcross 26 controlled trials in 1,059 people, partly funded by walnut and nut industry groups, walnut-enriched diets lowered total cholesterol 6.99 mg/dL more than the control diets did, LDL 5.51 mg/dL more, triglycerides 4.69 mg/dL more and ApoB 3.74 mg/dL more, with no difference in weight or blood pressure.14 Black walnuts have one month-long trial of their own: 36 adults were assigned at random to add 30 grams (about an ounce) of black or English walnuts a day to their usual diet for 28 to 30 days, then switched to the other nut after a 12-week break; 29 finished both, and the black walnuts were donated by a processor and growers.1316 Overall, black walnuts didn't change blood fats significantly; total, LDL and HDL cholesterol fell in the men and rose in the women.16 On both nuts, the polyunsaturated fat in red blood cell membranes rose, a change the researchers called favorable, and neither nut caused weight gain.1316
Study takeaway: walnut-enriched diets lowered LDL cholesterol and ApoB across 26 controlled trials.
5
Parasite cleanse support, from the hull
Traditional useTraditional useTraditional use survey; lab and mouse studies of jugloneThe green hull is the part that goes into a parasite cleanse, including the kill phase of my protocol.3 In a lab test, its compound juglone killed 94% of tapeworm larvae within two hours.18 The details, including studies in mice and how I use it, are in the parasite section below.
Study takeaway: a traditional parasite herb whose compound, juglone, killed tapeworm larvae in the lab.
6
Antibacterial compounds
PreclinicalIn vitro (lab)Lab study · kernels of 22 cultivarsWhen researchers tested kernel extracts from 22 black walnut cultivars against Staphylococcus aureus, 4 cultivars stopped its growth in the lab, and the team identified six antibacterial compounds, including glansreginin A, azelaic acid and quercetin.6
Study takeaway: kernels from 4 of 22 cultivars stopped Staph growth in lab tests.
Does black walnut kill parasites?
Quick answer
Black walnut hull is one of the main herbs in my parasite protocol, paired with wormwood, and its compound juglone has killed tapeworm larvae and an amoeba in lab tests and cut worm and egg counts in infected mice.3181920 Use it for about two weeks inside a structured cleanse, once testing points to a parasite.
As I've explained on my show, wormwood and black walnut are almost always done in tandem, and together with clove they're the core of the kill phase in my protocol.213 I combine three or more herbs to hit parasites at different stages of life: wormwood for the adults and larvae, black walnut alongside it, and clove for the eggs.321 Other options on the list include oregano oil, berberine and pumpkin seeds.321
I use black walnut on our farm, too, where we grow black walnut trees.22
I own a regenerative organic farm, and we give black walnut to our sheep that tend to have parasite issues, because it's so effective for them.Dr. Josh Axe, DC, DNM, CNSFrom 60 Million Americans Have This Hidden Infection Right Now, The Dr. Josh Axe Show (2026), at 33:31
Black walnut has a place in natural animal care beyond our farm. In a survey of naturopaths, herbalists, holistic veterinarians and farmers in British Columbia, black walnut was among the plants used against worms in pets and pigs, and the researchers rated it among the plants with mid- to high-level validity for those traditional uses.23
Studies of juglone, black walnut's best-known compound, so far come from lab cultures and infected mice:
| What was tested | What happened |
|---|---|
Purified juglone against Acanthamoeba, a free-living amoeba, in lab cultures | Slowed the amoebas' growth at tiny concentrations (3 to 5 micromolar) and killed them by flooding them with reactive oxygen species, unstable molecules that damage cells; when that burst was blocked with N-acetylcysteine, the amoebas survived19 |
Purified juglone against tapeworm larvae (Echinococcus granulosus) in the lab | At the highest dose tested (800 µg/mL), juglone killed 94% of the larvae within two hours, and juglone packed into tiny fat bubbles (liposomes) killed all of them within an hour18 |
Juglone given to mice infected with a blood fluke (Schistosoma mansoni) | Fewer worms, fewer eggs in the liver and intestine, and less liver scarring20 |
No human trial has tested black walnut hull against an intestinal parasite yet, so its support comes from traditional use and from lab and animal studies of juglone.
Here's how juglone is thought to work, step by step:
1Juglone is found in the hull and the nut's skin
Researchers isolated juglone from black walnut's green hull.7 In English walnuts, where it has been measured in the nut across 10 cultivars, the thin skin on the kernel held 317.90 mg per 100 grams, against 11.75 mg in the kernel itself.24
2It sets off reactive oxygen species
Juglone is a quinone, a compound that cycles electrons inside cells and generates reactive oxygen species.25
3Parasites take the hit
In lab cultures of Acanthamoeba, that oxidative burst killed the amoebas, and blocking it kept them alive.19
How do you take black walnut hull for parasites?
Quick answer
In my parasite protocol, I recommend 500 to 1,000 mg of black walnut hull twice a day, ideally with food, for the roughly 14-day kill phase, alongside wormwood and clove.3 That kill phase sits in the middle of a 30- to 35-day cleanse.21
Start by finding out whether you have a parasite. As I said on my show, "If you don't have a parasite, you shouldn't necessarily do a parasite cleanse."21 A stool test, such as a comprehensive stool analysis that checks for parasites, can show whether one is there, and if you're not sure, start with the protocol's anti-parasite foods and get tested before you take the herbs.22
Four blood markers worth checking if you suspect a parasite
These four markers can't name a parasite or prove you have one; a stool test or a blood test for a specific parasite does that. They can show signs worth following up, so go over your numbers with your practitioner.
- Eosinophils: A white blood cell counted in a CBC. When a parasite is behind a raised count, the rise is usually mild or moderate, and other conditions can raise it too.26
- Ferritin: Your body's stored iron, which runs low in iron deficiency.
- Vitamin B12: A vitamin your gut has to absorb well to keep your levels up.
- hs-CRP: Low-grade inflammation anywhere in the body.
See the cellular bloodwork panel
Have results? Analyze them free →The herbs come in the third of four phases. First you prepare and strengthen your body, then open your detox pathways, then kill the parasites over about 14 days, then bind what's left so your body can clear it.213
| Herb | Dose in the kill phase of my protocol |
|---|---|
Wormwood | 200 to 300 mg, twice a day3 |
Black walnut hull | 500 to 1,000 mg, twice a day, ideally with food3 |
Cloves | 500 mg, two to three times a day3 |
You'll find black walnut hull as a tincture, a powder or capsules, and I've described taking it on my show as an herbal tincture or a powder.22 Choose a product that lists the milligrams of hull per serving, so you can match the protocol's dose, and look for Juglans nigra on the label. Black walnut also turns up in digestive bitters, alongside bitter herbs like gentian.22
Want help fitting black walnut into a cleanse?
Ask Dr. Axe AI. Answers are grounded in this library, with sources shown.
How many black walnuts should you eat a day?
Quick answer
My rule for nuts in general is a handful at most a day.5 An ounce of black walnut kernels (28.35 grams) has 175 calories.2
Nuts are a great source of fats, energy and overall nutrition, but they can also be hard on the gut, which is one reason to keep servings modest.5 Nuts and seeds are made more digestible by soaking them in water and drying them in a low-temperature oven or a food dehydrator.5
Nuts were valued in the biblical world, too, and they belong in a biblical diet today. When Jacob sent his sons down to Egypt, he told them to "take of the best fruits in the land in your vessels, and carry down the man a present, a little balm, and a little honey, spices, and myrrh, nuts, and almonds" (Genesis 43:11).
Research on nuts as a group points the same way, toward a modest daily amount. Across 20 prospective studies, each 28 grams of nuts a day went with a 29% lower risk of coronary heart disease and a 22% lower risk of death from any cause, and most of that benefit came by about 15 to 20 grams a day.27 In two Harvard cohorts of 76,464 women and 42,498 men followed for up to 30 years, partly funded by a tree-nut research foundation, the death rate fell step by step as people ate nuts more often. Setting the rate for people who never ate nuts at 1.00, it was 0.93 for less than once a week, 0.89 for once a week, 0.87 for 2 to 4 times a week, 0.85 for 5 or 6 times a week and 0.80 for 7 or more times a week, a 20% lower death rate.28
The more often people ate nuts, the lower their death rate over up to 30 years
How to buy, store and use black walnuts
Buy shelled kernels, since the shell is very hard to crack at home.1 Store them in an airtight container in the refrigerator or freezer: most of their fat is polyunsaturated,2 the kind of fat most prone to going rancid with heat, light and air, so toss any that smell sharp or stale. Prepare them soaked and dried at low heat if nuts sit heavily with you.5
Their flavor is bold, so a small amount is enough. A few easy ways to use them:
Bake them into muffins in place of part of the butter, the way the breakfast trial did.
Toss a few over a salad with goat cheese and sliced apple.
Sprinkle them over roasted butternut squash.
Blend a few into a smoothie with banana and cacao nibs.
What are black walnut's side effects, and who should avoid it?
Quick answer
As a food, black walnuts are safe unless you have a tree nut allergy.30 The hull is a strong herb for short courses: skip hull products during pregnancy, while breastfeeding and for children, and if you have liver or kidney disease.2131
Tree nut allergy
In a U.S. registry of 5,149 people with peanut or tree nut allergies, walnuts caused 34% of the tree nut allergies, more than any other nut, and tree nut allergies usually start in childhood and rarely fade.3032 In a national survey of 40,443 U.S. adults, about 1.2% had a convincing tree nut allergy.33 Black walnuts carry their own versions of the walnut allergy proteins, and one of them, Jug n 4, was recognized by antibodies in blood from 32% of 25 people with a confirmed walnut allergy.3435 Tree nuts must be declared on U.S. food labels.36
If you're allergic to English walnuts or any tree nut, skip black walnuts and black walnut hull products unless your allergist has confirmed you tolerate them, and get emergency care for lip or throat swelling, wheezing or faintness after eating them. See food allergy symptoms for the warning signs.
Who should skip the hull
During pregnancy and breastfeeding, my answer is absolutely not: no black walnut, no wormwood and no clove; wait until after weaning.213 With children, I skip strong herbs like black walnut and wormwood and use the gentler, food-based version of a cleanse, built on foods like pumpkin seeds, papaya seeds, garlic and pineapple.21
Strong herbs like black walnut can be hard on your body if you take too much, so keep to the protocol's dose and the two-week window.21 In mice given purified juglone by mouth every day, doses of 15 and 50 mg per kg of body weight caused weight loss and changes in the liver and kidneys; no hull or tincture was tested.31 If you have liver or kidney disease, skip hull products.
Juglone also damaged human skin cells in lab tests, and the researchers advise care with juglone on the skin, so wear gloves when you handle fresh hulls.37
Black walnuts and pets
Keep fallen black walnuts and their hulls away from dogs. In poison-center records of 65 dogs that ate the nuts or hulls, 48% vomited and 23% showed neurologic or musculoskeletal signs.38 If you're treating a parasite and have pets, I suggest deworming them at the same time, working with your vet.21
The bottom line
Should you eat black walnuts?
Yes, by the handful. Black walnuts are a bold-flavored American nut, rich in protein, manganese and copper, and they kept people fuller at breakfast than English walnuts or butter. The hull is the herb in my parasite protocol, paired with wormwood and clove and backed by its traditional use in animal care and by research on its compound, juglone. I give that kind of traditional record real weight, because it reflects generations of people paying attention to what helped them.
Eat them raw, soaked or baked into breakfast, and keep the kernels cold. Save the hull for a two-week kill phase once testing points to a parasite, and check who should skip it first. My philosophy has always been to use food as medicine first, and black walnuts are a simple, flavorful place to start.39
Get the free Heal From Parasites Protocol
Ten hidden signs of a parasite and how to test, the four phases in order, the antiparasitic herbs ranked with their doses and the anti-parasite foods. Have recent bloodwork? Analyze it free. Free with your Dr. Axe account (email or Google). You'll also get the protocol's short email series and the Dr. Axe newsletter; unsubscribe anytime.
Open the free protocol →Black walnut: frequently asked questions
Are black walnuts good for you?
What's the difference between black walnuts and English walnuts?
They're two species in the same family: black walnut (Juglans nigra) is native to the eastern and Midwestern United States, and the English walnut (Juglans regia) to Central Asia.1 Black walnuts have a bolder flavor and about 59% more protein, while English walnuts have about 3.4 times the plant omega-3.211
How many black walnuts should I eat a day?
Do black walnuts lower cholesterol?
Walnut-enriched diets do: across 26 controlled trials, they lowered LDL cholesterol 5.51 mg/dL more than the control diets did.14 In black walnut's own month-long trial, which 29 adults finished, each eating both nuts in turn, black walnuts didn't change blood fats significantly overall: LDL fell in the men and rose in the women, and on both nuts the polyunsaturated fat in red blood cell membranes rose, a change the researchers called favorable.1613
Does black walnut kill parasites?
Black walnut hull is the second herb in my parasite protocol, paired with wormwood, and its compound juglone has killed tapeworm larvae and an amoeba in lab tests and cut worm and egg counts in infected mice.3181920 I use it for about two weeks in the kill phase of a cleanse, once testing points to a parasite.21
How much black walnut hull should I take for parasites?
How long can you take black walnut hull?
How often should you do a parasite cleanse with black walnut?
Only when you really think, or know, you have a parasite; I wouldn't do a cleanse just to do one. If you want to make it a yearly habit, I think spring is the most effective time of year for most people.21
What is juglone?
Can you take black walnut hull while pregnant or breastfeeding?
Is black walnut hull safe for kids?
No, I don't use strong herbs like black walnut or wormwood with children; I use the gentler, food-based version of a parasite cleanse, built on foods like pumpkin seeds, papaya seeds, garlic and pineapple.21
Can I eat black walnuts if I'm allergic to walnuts?
Are black walnuts poisonous to dogs?
They can make dogs sick, so keep fallen nuts and hulls out of reach: in poison-center records of 65 dogs that ate black walnuts or their hulls, 48% vomited.38
What do black walnuts taste like?
Bold. Black walnuts have a distinct, robust flavor that sets them apart from other nuts, with a sweet, oily kernel; try a spoonful in oatmeal, muffins or a salad.1
Freshness & update log
October 9, 2026 — Trimmed repeated book references.
October 8, 2026 — Rewrote the page in full. The previous version said no trial had ever fed black walnuts to people; this version adds the two human studies of the nut, a breakfast trial in 30 adults and a 30-day trial that 29 adults finished. It moves the score to the current food weighting, rebuilds the hull section around Dr. Axe's Heal From Parasites Protocol with lab and animal studies of juglone and the full finding of a 2007 survey of traditional use, adds a nutrient chart and a comparison with English walnuts, removes the myths table and the cancer, antifungal and Mediterranean-diet sections, and gathers the allergy, pregnancy, children and pet cautions in one safety section, with 40 references.
September 22, 2026 — Previous update.
December 16, 2019 — First published.
References
- Antora SA, Ho KV, Lin CH, Thomas AL, Lovell ST, Krishnaswamy K. Quantification of vitamins, minerals, and amino acids in black walnut (Juglans nigra). Front Nutr. 2022;9:936189. doi:10.3389/fnut.2022.936189. PMID:35967790
- U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service. Nuts, walnuts, black, dried. FoodData Central, SR Legacy, FDC ID 170186 (NDB 12154; Juglans nigra). Published April 1, 2019.
- Axe J. Heal From Parasites Protocol: The 30-Day System. DrAxe.com. 2025 (sections "The 4-phase protocol," "Top 8 antiparasitic herbs" and the FAQ).
- Rodrigues LL, Cooper JA, Paton CM. Acute consumption of black walnuts increases fullness and decreases lipid peroxidation in humans. Nutr Res. 2019;71:56-64. doi:10.1016/j.nutres.2019.09.002. PMID:31757635
- Axe J, Rubin J. The Biblio Diet. Hachette Book Group; 2025. ISBN 9781546008439 (nuts: "Keep your servings of nuts low, about a handful at most a day," ebook p. 104; nuts as a nutrient titan, hard on the gut in larger amounts, and more digestible soaked and dried at low heat).
- Ho KV, Lei Z, Sumner LW, Coggeshall MV, Hsieh HY, Stewart GC, Lin CH. Identifying antibacterial compounds in black walnuts (Juglans nigra) using a metabolomics approach. Metabolites. 2018;8(4):58. doi:10.3390/metabo8040058. PMID:30274312
- Osztie R, Czeglédi T, Ross S, Stipsicz B, Kalydi E, Béni S, et al. Comprehensive characterization of phytochemical composition, membrane permeability, and antiproliferative activity of Juglans nigra polyphenols. Int J Mol Sci. 2024;25(13):6930. doi:10.3390/ijms25136930. PMID:39000038
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