Important tips for consuming kombucha to avoid candida flare-ups and why some people who drink it experience worsened symptoms temporarily.
I’ve been asked more than once recently if kombucha is beneficial for those who are battling candida overgrowth. There is evidently a school of thought making the rounds that candida sufferers best avoid this healthful, traditionally fermented beverage.
Is avoidance truly a good course of action? Or, can this probiotic rich beverage actually help gut healing?
What Exactly Is Kombucha?
For those of you new to this delicious beverage, kombucha is a traditional Russian drink that is made from fermenting plain black tea (or a combination of black and green tea) and sugar. It has been consumed for hundreds of years and, through extensive testing in Russia, proven to be an effective overall detoxifier through the binding of the organic acids to toxins present in the body.
Once tightly bound to the organic acids, the toxins are then rushed to the kidneys for excretion.
Russian communities that drink a lot of kombucha do not suffer from cancer at the high rates that plague folks who live near that country’s toxin spewing factories — even when the local flora and fauna are dying!
During the years of the Iron Curtain, the Soviet Union used kombucha as one of its secret weapons in the training of its Olympic athletes — the athletes would drink up to 1 quart of kombucha per day to help them train harder.
The popularity of kombucha in North America has been steadily growing for the past 20 years or so. I’ve been brewing kombucha in our home since 2001, and it has proved to be an integral part of our family’s overall wellness strategy.
Do Kombucha and Candida Mix?
We’ve established that kombucha is a healthy, traditional beverage. But, what if a person has candida overgrowth? Will the fact that kombucha contains beneficial yeasts as well as bacteria in the final brew aggravate the situation?
The key is that kombucha contains beneficial yeasts, not pathogenic ones like candida.
Therefore, when someone with candida starts drinking kombucha for the first time, there may indeed be a flare up of symptoms that may confuse the person into thinking that the kombucha is actually making the problem worse.
In fact, this flare up of candida symptoms is more than likely only temporary as the beneficial yeasts and probiotics in this traditional fermented drink begin to rebalance the gut environment.
Rebalancing of the gut environment involves die off of possibly large amounts of pathogens which causes symptoms to flare up temporarily.
How Fermented Tea Discourages Yeast Overgrowth
This short term aggravation of symptoms is sometimes referred to as “a healing crisis” and is necessary if improvement in the gut environment is to occur over the long term.
A healing crisis can occur not only with kombucha, but with other fermented beverages such as kefir or even yogurt.
A friend of mine noticed when she started drinking kefir awhile back that her eczema flared up. I told her to keep on with it and it would eventually go away on its own as the die of symptoms from the aggressive probiotics in the kefir lessened. Sure enough, her eczema went away and her overall health improved considerably from the introduction of raw kefir into her diet.
Even though kombucha can be enjoyed by candida sufferers, it is certainly possible for some folks to not react well to kombucha regardless of whether they suffer from gut imbalance or not. There is no food or drink even if traditional and nourishing that works well for absolutely everyone.
On a personal note, my husband and I both used to suffer from candida overgrowth years ago prior to our introduction to Traditional Foods and kombucha in particular. We have found over the years that drinking kombucha on a daily basis does in fact help considerably in keeping the problem at bay by working to maintain a balanced gut environment.
So drink up and enjoy your kombucha even if candida is something you are working to resolve at the moment. Just be aware that you may get worse before you ultimately get better.
Watch Out for Commercial Brands!
Please note that the kombucha that is safe to drink if you have candida is only plain kombucha ideally brewed yourself. Watch out for commercial kombucha, however!
Store kombucha consumption presents a very real candida flare-up risk. Many if not most commercial brands are loaded with sugar. Definitely avoid them if you have candida issues!
More Information
Want to know more about kombucha and candida? These articles provide more detail for your research.
Fluoride in Kombucha
Does Kombucha Prevent Grey Hair?
Jun Tea: Kombucha Champagne
Batch vs Continuous Brew Kombucha
Have You Tried Kombucha?
Safe Traveling with Kombucha
Kombucha: Drink It and Wear It?
Pau d’Arco: Best Herb for Treating Candida
Biofilms: Overlooked Step in Treating Candida
Leah
I believe it’s the cultures for health site that tells how to store extra scobys in a “scoby hotel” where they will keep for many months. They say that storing them in the fridge makes them susceptible to mold. I have a whole jar full of extra scobys and have kept them in a cupboard for several months now. They look great…I just have to top the jar off occasionally when the liquid that they are in evaporates. O course, every time I do that, it grows a new scoby on top. This stuff has a life of its own! I plan to pull one of these older ones out and brew a batch with it soon so see how it works.
Sarah, TheHealthyHomeEconomist
Great tip! Thanks for sharing. I’ve never stored mine long enough for that as I’ve always got about 7 gallons brewing at any one time. A family of five in hot, humid Florida goes through A LOT of kombucha!
Sherri Maines
How do you keep up with 7 gallons? I’m only doing 2 gallons continuous brew and find that I’m preparing the sweet tea very frequently. Do you fix a very strong sweet tea and dilute it or what? Please share how you efficiently manage this much! Thanks.
Sarah, The Healthy Home Economist
Please see my videos on kombucha advanced topics I and II (click on videoclasses in the header of the blog and then select fermented beverages from the pulldown menu). I use 2 gallon glass containers and brew 4 of these at a time. I brew anywhere from 7-10 days depending on the weather (summer it brews much faster as the house is warmer). It’s really just as easy to make an enormous batch as making a small batch if you plan it out right 🙂
mya
Hi Sarah,
This is an off topic question, but I was wondering what your thoughts are on taking both fclo/high vitamin butter and astaxanthin. Also, would both these supplements be ok for a 11 yr. old boy. I would hate to overdue any supplement, and I’m just not finding info. on taking both of these simultaneously, especially for kids. If you could let me know advisable amounts and how often I would really appreciate it!
Thanks!
Mya
Sarah, TheHealthyHomeEconomist
I am not a big fan of supplements in isolation such as astaxanthin. It seems just the latest silver bullet in the healthfood community. It may prove to be truly of benefit in the coming years, but for now, I don’t take it.
Sarah, TheHealthyHomeEconomist
I feel best with the tried and true .. FCLO and butter oil. I have a post coming out on FCLO fairly soon.
mya
Thanks, Sarah! I usually lean that way myself, but with all the hype I appreciate your insight. We’ve had great luck with FCLO so that’s what we’ll stick with. Thanks for sharing your knowledge…you’re one of the first sites I check when I have a question.
Mya 🙂
Susie Foster
I need to get a scoby and resume making kombucha. I found it very beneficial.
I made it for a long time and really enjoyed it.
Nathalie Farquet via Facebook
if you have no kidney or liver issues, you can drink as much as you feel necessary… drinking too much is not good to your kidneys and drinking too much of a cleansing drink is not good to your liver if you have liver issues… (in that case, a nourrishing herbal tea would be better)
Marta
Hello Sarah,
Excellent topic, as always. A little off the topic, I was going to ask you if you could blog about drug-resistant bacteria (antibiotic resistant) since I keep seeing such kind of news on TV, on Yahoo, newspapers, etc. My kids recently went through MRSA and it was a very tough time, we have only been Weston Price for 18 months now and I think such way of eating is what has helped them recover and hopefully they will keep free from ooutbreaks. Today I just read about antibiotic resistant tuberculosis that could kill a lot of people very soon. Scary. Thank you.
Sarah, TheHealthyHomeEconomist
Marta, this is indeed a very sobering topic. I am gathering info on it. I don’t feel yet comfortable enough in my knowledge of all the angles to yet write anything but perhaps in the coming weeks. We’ll see 🙂
Cassandra
The limit on daily consumption is another thing I’ve found mixed ideas about. There was a discussion on the safety of drinking kombucha during pregnancy/nursing and I posted a link to a website that discusses the downside to giving kombucha to childbearing women and children. This brought up a discussion of how much is safe, and I had a couple people scoffing “Who on earth would drink more than 8oz a day!?!?” like it was the most absurd thing in the world to drink more than a cup in an entire day. I can drink a quart in a day, easy. And the example you gave also demonstrates that. It’s hard to figure out which is the most accurate viewpoint without some hard science.
Tammy Lee Rodriguez via Facebook
is there a limit on daily consumption? on Kefir (water)? Kombucha?
i drink sometimes a quart of each.
Howard C. Gray via Facebook
I see your reading “My Life in France ” by Julia Child. I’m enjoying it right now as well. THE BOOK is on my list of must haves!
Angie Sherwood via Facebook
Just wondering if the acidity of the kombucha would contribute to an over acid enviroment in the body?
Hannah Crum
Kombucha, like lemon & vinegar (it is also an acetic acid ferment) have the opposite effect in the body in that while they test as an acid pH – once they hit the digestive tract, they convert into alkaline ash and help rebalance the body’s pH.
Sybil Strawser via Facebook
There is also the fb group Share or Find kefir grains, kombucha, sourdough starter etc…where people with extras (they multiply) give them away …you only pay postage if shipping is necessary. Great group of people for hints and advice also.