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
gina
Hello, How do you store the scoby when you are not brewing tea?
Thank you!
Hannah Crum
Great article Sarah! Thank you for sharing your wisdom =)
Maryanne
Thanks for posting this. After extensive testing, my PCP, who is an osteopath, told me that I had candida. I was told to avoid anything sugary, and anything that turns into sugar in the body (starchy veggies, sugar, honey, etc). Interestingly enough, I was told I could have up to 1/4 cup of grains per day (is that not starchy?!). I was also told to avoid anything fermented. The second I got home, I started researching. I thought, if I have a gut imbalance, isn’t eating fermented foods a good idea? Well, I’m eating them and I’m feeling pretty good. I have also been drinking a bit of kombucha (not every day, since I buy it – I don’t brew it). I’m glad I didn’t take 100% of the doctor’s advice. Everyone needs to figure out what works for their own body. Doctors, no matter how good, don’t know everything!
Sarah, TheHealthyHomeEconomist
Hi Heather, all I can tell you is that I avoid caffeine like the plague .. it really does me no good at all and I do fine on kombucha and have for so many years.
J Boone
Thank you, thank you for the reference to the healing crisis! Last week I had the symptoms of the nasty yeasties and I was just racking my brain trying to figure out what I had done wrong – couldn’t remember any sugar intake other than wine with dinner, and that was almost always a dry red. Then I read the article and remembered that I had been rewarding myself with a purchased kombucha from our local Meijers every time I could, and also increasing my sauerkraut and (homemade, cultured 24 hrs) yogurt. I had totally increased my probiotic intake! I actually had done something good! Now I have the courage to start the Biokult, which I had but was afraid to take b/c I didn’t want to deal with a reaction! And thank you also for the hint to hold your breath when taking the fclo, it helps. But sometimes my stomach just feels queasy and I can’t take it that day. I also can’t take it on an empty stomach. With food in my stomach, and a chaser of kombucha or yogurt, it is usually doable. So thank you again!
Leslie R.
Sarah,
I am such a believer in kombucha. Almost 5 years ago, I had a mysterious virus and cough (like mono or the flu) that caused me to run fever daily for almost 30 days. At the same time, I had just begun reading Nourishing Traditions, especially about fermented beverages. Disgusted with worthless advise from doctors, I had my husband stop and get me 3 bottles of kombucha on his way home from work. I drank half of a bottle that night and the rest the following morning. Within 24 hours my fever went away. Within 72 hours, my health was almost completely restored. I now brew my own kombucha and drink it (or beet kvass) every day.
Sarah, TheHealthyHomeEconomist
I had a very bad knee infection 3 years ago (have no idea how it developed .. my doctor thought was a very small cyst behind the kneecap that burst spontaneously) and I am convinced that kombucha is one of the reasons I was able to recuperate at home and not end up in the hospital with the whole ordeal. I ran a fever of 104-105 for DAYS and was lucid and fine the entire time .. never got dehydrated .. was drinking kombucha the whole time like a fish. I recovered and am totally fine on that knee today like nothing ever happened. I do think kombucha played a big role in my recovery.
Tara
I have a predicament with kombucha. I always let mine ferment for a couple of weeks, until the sugars are all gone. I’ve had kombucha at different friends houses and they all taste sweet to me. They only ferment there’s for, maximum, a week. I think it still has way too much sugar in it that way. What does everyone else do?
Kathy
I try to ferment all or most of the sugar out. From what I’ve read that way more of the healty properties and beneficial acids develop. Plus I don’t tolerate sugar.
elaine
My quandry with kombucha and candida is this — I have read that if you had mercury fillings the candida would bind to the mercury. Then, drinking the kombucha would kill the candida and the mercury would be released to float around and potentially take up residence somewhere else in the body. I have a mouth full of fillings and have seen a biological dentist to begin the process of removing them. But, it will take several years as the estimate is *thousands* of $$$ (OUCH!). So, I have been reluctant to drink too much kombucha as I’m sure I have candida issues. Thoughts??
thehealthyhomeeconomist via Facebook
@Tammy I generally tell folks to drink what they feel is right for them. However, that does seem like quite a lot to me .. a quart of each every day. If you are working out and sweating a lot though that might be fine. If not, I might suggest cutting back some and see how that goes for you?
Mickie
Is kombucha kosher for Passover?