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
Sue Bush via Facebook
I disagree with you all kombucha debunkers. i have been brewing now, for two years. It is the ONLY thing that got my decades long candida overgrowth under control. You do not have to brew to vinegar, but it should be “tart”. It took about 3-4 months of about a quart a day to achieve that. I CRAVED kombucha in the beginning, and drank even more some days. Now I am closer to 12 oz-pint per day and I am good on the candida front.
Ann-Marie Gunn
I would love to know how you are doing now, and also what your experience was during those 3-4 months. Thanks!
Grace
what about elaine’s concern?
Joselyn Hoffman Schutz via Facebook
Larry – it takes at least 3 months in most temperatures to ferment kombucha long enough to eliminate all the sugar. At that point, it’s vinegar, and nice to put a tablespoon into a tall glass of water, but it’s not something you drink by the cup, or straight.
Joselyn Hoffman Schutz via Facebook
The problem with kombucha for candida is *not* the yeast. As mentioned, the yeast in kombucha does not contribute to candida yeast any more than the bacteria in yogurt contributes to e. coli.
BUT – there is *sugar* in kombucha. Unless you ferment it all the way to vinegar, that sugar is still there, and *that* is what feeds candida.
Deb
Yes, I definitely think the sugar is the problem. I just bought some store bought kombucha (GT’s classic with no added sugar) and it was sweet and awhile later, I felt the rumblings of a nasty yeast infection. Can I add that I recently ate chocolate cookies and a cupcake and did not have any sort of reaction like that to it. I might revisit it once I’m done with a colon and parasite cleanse…or maybe not.
Tamara Žlender via Facebook
How much of kombucha can you drink per day and can I give it to my one year old? He is still nursing.
Tawnya Howell via Facebook
Have a continuous brew and it does not work as well as the probiotics I take.
Larry Underwood via Facebook
Batch kombucha shouldn’t have any sugar left in it. Continuous kombucha might.
Lisa Yantachka via Facebook
I’m not a fan and nobody can drink vinegar so they almost always drink it too sweet. Lactoferment some healthy juices or make kefir water/juice. The KT cultures are passed around and everyone’s homes are full of unique cultures that contaminate the brews. Who knows what you are drinking???????
Laura Howes via Facebook
If it’s sweet-tasting, it hasn’t been fermented long enough.
Kathryn Johnson via Facebook
Am not a fan of sweet drinks so although I tried it for a while, gave up. Prefer kefir, non-whey kvass, or rejuvelac