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    Kombucha anyone?

    Many years ago (pre MS diagnosis) I was introduced to Kombucha by my massage therapist. She was making her own and gave me a starter "mushroom" to make my own as well.

    I was making it for a while then my culture got contaminated and I stopped. I recently found a commercial brand in the grocery store and am considering making it again.

    Does anyone out there have any experience with drinking kombucha and any reactions good or bad with their MS?

    #2
    Hi Mariposa

    I had never heard of kombucha before your post - so I googled it.

    I read two articles about it (one from the Mayo Clinic website and the other from Dr. Andrew Weil's website) and from what I've read, it doesn't look like something I would be willing to try at this time.

    http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/kombucha-tea/AN01658

    http://www.drweil.com/drw/u/QAA36560...-Kombucha.html

    But if anyone has tried it, I would be interested in hearing about their experience.

    Take care,
    KoKo
    PPMS for 26 years (dx 1998)
    ~ Worrying will not take away tomorrow's troubles ~ But it will take away today's peace. ~

    Comment


      #3
      I looked into kombucha several years ago and decided that, for me, the potential risks were too great compared to the unsubstantiated claims of health benefits.

      The Dr. Weil article KoKo gave a link to is particularly good.

      Here's another source of information, an article by Paul Stamets, internationally known mycologist and colleague of Dr. Weil, first published in Mushroom, the Journal, 1994/95:

      http://www.fungi.com/info/articles/blob.html

      As for making kombucha at home, rather than buying a commercial, ready-to-drink product, Stamets says:

      I personally believe it is morally reprehensible to pass on this colony to sick or healthy friends when, to date, so little is known about its proper use.

      According to Dr. Weil, writing 7 years later in 2011, there's still little evidence of kombucha's benefits, but increasing evidence of its dangerousness.

      Comment


        #4
        kombucha has been around for eons - has a low contamination rate if your serious about making it .. if your not and slip you'll kill the mushroom quickly and if you see mold on the culture its the same simple rule as with all foods it must be thrown out

        Comment


          #5
          seven7, have you used kombucha yourself? Have you home-brewed it? If the answer to either (or both) is yes, we'd like to hear about your personal experience.

          Most
          of the time home production doesn't present a problem if a person is very careful about cleanliness, but not everyone has high enough production standards. Unwanted contaminants do not necessarily kill the culture quickly, and are not always obvious to the naked eye.

          From Dr. Weil:

          "I am also concerned about the possibility of contamination in home-brewed kombucha. Some batches contain aspergillus, a toxin-producing fungus. This would be a significant risk for individuals with compromised immune systems, such as those with AIDS or in chemotherapy for cancer."

          Too much risk for too little benefit, as far as I'm concerned.

          BTW, for anyone reading this who doesn't already know, "mushroom" is a misnomer. It's a folk term for the culture, which is not a mushroom.

          Comment


            #6
            Kombuca tea, anyone?

            Many years ago, I visited a nutritionist/therapist who "prescribed" (among other things) Kombuca tea and miso soup to be taken several times a day. To make the Kombuca tea required rigid sterilization of several glass bowls and utensils. While the taste was bearable, I drank Kombuca tea for about a eighteen months, with no noticeable effects. Eventually, I sold the bowls or took them to Goodwill to make room in the cupboards.
            And I stopped going to that particular nutritionist too.

            Comment


              #7
              hi sequoia, my aunt has been making it for about 10 yrs .. she gives me a litre whenever i ask for some and i use it as a supplement towards the swank diet - i feel it neutralizes fats if i cheated abit and thats my main goal just staying with swank .. if i want to continue it i should learn to make it myself because i've noticed its quite pricey in the health food stores

              Comment


                #8
                Hi seven7,

                Thanks for sharing that.

                I was able to find various claims on line of kombucha neutralizing toxins, but nothing about it neutralizing fat. Could you provide references to support your belief? Thank you.

                Congratulations on doing the Swank Diet! I know it's not easy to stick to. I'm on a modified version of the Best Bet Diet myself.

                Comment


                  #9
                  I had no idea Kombuchi was so detailed to make.
                  The enzymes and digestive assist is wonderful. Some simpler and safer home-made choices would be fermenting vegetables and of course miso is an excellent product to support digestion.
                  NutritionTara
                  Eat better, feel better and be richer for it.

                  Comment


                    #10
                    kombucha responses

                    Thanks to all who responded to my kombucha inquiry. I may hold off at this point and do a little more research on the fermented vegetables and miso as suggested by Tara.

                    I'll continue with my green smoothies.

                    Comment


                      #11
                      We found that water kefir was much better than kombucha in several ways ... easier to brew, brews quicker, tastes better, quicker to prepare, etc. yet the same benefits as far as I know.

                      Having said that, I would also like to say that sometimes you can let it (either one) brew too long and then it gets a slight alcohol content to it. This certainly cannot be good for MS, can it? Or, if you drink it too soon, there is a higher sugar content. Once again, not good for MS, right? So it really has to be 'just right'. I found it much harder to get kombucha 'just right' than I do water kefir, however in this hot weather (we do not have a/c) the water kefir gets over-done quite often and then we end up wasting it down the drain.

                      My body seems to be totally rejecting water kefir right now anyway ... maybe a sign to just stop drinking it for a while. By rejecting I mean, I used to enjoy drinking it 3 or 4 times a day but now even just the smell of it turns my stomach.

                      Not officially diagnosed due to non-MS-specific spots on MRIs, but the neurologists all agree it's MS.
                      Frustrated. January 2019: finally saw an MS specialist worth seeing. Maybe we'll get to the bottom of this.
                      EDSS of 5.5, sometimes 6.0

                      Comment


                        #12
                        More Kombucha info from mayo clinic

                        i happened upon a kombucha section on a Mayo Clinic web site and here is the comment made:

                        ***Cut and pasted material removed per MSWorld guidelines. You may, however, post a link to the article.***

                        Again thanks for those that responded. I think I have rethought my kombucha urge.

                        Comment


                          #13
                          I once had a dear love purchase Kombucha for me and make me drink it.

                          Years later I found out it was supposed to help MS. It was the sweetest thing anyone has ever done for me.

                          Even tho it was nasty tasting.


                          LBJ

                          Comment


                            #14
                            Gotta say, kombucha was one of the things (apple cider vinegar too) that did anything to help the terrible horrible no good very bad acid reflux that I got when I was last on IVSM. YMMV. Probably the acid + probiotic combo for both of them.

                            Is it the miracle yadda yadda going to cure everything?

                            No, but nothing is. And, IMHO, if anyone says that one thing or another will cure everyone's health problems, I'd say that's...suspect.

                            Comment


                              #15
                              Honestly, I haven't a clue whether kombucha actually has the curative properties that some say it does, but I must say that I absolutely adore it! I buy GT's Kombucha in the Gingerade flavor. It calms my stomach and my nerves and makes me feel healthy all over. I buy it as a treat when the market has it on sale.

                              As for how it might be dangerous...sure, it might be. The natural world can't be controlled. But, I have been making beer, wine, and my very own sourdough for many years without incident. Your nose will tell you whether you can use the batch or not. Women who may or may not have been all that bright have been playing with yeast cultures since Moses was in short pants, and most of them lived to tell the tale. I'm not worried, especially about drinking the commercially available stuff.

                              Cheers,
                              -MM-

                              Comment

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