Important tips for consuming kombucha to avoid candida flare-ups and why some people who drink it experience worsened symptoms.
I’ve been asked more than once recently if kombucha is beneficial for those who are battling candida overgrowth.
There is a school of thought 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 for those with yeast overgrowth?
What Exactly Is Kombucha?
For those new to this delicious beverage, kombucha is a traditional Russian drink that is made from fermenting plain black tea and cane sugar.
Sometimes raw honey and green tea are used (especially in China), with the resulting beverage called Jun tea.
This delightful fermented tea beverage has been consumed for hundreds of years.
Extensive testing in Russia has proven it to be an effective detoxifier.
Once toxins are tightly bound to the organic acids in kombucha, they are rushed to the kidneys for excretion.
The popularity of kombucha in North America has been steadily growing for the past 30 years or so.
I’ve brewed kombucha in our home since 2001, long before any commercial brands were available.
More on the difference between the two below.
Does Kombucha Flare Candida?
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 and bacteria in the final brew aggravate the situation?
The key is that kombucha contains beneficial yeasts, not pathogenic strains like candida.
Therefore, when someone with candida starts drinking kombucha for the first time, there may indeed be a flare-up of symptoms.
This can be confusing at first. Is the kombucha making the problem worse?
The good news is that these symptoms (commonly skin-related) are likely only temporary!
The beneficial yeasts and probiotics trigger this reaction as they begin to rebalance the gut environment.
How Fermented Tea Discourages Yeast
This short-term aggravation of symptoms is sometimes referred to as “a healing crisis”.
It is also referred to as “herxing”, which is short for a Herxheimer reaction.
This is the natural response of the body to the destruction of harmful bacteria in the gut that release toxins into the bloodstream.
This type of process is actually 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 raw kefir or even 24-hour yogurt.
In fact, simply taking a probiotic supplement or eating a serving of homemade sauerkraut can cause a herx reaction.
Can You Drink Kombucha if You Are Healing Your Gut?
In summary, even though kombucha can be enjoyed by candida sufferers, it is certainly possible for some folks to not react well initially.
Symptoms after drinking kombucha are nearly always the result of herxing, aka “a healing crisis”.
This uncomfortable situation is temporary and stems from the die-off of pathogens in the gut from the probiotics in kombucha.
Another option is to drink Jun tea instead of kombucha. Jun is the same thing as kombucha, just using raw honey and green tea instead of cane sugar and black tea.
So drink up and enjoy your kombucha even if candida is something you are working to resolve.
Going slow with small amounts at first is a good rule of thumb to minimize or even completely avoid issues with herxing.
Beware of Commercial Brands!
Please note that while kombucha is safe to drink if you have candida, it is only plain kombucha that is acceptable that is ideally brewed yourself.
This is the kombucha recipe I suggest.
Be sure to watch out for commercial kombucha brands, especially flavored ones!
Store kombucha presents a very real candida flare-up risk as well as an addictive response.
Many commercial brands contain added sugar or fruit juice (added post-fermentation). Worse, they may not even be cultured properly.
If you must buy your kombucha instead of making it yourself, I suggest relying on local brewers that don’t mass produce and distribute their products.
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?
Batch vs Continuous Brew Kombucha
Safe Traveling with Kombucha
Biofilms: Overlooked Step in Treating Candida
Hello, How do you store the scoby when you are not brewing tea?
Thank you!
Great article Sarah! Thank you for sharing your wisdom =)
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!
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.
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!
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.
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.
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?
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.
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??
@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?
Is kombucha kosher for Passover?