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
I’ve been on the candida diet now for a month, plus added coconut oil a few weeks back and now kombucha a couple days ago. I’ve been battling heavy yeast for almost all my life, 29, after living on antibiotics, birth control for endometriosis, and severe cravings for sugars and doughs. I’ve battled my health and allergies to the point I’ve had no energy to move from the couch and gave up. In the last 2 years I found a wonderful doctor with a natural approach anda belief in the existence of yeast overgrowth. The first time I did the cleanse, I was on itstrictly for over 6 months and decided to go off of it when my weight withered away to nothing. Every now and again I do a 30 day cleanse because I keep falling off the wagon. With severe determination and hopes to get pregnant next year for the first time which has always seemed impossible, I’ve decided to desperately stay on track. Since adding the kombucha, the very first bottle immediately made me feel good but then blah through the rest of the day. The last couple days after having one, I still feel blah but have also noticed some bloat in my belly,and the thrush on my tongue seems a little worse. I do have a really bad case to start t hat seems impossible to cure and I intend to do a parasite cleanse very soon and have even gotten my mercery fillings removed a few months back to try to cover all bases. Should I stop the kombucha or does this sound like typical dieoff with the drink? Please help, feeling discouraged. 🙁
Btw the 2nd day I drank 2 and the blah feeling really seem to feel like that couchbound, no energy typical dieoff so that’s also why I’m confused how to take the other symptoms.
I just read your article, then the below article… Now I’m confused… Can you please help me discern between the two?
http://persephonemagazine.com/2011/11/29/why-kombucha-and-candida-dont-mix/
She sites this study:
Please help as I have gallons of kombucha sitting here…
I have constant yeast infections, to the point that I was taking Diflucan WEEKLY, I am not keen on taking any medications that I don’t HAVE to. I started drinking Kombucha about 6 weeks ago and haven’t had a flare up since. I even had to take a dose of antibiotics which would normally put me into instant flame up and nothin! I am sure that I have (at least for me) found the cure for yeast issues. My belly is also much happier and I have started losing weight again which had stalled out for quite a while.
Thanks for all the great info you share…keep up the fine fight my friend.
Hi! 🙂 I found your blog entry after searching for anyone who was having an issue with Kombucha like I was. I also brewed my own as I really want the health benefits attributed to “buch”, and I also like the taste.
The first few days I drank it, I think I had too much (1/4 cup) (as I have since read to start with a couple of tablespoons only. I didn’t know this.) I had really bad pain in my lower abdomen. I stopped drinking it but the pain lasted a few days then diminished. I wondered if my brew was bad too, but it looked and tasted fine.
Sooo..I started with a couple of tablespoons a day and all seemed well. I did this for about 3 weeks. This past Monday I went back up to the 1/4 cup, thinking I should be able to handle it by now. WOW , was I wrong. SHARP pain in my lower abdomen, bloating and let’s just say I was in the bathroom a lot…. This pain is slowly diminishing. I have not drank any more of it.
Now, if my gut health is THAT bad, I’m wondering if I should stick to it. Just a tablespoon at a time. Because from what I have read, it’s supposed to kill off the bad and replace with the healthy flora of the gut.ould have my buch tested so that I can decifer if it’s my gut detoxing or something is in my kombucha that shouldnt be.
I have been drinking Kombucha tea for 12 days. It is homemade kombucha which I did myself using Sarah’s Kombucha Recipes. It worked well till I had vaginal yeast infection which i only have whenever i take antibiotics.
I had any yeast infection before I start Kombucha. It started 8th day after drank. I started to drink 2-3 tbsp first 4 days and gradually increased. Now I am drinking only 1/2 cup per day. What should I do? Should I quit, and take pill recover this yeast infection (there is one pill to heal that kind of infection in Drug store) or continue drink Kombucha. I do not want to stop, thus I really like its test.
Does anyone have some problem like me? What is your recommendation?
Thanks,
Do you know if it is GAPS legal? If so what stage?
Btw, I hasten to add that I interviewed Sandor Katz a couple years back wherein he suggests that Kombucha is not as safe as people think it is, and those with dysbiosis and “candida” are better off enjoying LAB cultures such as sauerkraut and brine pickles. With Kombucha, you simply do not know organisms you are cultivating and could have a culture unknowingly contaminated with pathogenic strains of Aspergillus that produce hepatoxic mycotoxins.
I believe this article to be seriously misinformed: firstly, in the over-generalization of what is typically termed “Candida” but in fact relates to a broader issue of dysbiosis that may include various Candida species as well as other microbial pathogens; and secondly, by not properly understanding what Kombucha, it’s natural history and a failure to address the fact that the SCOBY requires refined sugars for it’s life cycle. As a practitioner and not simply a hobbyist I strongly encourage those with dysbiosis and carbohydrate sensitivities to avoid Kombucha. The author hasn’t provided any evidence it is safe, and I have seen enough issues with it that I am very skeptical indeed of this supposed “health food”. Please review mycologist Paul Stamets article on the subject ). Kombucha is NOT a traditional food by any stretch – it is a novel SCOBY that has only been around for a short time (since the refinement of cane sugar), and does not have the empirical evidence to back up the claims.
I love kombucha, our family drinks it daily, and I can see obvious health benefits to us all -increased energy and alertness, mood balancing, digestive and blood sugar supporting, detoxing, immune and digestive health. It’s a miracle food! Thanks Sarah. 🙂