THIS WEEK'S QUESTION

Q. : The author of "Food and Our Bones" writes that "if we continuously feed our bodies with nutrients in pill form, the body becomes lazy and loses the ability to absord nutrients from food, thereby becoming more and more deficient in the presence of nutritious foods." Could this be true?

A. Kombucha is an ancient health drink made by fermenting sweetened black tea with various bacteria and yeasts. The result is a white rubbery "pancake" and a beverage that supposedly has miraculous properties.

Kombucha arose in the Far East and its use spread to Russia in the early 20th century, especially in the Western Ural Mountains. German soldiers returning from World War One brought it back with them and in the 1920s it was marketed in Germany as "Mo-Gu" or "Fungojapon." In the 1960's Dr. Rudolph Sklenar of Oberhessen, Germany, developed a biological cancer therapy with kombucha as its main agent.

In 1987, Dr. Veronika Carstens recommended kombucha in "Help from Nature-- My Remedies Against Cancer." In the Netherlands, word spread through a book entitled "Life Without Cancer." The author concluded that the kombucha fungus has strongly antiseptic properties and purifies the glandular system.

In 1993, veteran American journalist Tom Valentine wrote about kombucha in Search for Health. This triggered a national craze, and kombucha landed in the limelight. Nearly every health food store had hastily scrawled signs "We've got kombucha!" The craze abated quickly but kombucha still has its proponents.

IS KOMBUCHA HARMFUL?

Repeated warnings have been issued by health authorities regarding the possible dangers of kombucha. In 1995, two deaths in rural Iowa were provisionally attributed to some sort of toxic reaction to the tea. You can read about these two mysterious fatalities at the following website: http://www.vh.org/Providers/Publications/MMWR/1995/12.08.95.html#2

In Texas, four other cases were alleged: two patients had symptoms of allergic reaction, the third had jaundice, and the fourth had nausea, vomiting, and head and neck pain. In all four cases, symptoms started after the patients began drinking kombucha tea and ceased when they stopped drinking it.

A German survey of kombucha samples found little harmful contamination and concluded, "The low rate of contamination might be explained by protective mechanisms, such as formation of organic acids and antibiotic substances. Thus, subjects with a healthy metabolism do not need to be advised against cultivating kombucha. However, those suffering from immunosuppression should preferably consume controlled commercial Kombucha beverages." The FDA has found no bacterial contamination in American commercial preparations of kombucha. Any danger seems limited to the home-brewed kind.

In conclusion, the "data" in support of kombucha as a cancer treatment is largely anecdotal or based on non-peer-reviewed publications. There is very little in the way of reliable modern research. Kombucha is usually harmless but should be avoided by those with AIDS or by cancer patients with compromised immune systems. Commercial preparations are probably safer than the home-brewed kind. I have found no information on its concurrent use with chemotherapy. It would be better to initiate a comprehensive program of nutritional support and supplements rather than rely on one "miracle cure."

We have a Moss Report on the topic of breast cancer as we have for most other types of cancer. Please see my book, Alternative Medicine Online for more on the kombucha controversy.

ABOUT OUR Q & A SERVICE: Each week we answer a new question from a visitor to our website. Questions posted at this site are chosen based on their general relevance and become the property of Equinox Press. They may be edited for reasons of space.

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Ralph W. Moss, Ph.D. is director of the The Moss Reports for cancer patients. Dr. Moss is the author of eleven books and three documentaries on cancer-related topics. He is or has been an advisor on alternative cancer treatments to the National Institutes of Health, the National Cancer Institute, the American Urological Association, Columbia University, the University of Texas, the Susan G. Komen Foundation and the German Society of Oncology. He wrote the first article on alternative medicine for the Encyclopedia Britannica yearbook. He is listed in Marquis Who's Who in America, Who's Who in the World, Who's Who in the East, and Who's Who in Entertainment (as a film documentarian). This Web site does not advocate any particular treatment for cancer. We urge you to always seek competent medical advice for all health problems, especially cancer. Before consulting our site please read our full Disclaimer statement.

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