A mushroom.. what?
The most commonly known way people describe the source of this amazing nature’s powerhouse, that has incredible health properties and benefits, is simply grains. You might be wondering what’s behind this word grain and to be totally honest with you as we here at The Kefir Guy Company want to be, we want to shed a light on this topic and go deep into the world of probiotics and fermented superfoods. We want to be straight-forward about what we are really talking about.
The kefir is actually a mushroom. You might have heard of Tibetan Mushroom or Caucasian Mushroom, but no matter what we call this one of nature’s most powerful kicker literally in the gut (literally), it works in a symbiotic relationship with our body to aid in different ways to support i.e. immunity and detoxification. More specifically talking, the kefir mushroom is a kefir S.C.O.B.Y. meaning Symbiotic Culture Of Beneficial Bacteria and Yeasts. The name tells it all: it’s literally living in symbiosis with the structure of it’s own and us. If you take away any part of the S.C.O.B.Y. it seizes to exist as Kefir S.C.O.B.Y. or mushroom if you will.
Structure of the S.C.O.B.Y.
I’ve done something nobody else hasn’t done who is selling these babies on the internet as far as I know. There may be some who are willing to invest to this subject same amount of energy and time to truly find out what’s in this nature’s miracle organism.
I used a third-party laboratory to investigate the composition of my scoby that I’m using to make my own kefir for my family and to others locally here in Finland. The results are astounding and I think I need even more studies to find the best information yet to be discovered. I’ve actually done something wonderful and morphed two different ones together for a really strong combination of strains. Here is the lab tests for the scoby that was washed. I’ll do another one without washing the scoby with purified water. I’d use fermented whey from a fresh batch to feed the scoby for a while before the real laboratory test.
Milk Kefir S.C.O.B.Y. (coming soon!)
Until the final lab tests start and I’m able to know EXACTLY the raw material of my products not only from nutritional and probiotic profile but also the exact strains of bacteria and yeasts that are living inside this little shroomy-friend of mine that has helped me to recover from sick and toxic lifestyle and status into a thriving bio-optimizer of the mind, body, soul and spirit. 🙂 Other than that, I also have to rely on many of the scientific literatures, real and scientific studies about milk kefir s.c.o.b.y., but little by little we are discovering the microbe world and it’s going to be fascinating to find this unseen world to be revealed to us.
Milk Kefir S.C.O.B.Y. is basically a mother culture (do not mix this with starter powder which makes only 100+ litres of finished product). It is used to make kefir beverages and later on making 2nd or even 3rd fermentations out of the original 1st ferment product. The s.c.o.b.y. contains a complex symbiotic community of lactic acid bacteria (LAB, ranging from 30 to 60 and in some cases even 100 different beneficial strains for the human microbiome), proteins, lipids (good fats, especially important CLA), digestive enzymes and complex b-group vitamins. This is the sole reason why it’s much stronger and better compared to any commercial kefir or other fermented products or any other probiotic product to be honest. This is whole-food and functional food which means it offers a wide-range of health benefits from the digestion to the deepest core of human physiology in nervous system signaling (vagus-nerve to name one of them in the gut-brain axis) for brain health, heart health, digestion and nutrient absorption, muscle and nerve repair, recovery and building.
We strongly believe that things are going to change when we (and anyone else who is dedicated to health and not money) introduce our products to the world to enjoy the most optimal level, powerful probiotic and antioxidant products as nature intended it in the beginning by the power and grace of God who created all things under heaven.
It also contains beneficial yeasts to the human body which help the body to adapt stress by helping to break down sugars such as lactose in the human body. Beneficial bacteria a.k.a probiotics produce vitamins such as B12, which is crucial to the body’s different functions ranging from brain health to heart health. Probiotics also bring the vitamin and mineral content of the source much higher when fermenting milk (to make milk kefir), water (to make water kefir) or kale (to make sauerkraut).
There’s also a range of beneficial digestive acids formed during the fermentation process, especially when taking the fermentation to the next level by using 2nd or even 3rd fermentation. The more your, so to speak, amplify, the fermented ingredients – the more the specific health related properties are increased. There’s a significant difference when comparing 1st ferment, 2nd ferment and even 3rd ferment of the final product.
The health and medicinal properties of kefir
Now recent studies also report that most of the neurotransmitter called serotonin (which is crucial to many functions in the human body and brain) is formed also in the gut and the warriors of the gut (probiotics) are the reason for it. Studies show that particular species from the gut microbiome stimulate gut endocrine cells to produce serotonin. When serotonin enters the brain, it actually converts into melatonin which is the most important hormone for sleep and to maintain healthy circadian rhythm in an individual. Everybody should know what a good sleep does to the human body. It arranges all that has to be arranged during the night in the brain, aids in NS (nervous system) and muscle tissue recovery as well as helps with enzymatic processes which are the key processes in the human body to even work in the first place.
- Fermented drinks and foods have, in many cases, strong anti-microbial, anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, anti-tumor properties as well as detoxification of heavy metals and toxins, anti-viral and even in some cases, anti-cancer properties!
These powerful properties are the culmination of why people consume milk, water or any other type of fermented drinks or foods. They simply make you both feel better and actually see it in action when:
- Your overall performance goes up.
- Your digestion and toilet visits are on spot (aiding in digestion and exiting waste material with ease).
- You probably won’t need to eat as much as you used to (better nutrient absorption).
- You experience more energy (less energy goes to building and regenerating material in tissues, waste material processing and your body can actually have the energy for your own outward actions rather than processing the inward actions with full throttle).
- Your body does what it was meant to do: optimized detoxification that your body was designed to do in a way you haven’t experienced before and you may experience it by feeling your body lighter (probiotics actually scavenged toxins which are removed effectively from your body).
- There’s a protective layer against all pathogen bacteria and viruses. Your body literally fights with an intense immune system and defensive strategies which already has been encoded inside (immune system modulation by beneficial bacteria and key minerals and vitamins to support immune system).
- You have less pain and discomfort from physical activity or training (Studies show significantly lower D.O.M.S: Delayed Onset Muscle Soreness and this is what I personally experienced almost instantly after 2 weeks of having full dose of powerful milk kefir in my diet.
- You experience better recovery from physical training or injuries (optimized tissue repair and nutrient absorption).
- Your body is less prone to symptoms of stress and cognitive decline throughout your day (hormonal balancing factor through gut-brain axis -> serotonine/melatonine boost and balance, also maintaining healthy cognitive function through proper signaling in the brain chemistry).
- All these processes are natural in the human body already, but they are all optimized when using any fermented food or drink. When usng milk kefir they are optimized to the full potential and usually it starts within the first 1 to 2 weeks of using milk kefir regularly.
The evidence based conclusion
So, one can conclude that there is a significant increase in production of healthy gut-bacteria (probiotics) and decrease of the bad gut-bacteria (bad-guys). We now know that the gut has 3 types of bacteria, the so called “bad-guys”, even though they are useful as well, but only in moderation and they have to be kept in check. Then there are so called “opportunists” which will turn into either “good” or “bad” depending on the environment and the balance of the gut-biome (just what happens to us if we don’t watch who we are sharing our life and who we allow to influence ourselves) and then there are the good guys a.k.a “the Swat Team of the body” which we wanna introduce into our diet or lifestyle preferably daily or at least weekly.
There are reports that suggest for even one consumption instance will help to reduce bloating, gas, digestive conditions and recovery from muscle soreness and stress in the human body. The probiotics, enzymes and beneficial digestive acids go even further when it’s homemade style fermentation and taken into the optimal level. They will simply fight against pathogens like described before. This will give the body more boost to fight against these invaders, to recover from stress and to detox more efficiently, get more out of the nutrition we enjoy everyday and to protect our immune system and brain from outside threats.
The Kefir Guy answer and solution to health
One example of what can be fermented with kefir mushroom is milk kefir. We have developed, by studying how kefir mushroom works, a wonderful product now that anyone can enjoy with it’s full potential and optimal performance. I have used it myself for years and have treated various symptoms with the product both inside and outside my body including fatique, tiredness, depression, gut imbalance and digestive issues as well as a common flu and virus infections. I strongly believe that all disease begin in the gut by irritation that leads to inflammation which then leads to a kind of infection which shows itself by various symptoms. In some cases inflammation can show symptoms as well. Science now understands that human body encamps bacteria 10 times more than human cells and you don’t need to be a rocket scientist to realize that the delicate balance of this microbiome all over the body inside and outside plays a significant role in maintaining proper cellular health and function which then acts as a key component to overall performance and health of human body.
This is the only reason why the whole company is up and running, because of my own personal transformation from a sick, symptomatic and depressed person to a life-filled enthusiastic with fire and passion to study and learn more about the wonderful creation that we see all around us.
I call this a miracle and I have come to know The Miracle Worker who has ordained these principals from the beginning how the human body works and behaves in any situation. If we corrupt the design from inside by any means, the design (which was designed by the Divine Designer with a blueprint) will then malfunction. This malfunction manifests itself by many different symptoms and we try to identify them as diagnose and address them with chemical compounds made synthetically and kind of hope that we can fix the design from outside when the answer lies within, inside the design. It needs to be brought back to the environment it was meant to be at in the first place so the design would have all the original processes working for good, not against the design itself.
This is the raw version of my acknowledged truth about the human health which always originates from the root and the root is our gut. What do you do if you have a rotten tree or a plant? You plug it By It’s Root. This is what we must do. We fix the root naturally from inside out and the solution happens in the body by design.
The use of the product can be either outside (topical) or inside (direct), both with amazing results. I encourage you to try it for yourself and see how you can benefit from this ancient powerful probiotic & antioxidant super-drink. Our flagships of fermented super-drinks include Milk Power Kefir and Water Energy Kefir.
Sources:
Microbes Help Produce Serotonin in Gut (Caltech)
Milk kefir: Composition, microbial cultures, biological activities, and related products (PDF)
Serotonin: Facts, uses, SSRIs, and sources (Medical News Today)
The Pineal Gland and Melatonin (Colorado State University: VIVO Pathophysiology)