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Stefan Says #1 | Q&A on Fasting for Gut Health
Can I add psyllium husks to a fast?
Will fasting help with Eczema?
What to eat before and after a fast during a IBD colitis flareup?
In this Q&A I provide my best guidance to these questions and provide some other useful advice on fasting for gut health.
Today’s questions from Wild Free Organic readers, and my responses, are centered on fasting. They are:
Can I add psyllium husks to a fast?
Will fasting help with Eczema?
What to eat before and after a fast during a IBD colitis flareup?
This is the first Wild Free Organic Q&A, and I wish I had thought to do this sooner as it’s a direct way to provide my best guidance on those questions which are difficult to find answers for, and guaranteed many more people than just these three are asking these questions.
To submit your questions please contact me. With that we’ll begin!
Fasting and Psyllium Husks
Reader Susie writes:
“Thank you for your wonderful article! I am wondering if during a fast can I take psyllium husk. Psyllium doesn't have calories or sugar and it is a prebiotic and helps keep peristalsis of the gut. Also taking coconut oil, and slippery elm during fasting? Maybe an approach is an initial 48hr fast, then introduce the above for longer fasting? Thank you, eager to hear your thoughts.”
Hi Susie, I am glad you have found my writing so useful!
Yes you can take psyllium husk during a fast. You’re right in that it’s a fiber which contains no sugar, acts as a prebiotic for the microbiome, and normalizes the movement of food through the gut (aka improves gut motility). As psyllium husk contains zero calories it won’t break a fast. Sounds like an excellent fasting aid!
An important consideration to make is that anything consumed is a deviation from the alternative of nothing going through the gastrointestinal system. Certain things, like herbal teas, can help during a fast tremendously, providing food to the symbiotic microbiome. As beneficial microbes metabolize flavonoids and other plant phytochemicals, they produce short chain fatty-acids which makes fasting easier by improving energy metabolism, and the body is also provided with abundant antioxidants (1). Drinking herbal teas during a fast like a dandelion and chamomile blend aids symbiotic microorganisms which want to work with you, and selects against harmful pathogenic microorganisms which produce toxins harmful to your body.
Though I have yet to use it during a fast, psyllium husk would have many of those same benefits as herbs as it’s a fermentable carbohydrate rich in phytochemistry. Give it a try and take observations!
According to the Encyclopedia of Herbs and Herbalism, Slippery Elm (Ulmus rubra) bark is a laxative and can be used for the treatment of diarrhea. Slippery elm is useful following gastrointestinal illness. One of its main components is mucilage (2). Mucilage is a gel-like polysaccharide that soothes and protects inflamed mucous membranes like digestive linings. If you have symptoms of leaky gut and feel your digestive mucosal linings are thin, then using slippery bark is worth a try.
As for the coconut oil, that may or may not be useful depending on the health of your liver, gallbladder and overall bile production. I would try psyllium husk and slippery bark independantly during a fast before combining them, as psyllium can slow or stimulate gut motility while slipper elm appears to only increase it.
Certainly you can fast to 48 hours easily without anything, so if you’re aiming for 72 hours or greater, then introducing different herbal components at different types in my experience keeps the fast progressing smoothly.
Does Fasting help Eczema
Reader Lexxa writes:
“Hello I have been battling a spreading eczema for almost a year now. I have spent thousands on doctors visits, creams, medicines etc. I do not want to take steroids anymore and am much more interested in healing my condition naturally and from within. I have a feeling my gut flora is off, as I deal with some mild digestive issues and now this eczema. I practice intermittent fasting in the form of a 16/8 fast, so I think a longer fast will be doable. Is this topic something you can help me on?
Hi Lexxa, I am sorry to hear that you’re been struggling so much with eczema.
Your intuition is correct, poor gut health and inflammatory skin conditions like Eczema are absolutely linked together. It very well could be that your microbiome contains pathogens which are producing endotoxins which have your immune system and detoxification pathways in a tizzy. One way the body can deal with toxins is to push them out through the skin.
Intermittent fasting is useful for healing the digestive system and reducing inflammation, and you may be able to make further inroads on reducing your endotoxin exposure by performing a longer fast. Symbiotic microorganisms survive periods of nutrient deprivation better than pathogens, and during longer 48+ hour fast, memory t-cells retreat into bone marrow, the birthplace of blood, for regeneration (4). By lightening or even reducing the endotoxin load that may be the cause behind your eczema, and by resetting the harmful auto-immunity memory t-cells have developed, you may experience a significant improvement in your eczema after a 48-72 hour fast, or longer if it can be performed safely. What you eat after the fast is very important in further cultivating a healthy microbiome, I recommend nutrient rich plant-based meals. More on that in the next question.
Remember to treat eczema from the outside in too. Aloe vera gel is very soothing and anti-inflammatory, and anti-inflammatory essential oils like peppermint will also help; dilute in a carrier oil as necessary.
Fasting for IBD Colitis
Reader Vera writes:
“I’m having a terrible flare of colitis at the moment and I’m willing to try the 24 or 48 hr fast.. I need to heal, I’m scared.. if I start after my meal tonight what foods do I begin to eat when it’s over? More importantly what food do I NOT eat?”
Hi Vera, unexpected gut health flareups can be a sign that it’s time to perform a fast. The body experiences its most profound regenerative and healing state when fasting. Intestinal bowel disease and inflammation of the colon points towards severe gut dysbiosis, and your intuition is correct that the meal that you eat before and after a fast are of critical importance in determining microbiome composition.
The best foods to eat to break a fast are nutrient and fiber rich. If a fast is longer than 24 hours then foods higher in fat are also preferred. With these recommendations avocado is highly recommended, as are mushrooms which are 50% fiber and 50% protein. Sautéed dark leafy greens are excellent to eat before or to break a fast, and I am also a big fan of brown rice and beans. All together you can see how that would be quite a delicious and nutritious meal!
Most importantly you need to focus on your microbiome and get the inflammation in your colon down immediately. Herbal teas are one of the best ways to accomplish this task in addition to strictly observing a good diet for you.
I hope you found this useful, and if you’re new to fasting then I recommend you read the article Fasting for Beginners.
For more comprehensive support and education on gut health, fasting, and herbal remedies, I recommend you purchase my Holistic Gut Health Guide.
Submit your questions and they may appear in a future Q&A, and I hope to see you there!
Together the digestive system and microbiome are the foundation of health from which everything else is dependent on.
The Holistic Gut Health Guide contains all the information you need to identify and understand the gastrointestinal and microbiome problems you may have while also providing you the most effective natural methods you can use to heal your gut. No gut health problems are unsolvable, give yourself every possible advantage along your gut health journey by reading an implementing the advice shared in the Holistic Gut Health Guide.
References:
Cassidy A, Minihane AM. The role of metabolism (And the microbiome) in defining the clinical efficacy of dietary flavonoids. Am J Clin Nutr. 2017;105(1):10-22.
Malcom Stuart, et al. The Encyclopedia of Herbs and Herbalism. Crescent Books, New York.
Sánchez B, Delgado S, Blanco-Míguez A, Lourenço A, Gueimonde M, Margolles A. Probiotics, gut microbiota, and their influence on host health and disease. Mol Nutr Food Res. 2017;61(1):1600240.
Collins N, Han SJ, Enamorado M, et al. The bone marrow protects and optimizes immunological memory during dietary restriction. Cell. 2019;178(5):1088-1101.e15.
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Fasting for Beginners
Fasting is the process of abstaining from all food, and by activating different aspects of human biology, fasting is an incredible healing tool that can be used to reduce inflammation throughout the body, lose weight, heal the gut, reset the microbiome, improve the immune system, and much more. Get started on the first foot with this beginners guide to fasting.
Article by Stefan Burns - Updated November 2022. Join the Wild Free Organic email newsletter! Stefan Burns YouTube
I have done my best to make this a complete guide on fasting for beginners. As part of a 10 year gut health journey to great gut health I have researched extensively into the gastrointestinal system, cellular biology, and human health, and I found through experimentation that fasting was incredibly effective in healing my gut, improving my digestion, and resetting my microbiome to work with me instead of against me. My complete advice on this subject of gut health and fasting is the Holistic Gut Health Guide. For everyone new to discovering fasting and gut health mindfulness, you will get started on the right foot with a foundation of good information with the guide below. Everything that I have written on fasting I have tried, and research fills in the rest in regards to disease states such as obesity and diabetes, the full reference list is at the end.
Together the digestive system and microbiome are the foundation of health from which everything else is dependent on.
The Holistic Gut Health Guide contains all the information you need to identify and understand the gastrointestinal and microbiome problems you may have while also providing you the most effective natural methods you can use to heal your gut. No gut health problems are unsolvable, give yourself every possible advantage along your gut health journey by reading an implementing the advice shared in the Holistic Gut Health Guide.
If you haven’t discovered already, a lot of what is written on the internet is by robots, so welcome to my authentic human website backed by common sense and forward looking science. Based on the popularity of my Use Fasting to Reset the Digestive System article, I know this is going to help so many of you which is very exciting! Welcome!
Fasting: Abstaining from food or drink
Water fasting is not consuming any food or caloric beverages, and dry fasting is not consuming any liquids. Dry fasting can be done in different ways, and as it removes the vital resource of water, it is not for beginners and won’t be discussed in this article. Everything written below is for water fasting.
Fasting helps with (1):
Digestive upset and gut health problems
Weight-loss and excess body fat
Autoimmune issues and active infections
Metabolic conditions like diabetes
Neurodegenerative problems along with mental fatigue and brain fog
Fasting is able to help with most heath problems because of how it reduces inflammation throughout the body through the activation of autophagy. There are many possible reasons you have heard of fasting and why you may find it of interest, and it’s beyond the scope of this beginners guide to explore every avenue. Instead we will look at how fasting benefits health by examining some of the universal health actions it promotes, discuss the most popular applications for fasting, and cover the important considerations that need to be made with fasting.
This most common reason people find initial interest in fasting is for losing body fat. Since fasting removes all caloric inputs and forces the body to metabolize body fat, fasting is an effective weight loss technique. Cyclical weight loss is typically not healthy, and a better way to consider fasting than as a weight-loss tool is as a metabolism-enhancing tool. A number on a scale is not as important as a healthy metabolism. Typically having a healthy metabolism means you’re at your perfect body fat percentage and weight, as fat loss and having a healthy body composition is causative from metabolism, but misalignment between the two can occur at times and therefore this is an important mindset distinction to make if seeking best long term success.
Fasting for Metabolic Health
Metabolism: The near infinite number of life-sustaining reactions that occur within the body cellularly every second
Having a healthy metabolism means you have all the normal components needed to complete all the metabolic reactions required for optimal health every day. The largest component of metabolism comes down to human thermodynamics, but there are other pieces that are useful, like using herbs which contain compounds that beneficially facilitate and stabilize chemical reactions throughout various parts of the body.
Fasting is so useful for improving metabolic health because it changes genetic expression. Activating the regenerative state of autophagy requires the stimulation of those parts of your DNA that govern the process, and as DNA expression changes so to does cellular protein production. Mitochondrial function improves, and in the first two days of fasting you often experience an energy surge as the body’s energetic burden from digestion has been lifted. As the gut regenerates, future periods of food consumption will yield greater metabolic resources through improved digestion, the result being better metabolism and being in a better fat burning environment. More energy, resources, and healthy connective tissues means more activity and greater NEAT (2).
Fasting for Weight Loss
Approximately 75% of adults aged 20 and over are overweight or obese. The obesity rate for this age group in the USA is 40% (3). For anyone in either of these categories, the most effective way to improve metabolic function. which is the primary object over simply weighing less, is to improve body composition. Shedding body fat and increasing lean body mass (muscle) does this most effectively. Fasting reduces body fat percentage quickly and can be done safely with proper knowledge and experience, and with proper refeeding and exercise afterwards, fasting has no discernable effect on lean body mass in my experience. Lean body mass have even been shown to improve with repeated bouts of a calorie restricted “fasting mimicking” diet (4).
Let’s say you have twenty pounds (10 kg) to lose. An effective way to lose that weight in order to improve metabolic health and overall wellness is to complete a 48 hour fast once a week, with a 2 meal a day intermittent fasting schedule in-between. This is a 5:2 schedule:
Five days 16 hour intermittent fasting with a daily eight hour eating window
Two days of fasting (i.e. a 48 hour fast)
That weight could also be lost rapidly in a few weeks or a months time if a good diet is eaten and an overall caloric deficit is maintained. That weight could also be lost over time though not as quickly with a daily intermittent fasting or one meal a day (OMAD) schedule. The most rapid way to lose weight is to not eat for 3+ days, and many people who are overweight or obese are successful in multiday/seven day/10+ day fasts. More important than losing excess body fat once is keeping it off, and thus I think it better to take shorter more frequent fasts while improving diet quality in-between than it is to do a mega-long fast and then possibly binge afterwards, which is just another form of yo-yo dieting but riskier.
Croatia, 2021. I was swimming a lot and practicing yoga. Diet of rice, beans, tofu, eggs, and abundant fruits and vegetables. Occasional intermittent fasting as guided by intuition and gut health.
How to Activate Brown Fat
There are two main types of fat in the body. White fat is metabolically inactive, and these stores of calories do not activate easily. Brown fat is metabolically active and generates body heat. White fat is long term calorie storage and can accumulate to dangerous levels that increase risk of disease and all-cause mortality (5). Brown fat on the other hand has active energy in-flows and out-flows. Cold therapy activates and increases brown fat, and having a greater brown fat percentage is correlated with improved metabolic health (6), better heat regulation, and less energy volatility.
As the phytochemicals of herbs like flavonoids have metabolism boosting effects, it’s possible that the metabolism of these plant compounds by the liver and/or microbiome also stimulates brown fat creation and usage, most likely due to selective DNA activation.
Fasting also stimulates brown fat simply because it is advantageous. Brown fat can be activated for energy needs faster than white fat, and a healthy metabolism can shift between carbohydrate metabolism to brown fat metabolism to white fat metabolism (if any exist) with few interruptions in-between. As body composition and metabolism improves, the body is better able to manage its energy requirements and white fat is selectively reduced in favor of keeping a tighter budget in brown fat and if physically training, bigger muscles which can store greater amounts of glycogen.
Eating a higher-fat diet in-between fasts composed of unoxidized fats, primarily monounsaturated fats like you receive from olive oil and avocados, will broadly improve fat metabolism and therefore brown fat activation.
Fasting for Diabetes
Diabetes: Dysfunctional glucose processing and utilization which causing excess blood sugar
As fasting improves blood glucose utilization, it can be useful for those with diabetes, but care should be taken to avoid dangerous moments of too high or too low blood sugar. If you have diabetes please consult with a health practitioner knowledgeable in fasting before scheduling any long fasts. There are two types of diabetes, type 1 and type 2.
Type 1 Diabetes: An autoimmune condition where insulin-producing cells in the pancreas are destroyed by the bodies immune system. About 10% of people who have diabetes have Type 1. Often diagnosed in children and young adults.
Type 2 Diabetes: The body doesn’t make enough insulin and/or the body’s cells don’t respond normally to insulin. Type 2 diabetes occurs most often in middle-aged and older people.
Diabetes and its mismanagement once developed has serious consequences, being stressful much of the body, including the heart, kidneys, and nervous system. As fasting helps with autoimmune conditions and also the normalization of pancreatic function and blood glucose levels, fasting can help type 1 and type 2 diabetes.
If performed safely and with many safety fallbacks, like having food always available on hand, fasting can be useful for diabetics to improve their condition and overall health. By clearing the digestive system of food, or at least by spacing the time out between meals more, fasting relieves stress on the pancreas and allows for insulin levels and blood glucose sensitivity to normalize back to optimal. For those with diabetes, intermittent fasting can reduce insulin requirements and aid in weight loss (7).
If you begin to notice increased energy volatility characterized by too low or too high blood sugar levels, fasting is an effective way to reset the functioning of the pancreas. Insulin is the main anabolic hormone of the human body, and it’s only produced by the pancreas, but this only accounts for about 1% of pancreatic functioning. The other duties of the pancreas that make up 99% of its purpose is secreting pancreatic juice and digestive enzymes into the first part of the small intestine known as the duodenum, which neutralizes stomach acid and aids in the breakdown of food and it’s digestion. And its fasting’s digestion improving effect which is really quite amazing.
Not eating to eat better, who would have thought?
Fasting for Gut Health
There are many ways to relieve stress on the digestive system, from adopting a liquid diet to removing intolerant foods from the diet via an elimination diet. There is no question though that the simplest and most effective way to reduce digestive stress and inflammation is to simply not eat. The epithelial layer of the digestive system regenerates about 20% per day, and this rate is increased even further when the regular stress of digesting food is alleviated via fasting.
That’s right, it is stressful to eat! Eating and digesting requires the production and secretion of many different chemicals from a bunch of organs like the liver, gallbladder, and pancreas. The immune system has to be active to ensure nothing unwanted penetrates through the gut-blood barrier into the blood stream. Digestion requires energy, which is why eating a big meal often induces sleepiness, but the reason we do it is because if we eat nutritious foods we get more out of digestion than we put into it. Fundamentally that’s how life exists.
For some people this isn’t the case though, either because their diet is such a poor nutrient quality that the body puts more into digestion than it receives out of it, or the body does its best to digest food but other issues are causing malabsorption of nutrients, like diarrhea, damaged/destroyed villi, or poorly functional glands which fail to release adequate enzymes and biles vital to proper digestion. An “easy” fix for these problems is to fast.
Evolutionarily it’s in our physiology to fast, it’s another “default mode network” the body that has developed over millions of years of evolution. In fact the body wants you to fast every now and then, it’s the most efficient way to active autophagy, the cellular process that repairs and regenerates the tissues of the body. Fasting also changes the composition of the microbiome quickly, an important aspect of proper thorough food digestion. If you fast off a meal for a day or two, your microbiome will be better at digesting those particular foods than they were when you first ate them.
The most obvious effect that fasting has though is that it reduces inflammation in the gut.
Fasting for Gut Inflammation
The role of the digestive system is to take food, which is made up of animal, plant, or fungal cells which contain complex macronutrients like starches, long-chain fatty acids, and protein chains, and break everything down into the smallest most usable and absorbable compounds. Food is often first broken down and made easier to digest through cooking, and chewing mechanically breaks food down into smaller components. From there stomach acid and digestive enzymes erode and break apart the molecular bonds of food, transporters are utilized to facilitate certain chemical reactions, and as you can imagine the digestive system becomes a very busy environment chemically. Within the chaos of digestion there is an order, but there is no avoiding the inflammation created from the digestive process.
When you are in good health, the inflammation created during digestion is easily mitigated and is no cause for concern, but if a health imbalance exists, then gut-based inflammation can tip the body over into a state of over-stress, which isn’t good over the long term. You may be interesting in fasting as a way to heal the gastrointestinal system and reduce gut inflammation, and fasting is very effective in achieving these objectives. All of chapter 8 of the Holistic Gut Health Guide is how fasting is useful for gut health.
Fasting is one of the best ways to repair the gut because the absence of food activates widespread autophagy.
Autophagy: Body’s cellular recycling system that processes the reusing of old and damaged cell parts
The necessary inflammation of the gut causes the cells of the digestive system to experience rapid turnover, with intestinal digestive linings experiencing about a 20% daily turnover rate. By strongly activating autophagy, fasting increases the digestive systems regenerative systems and cellular resources are better recycled and reused, which places less of a resource drain on metabolism.
It takes time for food to transit through the digestive system, and food spreads out in the digestive system after eating, so the longer the fast and the more time is allowed for food to completely clear out and pass, the more effective the anti-inflammatory and regenerative effects of fasting.
Drinking zero-calorie herbal teas aid greatly in the inflammation-reducing and gut healing fasting process. Well-known and safe herbs like chamomile and dandelion contain abundant antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and antimicrobial flavonoids and other phytochemicals, and drinking a 1:1 ratio chamomile flower and dandelion root tea throughout a fast and on normal eating days improves digestion, quells excess gut inflammation, and helps shift the microbiome towards symbiosis and away from destructive pathogenesis. Endotoxin-producing pathogens can be a large potential source of gut inflammation, and fasting helps to limit their presence in the digestive system.
Fasting for Microbiome Reset
The microorganisms that live in the human digestive system have a very short life-cycle and cannot survive nutrient deprivation as long you can. By removing food from the system, fasting influences the composition of the microbiome.
Most of the microbiome lives in the large intestine, which food begins to reach at about 6+ hours of digestion. Food is then further digested by the microbiome and body in the large intestine for 24-36 hours typically. To change the composition and diversity of the microbiome in a substantial way with fasting, a complete emptying of the large intestine and a subsequent zero-digestion period are required, which necessitates a longer 48+ hour fast.
Still it’s been found that short fasts, like the 16 to 20 hour fasts common to intermittent fasting can also favorably shift the microbiome over time (8), especially when paired with favorable dietary changes like the consumption of more fiber. Intermittent fasting also helps the body achieve better circadian rhythm through modification of the gut microbiome (9).
There are two main strategies for improving the gut microbiome, and the first is to diversify the microbiome with more symbiotic microbes and to support their growth, and the second is to select against and reduce pathogenic microbe populations. Most effective is to pair both strategies together, and if this is done then it’s possible to shift the microbiome towards greater symbiosis in a significant way quite quickly, and fasting does this effectively especially when paired with certain herbal remedies which you can learn more about with the article on the other side of this button.
Fasting for Parasite Removal
Fasting is an effective way to reduce and eliminate parasites from the gastrointestinal system as it removes their primary food source which is what you eat, while instead you draw from your fat reserves. If parasites are a serious problem, only a very long fast 7+ day fast will completely eliminate them, so fasting is best paired with a parasite removal protocol.
This can be accomplished in a number of ways. You can fast for a period of time, say 2 days, and then in-between each fast you run an herbal parasite cleanse. If you’re overall healthy and wanting to make a faster more dramatic change, then you can fast and take the anti-parasite herbs at the same time. For both options, I recommend drinking herbal tea throughout the fasting and feeding periods as it will help regenerate the gut, favorably improve the microbiome, improve energy metabolism, and beneficially activate the immune system. A perfect tea for this would be a 1:1:1 ratio blend of chamomile flowers, dandelion root, and peppermint leaves.
The stronger anti-parasite herbs are oregano (specifically oregano oil), clove, black walnut hull, and wormwood. A good premixed supplement I used before which worked great was SCRAM, and I followed those dosing instructions while also taking oregano oil twice a day. To learn more about parasites and parasite removal, you can read my following article.
Fasting for Immune Health
Beyond weight loss and gut health, fasting has been shown to have powerful effects on the immune system. The majority of immune system activity is centered around the gut, as vigilant defense against pathogens and unwanted compounds from entering into the blood stream is needed. When the immune defense requirements of the gastrointestinal system decrease due to less food transiting through (which also means less microbial growth at that moment), the immune system is able to regenerate, recharge, and reset its functions.
Case reports abound from medically supervised fasting clinics of people who have seen complete remission of an autoimmune disease by undergoing long multi-day water fasts (10), usually exceeding two weeks in length. Autoimmune diseases are characterized by the immune system mistakenly attacking parts of the body, and this destructive cellular behavior has the potential to be eliminated and the immune system reset towards normal function through fasting.
Severe calorie restriction (50% and greater) and fasting changes immune function by altering the distribution of immune cells throughout the body, with memory T-cells for example accumulating in bone marrow as a protective mechanism (11). The adaptive immune system enhances survival in the face of infection because it allows the host to rapidly respond to and control infections as they arise. Immunological memory enhances this protective ability especially if new infections are the same or similar in nature to infections previously experienced.
Fasting in effect regenerates the immune system to a more youthful state that is better at fighting pathogens and cancer and less likely to turn on healthy cells of the body.
One reason appetite typically decreases during a cold, flu, or covid is because of the immune-boosting effect that calorie restriction and fasting has. By activating autophagy, the body is better able to fight infections and repair the cellular damage caused by them.
Fasts of different lengths have different effects on the immune system, so if you are interested in fasting to improve immune health, I recommend starting with intermittent fasting, and then trying OMAD, and then trying a 2-3 day fast, making careful self-observations during each fast of how you feel and how your symptoms improve (if you have any).
If you have a serious autoimmune condition and want to try a longer water fast to help with the condition, contact a fasting clinic near you and consult with your health practitioner.
The Simplest Types of Fasting
Intermittent Fasting
Intermittent fasting is the most popular type of fasting, typically scheduled as sixteen hours of fasting followed by an open eight hour feeding window (16:8). This ratio of fasting to feeding can be shortened to and 12:12 ratio or lengthened to a 20:4 ratio, with the longer intermittent fasts taking the body deeper into autophagy.
It’s easier to maintain caloric balance or even a caloric surplus with intermittent fasting than it is with multi-day fasts. Intermittent fasting is useful for athletes who want to improve their insulin sensitivity, hormone profiles, and improve their digestion, all while still increasing in strength, stamina, and possibly lean body mass.
Intermittent fasting is the easiest form for fasting to do for the average person, and overtime it can dramatically transform one’s health.
Intermittent fasting is most effective done consistently day after day, and the daily increase in autophagy intermittent fasting stimulates as compared to a normal 3-4 meals & snacks a day eating schedule is helpful for healing the gut, reducing inflammation throughout the body, and improving energy metabolism.
OMAD Fasting (One Meal a Day)
Fasting for twenty-four hours is also known as one meal a day or OMAD fasting. The most common type of OMAD fasting is eating dinner every night, though it’s not uncommon to do breakfast or lunch OMAD. OMAD is similar to intermittent fasting in that food is still eaten every day, and OMAD is typically done consecutively or for a certain number of days per week.
Since OMAD takes the body deeper into a fasted state of autophagy across twenty-four hours than intermittent fasting, it’s a good way to begin experimenting with longer fasts and to examine one’s relationship with eating behaviors. Physiological hunger is quite different than a psychological food craving, and if struggling to make healthy dietary choices, consistent OMAD fasting is a great way to reset psychological eating behaviors and patterns.
The gut-brain axis is beneficially altered with OMAD and each fast will have you become better at identifying when you’re truly physically hungry or when you simply have a psychological food craving.
48 Hour Fasting
Fasting for longer than 24 hours reduces the body’s glucose sugars stored in muscle cells and the liver, and around the 48 hour mark is usually when all the stored glucose is depleted in the body which forces the body to shift into ketosis.
Ketosis: Metabolic process that converts fatty acids into energy molecules known as ketones.
The brain runs exclusively on simple sugars, or if those are not available, ketones. When carbohydrates are in short supply, either from fasting or from eating a high-fat ketogenic diet, the body begins producing ketones to keep all the metabolic systems running smoothly. Some people with neurodegenerative diseases see a massive reduction in symptoms and their disease state when their brain runs on ketones instead of simple sugars.
Just as fasting is another default mode network for the body, switching from sugar metabolism to ketone metabolism is another metabolic state change that can be used to improve health and diagnose health issues. A 48-hour fast is useful because it takes the body deep into autophagy, deeper than most people have ever gone in their lives except maybe during a bad illness like the flu (hint hint a protective mechanism from widespread viral inflammation and damage). Forty eight hours of fasting really provides the digestive system time to rest and regenerate by greatly reducing stress and takes the body to the edge of or into ketosis.
A 48-hour fast is short enough to be easily completed by most people without serious health issues as long as they have the willpower. a 2 day fast doesn’t require too much planning, and it’s also long enough to bring about noticeable differences in digestion, energy, and weight. Undergoing a 48 hour fast allows for valuable health observations to be made on digestion, metabolism, mental health, and more.
3 Day Fasting
A longer 72-hour fast will take the body fully into ketosis and the autophagy healing effects are even stronger than they are for shorter fasts. It’s recommended to break a 72 hour fast with a small fat-heavy meal, like a mixed green salad with avocado, as this reduces the shock of reintroducing food to the digestive system while also keeping fat metabolism high and ketosis activated. If a fast that has induced ketosis is broken this way, you have a choice with subsequent meals to stay in ketosis or revert back to carbohydrate metabolism.
Your experience may vary, but I have found through personal experience that I don’t need to concern myself greatly with electrolytes during a 48 hour fast, but that electrolytes becomes more important with a 72 hour fast.
Fasting and Electrolytes
Electrolytes such as sodium, potassium, chloride, magnesium, calcium, phosphate, and bicarbonates are required for the basic functions of life like transmitting nerve signals and keeping cells electrically neutral. We derive electrolytes from our our food and drinks, and high or low electrolyte imbalances are health disruptive and can be life-threatening (12).
By removing all food from the metabolic equation, fasting changes electrolyte inflows, outflows, and overall ion balances in the body. For intermittent or OMAD fasting, there is generally little need to concern oneself with electrolytes as food containing electrolytes is still consumed daily. Making sure you acquire sufficient electrolytes and in the right ratios is important during longer fast.
I have fasted many times for 48 hours without taking any electrolytes with zero problems, so “wiggle room” exists. Your experience may vary, and it is better to do the following if fasting for greater than 24 hours:
Add a pinch of sea salt to the water you drink. Sea salt contains an abundant assortment of salts and ions, like potassium (K) and magnesium (Mg), whereas land-derived table salt contains just sodium (Na) and chloride (Cl) ions.
Drinking herbal teas throughout a fast will provide the body a natural and varied assortment of electrolytes. Dandelion root is especially good for this as it contains abundant micronutrients (13)
Pre-made electrolyte fasting mixes exist, often called snake juice, and can be useful if used properly, but I urge caution in using them because they are often dosed incorrectly which results in symptoms like cramps and sudden diarrhea (as you’ll hear from the “never trust a fart” fasting crowd). Gross but worth knowing if you’re going to try fasting so you can avoid that embarrassing situation.
Breaking a Fast (refeeding)
I’ll conclude this fasting for beginners guide with how to break a fast, otherwise known as the refeed.
Fasting is amazing and incredibly healing if done safely and intelligently, and at some point every fast must come to an end. When it becomes more healthy to eat than to continue fasting is the hard limit.
The meals you eat before and after a fast have a dramatic effect on the ease and quality of the fast undertaken. For example, fasting off of a highly processed cheeseburger will be a much lesser experience with greater food cravings, energy volatility, and reduced cellular regeneration, than fasting off a meal consisting of vegetables, pulses (beans, lentils, etc), and a whole grain like rice. Fasting off of cake would be even worse! As it takes about 8-12 hours for food to reach the large intestine, and food can remain there for processing by the body and microbiome for 36-72 hours, the content and quality of the food eaten before a fast has a big impact on how easy a fast is.
A healthy microbiome is able to metabolize indigestible fiber and phytochemicals like flavonoids into short-chain fatty acids and beneficial secondary metabolites respectively. Fasts up to 72 hours in length does not eliminate all resource acquisition from the digestive system, it just encourages complete and thorough digestion of the remaining food while simultaneously shifting towards greater and greater activation of body fat for pure energetic needs.
A meal high in fiber and beneficial plant phytochemicals will beneficially remodel the microbiome towards symbiosis throughout the course of the fast, and then refeeding after the fast further effects the course of development of the microbiome. The final meal before a fast should consist of organic whole foods with an emphasis on vegetables, and the meal breaking a fast should consist of much the same.
For example with a 48 hour fast following this advice ensures that energy levels remain relatively stable during the fast, electrolytes are not in short supply, the microbiome shifts favorably towards greater symbiosis, and that food cravings are avoided.
This may be TMI, but I’ve personally experienced during 48 to 72 hour fasts that the last meal I eat is able to be processed down and absorbed to almost nothing if you have a healthy microbiome and the meal eaten was of a high quality. What this means is that instead of a having a bowel movement of normal volume from that meal, you may experience a much smaller bowel movement, or it’s possible that it doesn’t occur at all because your digestive system work together over the course of 2-3 days to absorb everything. Yes this is possible and really reshapes your understanding of how much food you really need to eat daily, and how many nutrients are wasted everyday, via the typical diet an eating schedule.
Get Fasting
Life has evolved to be adaptable to periods of nutrient scarcity, and fasting is not only useful but necessary from time to time. Optimal heath and longevity requires there to be a balance between anabolism (growth) and catabolism (repair). Over consumption of processed foods in addition to deleterious modern lifestyle factors has led to many of the health problems of the present day.
Fasting is an elegant solution to many of the health problems common today and it’s as old as time. Fasting allows you to experience a greater range of what’s possible biologically: from digestion efficiency improvements, to better metabolism, an enhanced immune system, and improved cognitive function.
Developing an intuition around knowing when to feed and when to fast is an important part of the heath journey and will help you to achieve your best wellness. I hope you find fasting as useful as I have, it has helped me tremendously in improving my gut health, once was my biggest health concern but now I navigate it with ease, and anytime I have the rare gut heath flareup the first thing I do is to begin fasting, whether its just an intermittent fast or I discover a 48 hour fast is needed or a longer period of OMAD fasting is beneficial. Once you have completed a few fasts for each of the primary methods 16 to 72 hours in length, fasting becomes a reliable tool you can use at any time to improve your health so long as it serves you and can be done safely.
I have written a lot more on fasting on this website, you can view the other articles here, or read chapter 8 of the Holistic Gut Health Guide.
If you read all the way here then it’s clear to me that you’re ready to do what it takes to finally restore your digestive system and gut microbiome back to healthy and optimal function.
I wrote the Holistic Gut Health Guide to help you accomplish exactly this! It contains all the information that you need to understand the gastrointestinal system, gut-brain axis, and microbiome in-depth, and the Holistic Gut Health Guide also educates you on the natural methods you can holistically use together like fasting and herbalism to transform your health from the inside out.
I’m so excited to be able to help you along your gut health and overall wellness journey with the Holistic Gut Health Guide! Please contact me with any questions you have and wishing you the best.
References:
Mattson MP, Longo VD, Harvie M. Impact of intermittent fasting on health and disease processes. Ageing Research Reviews. 2017;39:46-58.
Levine JA. Non-exercise activity thermogenesis (Neat). Best Practice & Research Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism. 2002;16(4):679-702.
Fryar CD, Carroll MD, Afful J. Prevalence of overweight, obesity, and severe obesity among adults aged 20 and over: United States, 1960–1962 through 2017–2018. NCHS Health E-Stats. 2020.
Longo VD, Panda S. Fasting, circadian rhythms, and time-restricted feeding in healthy lifespan. Cell Metabolism. 2016;23(6):1048-1059.
Flegal KM, Kit BK, Orpana H, Graubard BI. Association of all-cause mortality with overweight and obesity using standard body mass index categories: a systematic review and meta-analysis. JAMA. 2013;309(1):71.
Herz CT, Kulterer OC, Prager M, et al. Active brown adipose tissue is associated with a healthier metabolic phenotype in obesity. Diabetes. 2022;71(1):93-103.
Grajower MM, Horne BD. Clinical management of intermittent fasting in patients with diabetes mellitus. Nutrients. 2019;11(4):873.
Larrick JW, Mendelsohn AR, Larrick JW. Beneficial gut microbiome remodeled during intermittent fasting in humans. Rejuvenation Research. 2021;24(3):234-237.
Daas MC, de Roos NM. Intermittent fasting contributes to aligned circadian rhythms through interactions with the gut microbiome. Beneficial Microbes. 2021;12(2):147-161.
Fuhrman, Joel, Barbara Sarter, and David J. Calabro. Brief case reports of medically supervised, water-only fasting associated with remission of autoimmune disease. Alternative Therapies in Health and Medicine 8.4 (2002): 112-112.
Collins N, Han SJ, Enamorado M, et al. The bone marrow protects and optimizes immunological memory during dietary restriction. Cell. 2019;178(5):1088-1101.e15.
Shrimanker I, Bhattarai S. Electrolytes. In: StatPearls. StatPearls Publishing; 2022.
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How to Restore Healthy Microbiome
The gut microbiome and gut-brain axis have a tremendous influence over your physical, mental, and emotional health. Learn how to support symbiotic gut microbes and limit pathogenic gut microbes holistically with natural methods like lifestyle and dietary changes, fasting, and herbalism.
and how to get rid of bad bacteria in the gut
Article by Stefan Burns - Updated October 2022. Join the Wild Free Organic email newsletter!
As our understanding of the gut microbiome and gut-brain axis increases, more and more people are asking the smart question of how they can improve their gut microbiome to upgrade and optimize their physical, mental, and emotional health.
At first it may seem bizarre that small microorganisms can influence foundational aspects of our being like our metabolism, memory, focus, and how we feel emotionally, but with a greater understanding of the microbiome and gut-brain axis it becomes clear quite quickly why cultivating a healthy gut microbiome is so important for not only gut health but for overall health and wellness.
There are two main strategies for improving the gut microbiome, and the first is to diversify the microbiome with more symbiotic microbes and to support their growth, and the second is to select against and reduce pathogenic microbe populations. When both strategies are paired together it’s possible to shift the microbiome towards greater symbiosis in a significant way quite quickly.
To educate you on how to restore healthy gut flora populations, in this article we’ll cover the following topics:
The microbiome and gut-brain axis
What is gut dysbiosis and why you should improve your gut microbiome
How to increase good bacteria in the gut naturally
How to starve out bad bacteria
Are you ready to heal you gut?
Read to the end to receive a special 10% discount on the Holistic Gut Health Guide, the all-in-one eBook to help you overcome your gut health and microbiome problems once and for all!
The Microbiome and the Gut-Brain Axis
The gut is collectively the largest overall organ, immune organ, and endocrine organ of the human body. Its functions are varied and complex enough that it has its own nervous system known as the enteric nervous system, often described as a “second brain” because the enteric nervous system functions relatively independently of the brain. An example of the independence of the gut, microbiome, and enteric nervous system is how it maintains itself and its functions even in those stuck in a vegetative state.
If we examine the gut from a numbers standpoint, it would best be considered a “microbial organ” because 90-95% of its total cell number are from microorganisms. Important for our understanding of the gut-brain axis is the concept that humans are a “superorganism” in which more than 90% of the total genes and cell numbers of the superorganism are microbial and not human in nature.
We’re more bacteria than human in some regards…
Humans have co-evolved with microorganisms for millions of years, and a healthy microbiome is vital to the optimal development and wellness of Homo sapiens, individually and as a species. Until just recently in our time spent on Earth, humans and the microbiome co-evolved under the conditions of a hunter-gatherer, or still very natural Neolithic villager lifestyle. As hunter-gathers humans were exposed to a wide range of natural environments. Every environment like the ocean or the jungle has a unique microbiome, and by spending time in these different environments, humans inoculated themselves with a wide range of microorganisms, thereby supporting diverse microbiome populations in their guts.
With the recent modernization of human society, dramatic changes to the individual and collective human microbiome have occurred, and exposure to the beneficial microorganisms of the world’s different natural environments has greatly reduced for most people. These alterations in the human gut microbiome are well correlated with the changes in disease patterns in modern society.
Whereas the human gut microbiome used to contain many more symbiotic microorganisms, now the average human gut microbiome contains less symbionts and more pathogens and commensal microbes.
Symbiotic: Symbiotic microorganisms like lactobacillus and bifidobacteria work with you to process food like fiber that you can’t digest into beneficial compounds like short-chain fatty acids and neurotransmitters that you use biologically throughout the body. Inside the gut symbiotic microorganisms interact with the digestive system to keep integrity of digestive barriers high, the immune system strong, the hormone (endocrine) system functioning properly, the activity of the nervous system stable and coherent, and brain functionality at optimal. As you can see, the microbiome touches nearly every aspect of human health.
Pathogenic: Pathogenic microorganisms like C. difficile, salmonella, E. coli, and E. faecalis can inhabit the gut in small or large percentages depending on one’s state of health, and their presence is problematic because pathogens don’t work with you the host, instead they seek to exploit you for their every advantage. If pathogens are able to expand in population unchecked they cause health problems that can range from mild like fever, diarrhea, and pain to severe like chronic disease, cancer, mental health problems, and organ failure.
Commensal: Commensal microbes are typically the most numerous in number, they’re helpful but not to the same degree as symbiotic microbes, and commensal microorganisms will shift to become more symbiotic or pathogenic in nature over time depending on the evolutionary conditions they experience.
What Purpose does the Microbiome Serve?
You can imagine how the human digestive system is a cozy place for microorganisms to live because it’s warm, protected from dangerous ultraviolet radiation from the sun and other hazards, and there is usually a constant influx of food. In exchange for these comfy conditions, a healthy microbiome beneficially influences the development and functioning of you, the host, by working with the cells of the digestive system to better digest food, by influencing and supporting immune and endocrine functions, and by producing valuable neurotransmitters that your nervous system and brain needs. Normal aspects of psychology, such as cognition, emotion, pain perception, social behavior, stress response, and a person’s character are all influenced by the microbiome of the gut.
Gastrointestinal disturbances affect the gut microbiome, and gut microbiome disturbances affect the functioning of the gastrointestinal system, and disturbances to either can be caused by many different factors, including an unhealthy diet, lifestyle and stress, excessive use of medications and antibiotics, mental illness, environmental toxins, and more. Gut dysbiosis can lead to the eventual development of neurocognitive disorders like mood disorders, depression, anxiety, ADHD, autism spectrum disorders, Alzheimer's disease, and Parkinson's disease.
The reason why humans and microorganisms evolutionarily formed a symbiotic relationship is thought to be primarily for metabolic reasons. The metabolic actions of the microbiome provides additional energy from food that otherwise wouldn’t be extractable, which is highly advantageous from an evolutionary standpoint, and because the composition of microorganisms of the gut microbiome can rapidly adapt to dietary changes, it provided humans an ability to adapt to new environments and novel foods faster, increasing the evolutionary fitness of our ancestors. Additionally, it’s thought that microbiome-brain interactions were a critically important factor that guided the evolution of the human brain and the development of the social brain. It’s our evolutionary history that explains why the gut-brain axis is such an important and powerful system in the body.
To boil it down our gut microbiome makes us more efficiently metabolically, confers upon us brain-development and cognitive benefits, and gives us greater survivability in a diverse range of environments. With this known, who wouldn’t want the best gut microbiome possible?
Together the digestive system and microbiome are the foundation of health from which everything else is dependent on.
The Holistic Gut Health Guide contains all the information you need to identify and understand the gastrointestinal and microbiome problems you may have while also providing you the most effective natural methods you can use to heal your gut. No gut health problems are unsolvable, give yourself every possible advantage along your gut health journey by reading an implementing the advice shared in the Holistic Gut Health Guide.
Some of the information in the Holistic Gut Health Guide isn’t common knowledge but when implemented it is highly effective in healing the gut and shifting the microbiome towards symbiosis. Give yourself every possible advantage along your gut health journey by reading an implementing the advice shared in the Holistic Gut Health Guide.
Why you Should Improve your Gut Microbiome
The are three main reasons why everyone should strive to cultivate the healthiest microbiome possible:
Improved digestion
Better metabolism
Increased consciousness
It’s impossible to have a good metabolism if digestion is inefficient. Metabolism can be defined as the uncountable amount of life-sustaining reactions that occurs every second in our body. By providing a lot of the chemicals required for metabolism, and by facilitating some of those reactions themselves, a healthy gut microbiome is essential for having the best metabolism possible; a metabolism that keeps you lean, healthy, and mentally sharp.
The general flow is Digestion ➞ Metabolism ➞ Cognition
And this cycle repeats around because you (hopefully) consciously choose what to eat! Because the microbiome affects digestion and the gut-brain axis, factors perturbing the gut microbiome affect the brain and mind simultaneously. This is important to know because if gut dysbiosis is experienced, then by result mental health problems have a much greater likelihood of developing.
If you’re reading this you either have a preventative interest in improving your microbiome, or you have some level of gut dysbiosis and are looking for ways to treat your condition. In the next chapter we begin our discussion on how to increase symbiotic microbes in the gut, but first what exactly is dysbiosis?
Gut Dysbiosis
Dysbiosis Definition: Dysbiosis is an unhealthy microbiome imbalance that results from unfavorable changes in the diversity, metabolic activities, and distribution of the gut microbiota
As we mentioned earlier, the diversity of the human microbiome has decreased dramatically with the widespread lifestyle changes that have occurred as people have moved from rural communities to large cities and also from the advent and overuse of antibiotics, pesticides, and antimicrobial cleaning products.
While most people don’t consider themselves to have dysbiosis, the reality of the situation is that unless you take great care to cultivate a healthy and diverse microbiome, then you share in the larger gut dysbiosis that human society is experiencing currently. Then on top of that if you are particularly unhealthy for whatever reason, be it diet, lifestyle, disease, or drug related, then your gut dysbiosis will be even worse.
Gut Dysbiosis Symptoms
Because the microbiome interacts with so many different systems throughout the body, there are a wide range of symptoms that result from gut dysbiosis. The most common symptoms are:
Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) - gas, bloating, diarrhea, constipation, abdominal pain
Candida (yeast infection)
Food allergies, intolerances, and sensitivities
Nutritional deficiencies
Fatigue
Headaches, brain fog, poor memory
Mental health problems like anxiety, depression, insomnia
Skin issues like rashes, acne, eczema, psoriasis
Auto-immune disorders, allergies
Asthma
Gut Dysbiosis Treatment
There are many ways to treat gut dysbiosis and a pathogenic microbiome, some being safer and more effective than others. Unfortunately many common treatment methods like antibiotics are prescribed by those with an dangerously limited understanding of how the microbiome works, and while symptoms of dysbiosis may improve temporarily as the microbiome dies off from the antibiotics, the dysbiosis gets worse once the course of antibiotics is finished and pathogens expand outwards.
To treat gut dysbiosis that isn’t immediately life-threatening, one must look back to the factors that caused society’s larger gut dysbiosis to develop, and to then seek to integrate into one’s lifestyle the beneficial gut microbiome practices that our ancient hunter-gatherer and Neolithic ancestors followed, which were:
Interacting with a large variety of environments, getting “dirty” in the process
Eating a diet rich in fruits, vegetables, and fiber, all free of chemical contamination
Living a relatively stress-free and active lifestyle
Experiencing occasional periods of nutrient deprivation (aka fasting)
Utilization of the healing medicinal herbs that exist
What is the Fastest Way to Heal the Gut Microbiome?
To heal the gut microbiome we have our two strategies of promoting microbial diversity and the growth of symbiotic microbes while also selecting against pathogenic microbes. If you integrate into your life the lifestyle and dietary factors above, both goals can be accomplished simultaneously. Fasting and utilizing antimicrobial herbs are particularly useful in treating dysbiosis because not only do they support the growth of helpful symbionts but they in the same stroke make life much more difficult for pathogens. We’ll get into the specific reasons why that is in the next two sections.
The most effective strategy to heal the gut microbiome will be one that combines multiple strategies together holistically in a way that is safe and sustainable to maintain. The gut microbiome cannot be healed in one day, it will take at least a week to begin seeing progress and months to see significant progress, and in reality their is no final end destination as the microbiome is always changing and in flux. For these reasons, in order to make serious and lasting improvements in the microbiome, the recommendations given below must be incorporated into one’s lifestyle and diet naturally and without fuss (indeed they should be happily welcomed!) and become permanent life changes.
How to Increase Good Bacteria in the Gut Naturally
To increase the populations of good bacteria in the gut naturally it’s first required to expose yourself to these different symbiotic microbes in order to diversify the gut microbiome, and then it’s necessary to support their growth. Most people turn to probiotics in order to increase their microbial diversity, and this works because it’s easy to take probiotics, they’re widely available, and different multi-strain formations exist. A much more natural method for increasing microbial diversity is to place yourself in a variety of different environments. Eating fiber and fermented foods also increase good bacteria in the gut naturally. We’ll cover all the main strategies for increasing helpful microbial diversity and then discuss how to support the population growth of symbionts in the microbiome.
Expose Yourself to Different Natural Environments
Microbiomes exist everywhere, not just in the gut. Your skin has a microbiome, your bed has a microbiome, and every toilet has a microbiome. Some microbiomes are beneficial to exposure yourself to because they are full of useful microbes, whereas others like the toilet microbiome are best avoided (yuk!).
Microbes float through the air, live in the water we drink, and exist in the soil. These natural microbiomes, the ones that we interact with to varying degrees just by existing have proven themselves to be on the whole incredibly safe over millions and millions of years, and it’s exposure to the air, water, and soil microbiomes of nature that are the most beneficial for developing good gut health and a strong, diverse, and resilient microbiome. Perform the following activities to not only improve your health and fitness but also to exposure yourself to the diverse microbiomes of nature!
Hiking: Hiking through nature is an excellent wellness activity not only for the physical, mental, and emotional benefits, but also for the microbiome benefits. The fresh oxygen-rich air of a forest has special healing properties and this forest air will lightly expose you to different microorganisms. The density of microbes in the air is very low, but they do exist, and with a long hike with plenty of deep breathing the effect is not insignificant.
You can increase your exposure to the natural microbiome of the environment you’re walking/hiking through by interacting respectfully with the environment. Run your fingers through the moss, splash your face with water from the stream, forage on edible herbs that you may find like miners lettuce or mint. Some of these tips require common sense and some skills, for example don’t drink the stream water or splash it directly into your eyes, and don’t eat plants if you’re not a herbalist and haven’t 100% positively identified them as being safe, but if you have the sense and skills necessary to engage in these practices then it’s a powerful way to increase the diversity of your gut microbiome.
Swimming: Swimming in natural and clean bodies of water is another way to increase microbiome diversity as the full body gets immersed in the microbiome of the water. Swimming in the ocean is fantastic as the salt water naturally keeps a lot of harmful microorganisms low in concentration, and if you swallow some water every now and then accidentally after let’s say being hit by a large wave, that’s not necessarily a bad thing (but don’t go out of your way to do this). The key is natural exposure to the microbiome of the environment, what happens happens! Your gut microbiome is already a highly competitive place with limited space and access to resources, and whatever microbes that come in from the environment, your food, or probiotics will have to compete and carve out space and resources for themselves in order to survive and flourish in your gut whether they are symbionts, pathogens, or commensal microorganisms.
Gardening: Digging your hands into the soil, growing plants, and harvesting the food that results is one of the absolute best ways for the average person to increase the diversity of their gut microbiome. Gardening isn’t limited to just those who live in rural places, if you' live in the city you can likely find a community garden and establish a garden there, or you can garden at home outside on a small plot or inside using pots.
Gardening is the easiest and most fruitful way to expose yourself to the rich and highly diverse microbiome of the soil. Just as with us and our microbiomes, the soil microbiome is of key importance in the health and growth of plants and fungi. Soil microorganisms are the foundational biologic and chemical communication layer that life depends on, and digging around in good soil with your bare hands is a very effective way to improve the diversity of your microbiome over time. I can personally attest to this as gardening over the summer of 2021 noticeably improved my gut health, and anytime I have the opportunity to garden consistently my gut health seems to be more resilient.
Gardening also improves gut health and the microbiome through the cultivation of food. If growing fruits and vegetables without the use of any fertilizers or pesticides (highly recommended), then you can pick food directly off the plant and eat it. Every piece of produce has its own little microbiome, and eating food this way overtime is incredibly effective at diversifying and improving your own microbiome.
Probiotics for Gut Health
Certain species of bacteria have been studied scientifically for their effects on gut health, and as the biologic benefits of more of these strains have been quantified more varied probiotic supplements have hit the market. In some ways choosing the right probiotic can now be overwhelming as there are so many choices available! While probiotics are certainly useful in restoring populations of healthy microbes in the gut, I think it’s best to keep probiotic supplementation simple and consistent and instead spend more time in healthy natural spaces like our paleolithic and Neolithic ancestors did rather than fuss over which probiotics are best for you. It’s the fact that we’ve strayed away from lifestyle’s like theirs, not a lack of probiotics, that has led to the now “normal” gut dysbiosis that most people have.
Probiotics are definitely helpful though, and one reason why probiotics are useful for gut dysbiosis and gut health problems is that some of the microorganisms contained in the probiotic will form biofilms and colonize the mucosal layer of the digestive barrier, these biofilms persisting for a week or longer. If probiotics are taken daily then many probiotic biofilms colonize the gut and permanently change the diversity and composition of the microbiome. It’s like the colonization of North America by the British, French, and Spanish. One ship wasn’t enough to establish permanent colonies, but repeated ships of colonists and time turned out to be successful.
Biofilms are structures that certain microorganisms create that provide them shelter and help them adhere to surfaces, and they are arguably the most successful form of life on Earth, existing in nearly every environment. In the gut environment, both pathogenic and symbiotic microorganisms produce biofilm structures made of mostly polysaccharides, proteins, nucleic acids, and lipids and then adhere them to the intestinal mucosa where they can persist for a long period of time.
Used consistently probiotics have been shown to improve functional brain responses in healthy people, reducing psychological distress and anxiety conditions. Probiotics containing strains of lactobacillus and bifidobacteria appear to be the most effective, and these probiotic formations have also shown small but consistent benefits for those experiencing IBS. A multi-strain probiotic is usually more effective than a single-strain probiotic, and probiotics should be taken with a meal so more of the beneficial microbes survive the harsh acidic conditions of the stomach and can begin populating in the intestines, specifically the large intestine.
I have used the following multi-strain probiotic from Nature’s Bounty successfully many times when experiencing a gut health flareup and I recommend you use take it daily when experiencing a worsening of gut health symptoms.
Eat Fermented Foods for a Healthy Microbiome
Foods that contain sugar, starches, and/or fiber are able to be fermented by microorganisms, and most fermented foods benefit the gut microbiome by diversifying it with new species and strains of beneficial microbes from the fermented food. Fermented foods like kombucha, pickles, kimchi, sauerkraut, and others are typically easy to digest and contain many bioavailable nutrients; it’s no surprise that fermented foods have been cultured for thousands of years by different cultures around the world.
The best fermented foods are the ones that contain abundant fiber, as the fermentable fibers and starchy carbohydrates they possess further positively support the gut microbiome. Some of the symbiotic microbes of fermented foods will survive the transit through the harsh conditions of the stomach, and once this wave of food reaches the large intestine the survivors will establish themselves while the rest of the gut microbiome will begin metabolizing the leftover food as best as possible, producing beneficial biologic compounds like short-chain fatty acids.
Recalling the gut-brain axis, it’s been shown that the consumption of fermented foods is inversely associated with neurocognitive issues like neurosis and social anxiety. Even those at a higher genetic risk for social anxiety disorders showed improvements in their condition when consuming more fermented foods.
Eat a diversity of fermented foods at least a few times per week to receive the greatest benefit and to give yourself the best advantage in establishing a healthy gut microbiome.
Fiber Feeds the Gut Microbiome
Fiber is a type of carbohydrate the body is unable to digest. Some types of fiber are soluble in water, whereas others are insoluble, and some fibers are fermentable by the microbiome whereas others aren’t. The solubility and fermentability characteristics of fiber influence the entire digestive process, notably gut motility, and the more fiber is consumed, the bigger the effect on digestion.
Fermentable fibers are converted into short-chain fatty acids and other biologically useful metabolites by the microbiome of the large intestine, which are then absorbed into the bloodstream for various metabolic and cognitive functions. For example, the short-chain fatty acids that cross the highly selective blood-brain barrier regulate brain development and brain tissue homeostasis through their interactions with microglia immune cells of the nervous system. Disruptions to microbiome short-chain fatty acid metabolism have been linked to the development of neurocognitive disorders.
In general, most people consume too little fiber and would be well served to increase their fiber intake to forty-plus grams a day to improve their gut health, energy metabolism, and microbiome. Fruits and vegetables are the best sources of fiber because they also come paired with abundant vitamins and minerals in addition to useful plant phytochemicals. Plant polyphenols for example like flavonoids are also metabolized by symbiotic microorganisms in the gut microbiome, supporting their growth and your health.
How to Restore Healthy Gut Flora with Herbs
Spending time in natural environments, probiotics, and fermented foods increase microbial diversity, and eating adequate fiber is one of the best ways to then support the growth of a healthy microbiome, and the useful strategies for improving the gut microbiome don’t stop there. Herbs are one of the most powerful ways of reshaping the gut microbiome because not only do certain herbs support the growth of symbiotic microorganisms, they also select against pathogenic microorganisms at the same time.
How is it that herbs can do this, and what is the best way to use herbs for this effect?
One of the main reasons herbs are so good for the microbiome is because of the plant phytochemicals they contain like flavonoids. Flavonoids are secondary metabolites plants produce via the shikimate pathway for functions like protection against ultraviolet light; defense against insects, fungi, and harmful microorganisms; as antioxidants; and as plant hormone controllers. Flavonoids are biologically useful chemicals for plants, microorganisms, and humans.
With gut dysbiosis it’s also common to have gut health problems like leaky gut and IBS, and flavonoids like apigenin and quercetin are valuable in treating these conditions alongside their microbiome improving effects because they possess antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and antimicrobial properties. Drinking herbal teas, or consuming herbs like parsley, rosemary, thyme, and others as part of your regular diet increases the amount of flavonoids that your body has access too.
As these flavonoids move through the digestive system some are directly taken up and used by the tissues of the gut like intestinal epithelial barriers, some flavonoids are transported and metabolized by the liver before being circulating throughout the body, and whatever flavonoids remain make their way to the large intestine where they interact with the microbiome. Throughout this whole process flavonoids are reducing inflammation throughout the body by neutralizing unstable and highly reactive free radical compounds, stimulate the natural healing and regenerative pathways of the body (autophagy), and improve the functioning of the cardiovascular and cognitive systems.
Flavonoids, and herbs by extension, are so useful for restoring healthy gut flora because they possess selective antimicrobial properties that inhibit the growth of various pathogens while supporting the growth of useful symbiotic genera like bifidobacterium and lactobacillus. These symbiotic microbes also produce their own antimicrobial compounds that make life difficult for pathogens, and in this way using herbs acts like a one-two punch in remedying gut dysbiosis.
Flavonoid-microbiome interactions further improve gut health and heal dysbiosis because they help regenerate mucosal and epithelial digestive linings. When digestive linings are thin and degraded, biofilms begin to affix directly onto epithelial cells, causing systemic inflammation by triggering a strong immune response, and the consistent use of herbs, say through drinking herbal teas daily, helps to dissolve these biofilms while restoring digestive barriers to healthy integrity. Once this happens symbiotic microbes can begin to reclaim “lost territory” and fulfill their normal role of keeping pathogenic bacteria populations in check by outcompeting them.
My favorite way of using herbs to promote the growth of a healthy microbiome is to drink herbal teas often and to utilize herbs in my cooking daily. A great herbal tea for gut health and the microbiome is a 1:1:1 blend of chamomile, dandelion, and peppermint. These three herbs are very well-known for their digestive enhancing effects, they contain abundant plant phytochemicals like flavonoids, and they have a track record of safe use thousands of years long. Plus this tea blend is remarkably tasty unlike some other effective anti-microbial herbs like wormwood.
In addition to herbal teas, utilizing herbs like parsley, sage, oregano, thyme, rosemary in cooking makes your meals tastier and healthier. Dried parsley is especially useful as it contains absurd amounts of nature’s most powerful flavonoid - apigenin, and dried parsley is really easy to incorporate into a variety of foods. Mix some along with some digestive-boosting black pepper into your favorite dips, spreads, or plain cream cheese. Sprinkle dried parsley onto favorite dishes like a grain bowl, pasta dish, or with potatoes, incorporate into a breading or season your protein of choice (meat, fish, tofu) with it. Herbs are highly versatile in the kitchen, and including more herbs into your diet improves your nutrition in addition to helping improve the health of your microbiome.
Herbs are one of nature’s best prebiotics, and if you have gut dysbiosis and/or are looking to improve your gut microbiome, I would recommend making a habit out of drinking herbal teas and in using herbs in your cooking daily. Personally it’s made a huge difference in my gut health and in the efficiency of my microbiome, and it can do the same for you.
Mountain Rose Herbs is my go-to supplier of organic herbs and spices, they sell all the herbs I mentioned which are dandelion root, chamomile flowers, peppermint leaves, and black peppercorns.
How to Starve Bad Gut Bacteria
Just as important as increasing microbiome diversity and supporting the growth of symbiotic microbe populations is to select against and reduce pathogenic microbial populations in the gut. This is very important for a few reasons, and it’s something that is underappreciated and often treated dangerously and inefficiently by the standard medical system.
The reason why reducing pathogenic populations in the gut must be a top priority alongside supporting the diversification and growth of symbiotic populations is because pathogens and symbionts compete against each other. When pathogen biofilms are numerous and deeply entrenched in the gut environment, they have established territory and nutrient streams, and from these “strongholds” they produce endotoxins that cause inflammatory and immune health problems and make life difficult for symbiotic microorganisms.
With gut dysbiosis, bringing in new symbiotic bacteria via probiotics (the standard recommendation) helps to beneficially shift the microbiome slightly, but for probiotics and other methods that increase good bacteria in the gut naturally, it’s much more effective to clear out pathogenic bacteria first and then overlap that effort with a symbiotic microbiome supportive protocol.
Salmonella among epithelial cells
The standard medical treatment that is done to accomplish the goal of reducing pathogens in the microbiome is one or more course of antibiotics, but as discussed antibiotics typically make gut dysbiosis worse in the long run unless the condition being treated is immediately life threatening. A better method of reducing pathogens is to cut them off from their food supply by changing the diet and via fasting. Switching the diet from highly-processed low-nutrition foods to whole and unprocessed foods rich in nutrients and fiber like vegetables is the first thing that will help a lot in reducing bad bacteria in the gut. The second thing that can be done which is highly effective in starving bad gut bacteria is to undergo a period of nutrient deprivation by fasting.
Fasting Kills Gut Bacteria
Fasting is incredibly useful in healing the gut and for reducing pathogens in the microbiome, but there is some nuance to the process. The length of a fast determines how strong the gut-healing and pathogen-reducing effect is, as does how often fasts are done, and the food eaten before and after a fast is incredibly important in the effectiveness of any fast. The composition of the microbiome is determined in large part by one’s diet, and eating poor quality food before and after a fast won’t make a noticeable difference in improving the gut microbiome over the long run.
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Intermittent fasting is the most popular type of fasting, typically scheduled as sixteen hours of fasting followed by an open eight hour feeding window. This ratio of fasting to eating can be shortened to 12:12 or lengthened to 20:4, with the longer intermittent fasts taking the body deeper into autophagy. The benefit of intermittent fasting is that by eating every day and with a long eating window, it’s much easier to maintain caloric balance or even a caloric surplus if trying to gain weight if underweight and/or build lean body mass if an athlete.
Intermittent fasting is most effective done consistently day after day, and overtime the slight daily increase in autophagy it stimulates during the fasting window heals and regenerates the body.
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Fasting for twenty-four hours is also known as one meal a day OMAD fasting. The most common type of OMAD fasting is eating dinner every night, though it’s not uncommon to do breakfast or lunch OMAD. OMAD is similar to intermittent fasting in that food is still eaten every day, and OMAD is typically done consecutively or for a certain number of days per week.
Since OMAD takes the body deeper into a fasted state of autophagy across twenty-four hours than intermittent fasting, it’s a good way to begin experimenting with longer fasts and to examine one’s relationship with eating behaviors. Physiological hunger is quite different than a psychological food craving, and if struggling with making healthy dietary choices, consistent OMAD fasting is a great way to reset psychological behaviors and patterns in regard to dietary eating patterns. The gut-brain axis can be beneficially altered with OMAD and with time you’ll become better at identifying when you’re truly physically hungry or when you simply have a psychological food craving.
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Fasting for longer than 24 hours reduces the body’s glucose sugars stored in muscle cells and the liver, and around the 48 hour mark when all the glucose has been depleted is when the body will enter ketosis. Ketosis is a process that converts fatty acids to energy molecules known as ketones. The brain runs exclusively on simple sugars, or if those are not available, ketones. When carbohydrates are in short supply, either from fasting or from eating a high-fat ketogenic diet, the body begins producing ketones to keep all the metabolic systems running smoothly.
Just as fasting is an alternate operating system for the body, switching from sugar metabolism to ketone metabolism is another metabolic state change that can be used to improve health and diagnose health issues. A 48-hour fast is useful because it takes the body deep into autophagy, deeper than most people have ever gone in their lives except maybe during a bad flu (hmmm why is that?). 48 hours of fasting really gives the digestive system time to rest and regenerate and takes the body to the edge of or into ketosis. A longer 72-hour fast will take the body fully into ketosis and the autophagy healing effects are even stronger.
A 48-hour fast is short enough to be easily completed by most people without serious health issues as long as they have the willpower, it doesn’t require too much planning, and it’s also long enough to bring about noticeable differences in digestion and energy. The gut health observations made possible during a 48+-hour fast are invaluable in accurately diagnosing gut problems and, subsequently, in healing the gut.
Daily 16:8 intermittent fasting has been shown to be useful in changing the composition of the microbiome over time, and more effective are 24 and 48+ hour fasts. The longer a fast, the more food clears the digestive system, and typically at the 48 hour mark the digestive system is cleared of food and strong evolutionary pressures are increasingly placed on the microbiome. Fiber transits through the gut slowly, and being a nutrient that pathogens can’t utilize but symbionts can, if a fiber-rich meal is eaten at the start of a long fast, symbiotic microbes will be supported while pathogens die off from the lack of available “easy nutrients” like sugar that they feed on.
As pathogens die off and the linings of the digestive system repair, space once occupied by pathogens is freed up and symbiotic microbes are able to reclaim this territory in the gut. Then when the first healthy and fiber-rich break-fast meal is eaten, symbionts further expand in their populations and pathogens are further selected against.
In my experience just a single 48 hour fast can be transformative in healing the gut and changing the composition of the gut microbiome as long as the diet eaten around the fast is healthy, nutritious, and fiber-rich. Additionally as discussed earlier zero-calorie herbal teas can be enjoyed during the fast which through their plant phytochemicals and flavonoid content provide nutrition to symbionts while actively suppressing pathogens. Just because you’re not eating any calories doesn’t mean it’s not possible to feed the symbiotic gut microbiome, and combining fasting with herbalism is therefore one of the most effective ways to cure gut dysbiosis naturally.
Foods the Kill Bad Gut Bacteria
Diet has a huge influence over the composition of the microbiome, and regularly eating foods that are nutritious and supportive of the symbiotic microbiome while being selective against pathogens is an excellent way to heal from gut dysbiosis and restore healthy gut flora. Here are three foods that kill pathogens while supporting overall gut health.
Pumpkin seeds are an example of a food that specifically kills bad gut bacteria. Pumpkin seeds have anti-parasitic and anti-microbial properties, and eating a bolus dose of pumpkin seeds (2+ handfuls, can also be alongside something like a slightly-green banana) is not only incredibly nutritious, but it creates a wave of microbiome-supporting food that transits through the digestive system killing pathogens while supporting the growth of symbionts. Eat raw pumpkin seeds as a snack a few times a week and over time it’ll have a positive influence on your microbiome.
Another food that kills bad gut bacteria would be coffee. Coffee contains fiber and flavonoids and other useful compounds that have been shown to shift the microbiome towards greater symbiosis while improving the gut-brain axis.
Pickles are another food that are good at killing bad gut bacteria because not only are they fermented and contain abundant fiber, cucumber seeds like pumpkin seeds have anti-parasitic and antimicrobial properties. In fact all squashes are very nutritious, contains abundant fiber, and are super useful for the microbiome.
Strong Antimicrobial Herbs
Another way to reduce pathogens in the gut is to utilize some of the stronger antimicrobial herbs that exist like oregano, black walnut hull, wormwood, and clove.
Oregano: Oregano is a well-known herb that has powerful antimicrobial and anthelmintic properties. Specifically, oregano oil has been shown to be highly useful in killing and eliminating parasites from the body, and it appears most of this effect comes from its main active chemical, carvacrol.
Black Walnut Hull: The outer hull of black walnut seeds is rich in tannins and black walnut hull is a well-known antimicrobial and anti-parasitic herb. Typically, an extract will be made by soaking black walnut hulls in alcohol, and the resulting tincture is dosed, but powdered black walnut hull can also be used.
Wormwood: Wormwood is a super herb for killing pathogens and expelling parasites from the body, especially roundworms and enterobiasis. Wormwood has been used medicinally in Europe for thousands of years, and it used to be common during medieval times to perform an microbiome and parasite cleanse using it a few times a year. Wormwood is extremely bitter and difficult to drink as a tea, and for this reason, in my experience it’s best used as a powder supplemented in pill form. Ingesting too much wormwood can be dangerous but the amounts used for a microbiome cleanse are nowhere near harmful levels.
Clove: Cloves are effective in killing parasites and pathogens like malaria, cholera, scabies, tuberculosis, and others. The high levels of tannins and eugenol that cloves possess are the chief agents responsible for their antimicrobial and anthelmintic properties. Clove can be taken tinctured or powdered
To utilize these stronger antimicrobial herbs you can take an oregano oil supplement alongside HealthForce SuperFood’s SCRAM supplement which contains black walnut hull, clove, and wormwood. Follow the 17 day dosing instructions for SCRAM and take ~500 mg of oregano oil daily at the same time.
These natural antimicrobial herbs are relatively gentle on the good microbes in the gut but are tough on pathogenic microbes.
I recommend you follow a natural herbal antimicrobial protocol like this at the very onset of your gut dysbiosis healing endeavor, and use those first two weeks to make the dietary changes you need to make in order for the microbiome to stay healthy long after the herbal supplementation is over. During the SCRAM protocol practicing intermittent fasting is useful, and then at the end of the SCRAM protocol you’ll have enough experience with 16+ hour fasts to begin implementing longer 24 and 48 hour fasts 1-2x per week. All the while during this you can drink herbal teas and begin spending more of your free time in natural environments. Make a game of it, make it fun! Write out a plan and stick to it, and if you do all these things together, then with time and consistency your gut dysbiosis can be cured and the gut microbiome can be radically transformed.
The gut-brain axis improvements that result will be striking, you’ll be surprised by the abundant energy and mental clarity you now have, gut health problems will greatly reduce in severity and possibly go away entirely. Expect improvements in any of the gut dysbiosis symptoms you’re experiencing! No promises as everyone is highly individual in their health and wellness, but it’s highly likely and definitely worth a dedicated honest effort.
If we each heal our own microbiome imbalances we can together begin to heal society’s dysbiosis and make the world a happier and healthier place.
If you read all the way here then it’s clear to me that you’re ready to do what it takes to finally restore your digestive system and gut microbiome back to healthy and optimal function.
I wrote the Holistic Gut Health Guide to help you accomplish exactly this! It contains all the information that you need to understand the gastrointestinal system, gut-brain axis, and microbiome in-depth, and the Holistic Gut Health Guide also educates you on the natural methods you can holistically use together like fasting and herbalism to transform your health from the inside out.
I’m so excited to be able to help you along your gut health and overall wellness journey with the Holistic Gut Health Guide! Please contact me with any questions you have and wishing you the best.
This article features excerpts from the Holistic Gut Health Guide. The Holistic Gut Health Guide provides you the information and framework you need to finally make the changes needed to remedy your gut health problems.
References:
Modern City Dwellers Have Lost about Half Their Gut Microbes.; 2022
Cleveland Clinic | Disease and Conditions. my.clevelandclinic.org/health/diseases
Liang S, Wu X, Jin F. Gut-brain psychology: rethinking psychology from the microbiota– gut–brain axis. Front Integr Neurosci. 2018;12:33.
Mayer EA, Tillisch K, Gupta A. Gut/brain axis and the microbiota. J Clin Invest. 2015;125(3):926-938.
Sánchez B, Delgado S, Blanco-Míguez A, Lourenço A, Gueimonde M, Margolles A. Probiotics, gut microbiota, and their influence on host health and disease. Mol Nutr Food Res. 2017;61(1):1600240.
Appleton J. The gut-brain axis: influence of microbiota on mood and mental health. Integr Med (Encinitas). 2018;17(4):28-32.
Cassidy A, Minihane AM. The role of metabolism (And the microbiome) in defining the clinical efficacy of dietary flavonoids. Am J Clin Nutr. 2017;105(1):10-22.
Su J, Wang Y, Zhang X, et al. Remodeling of the gut microbiome during Ramadan-associated intermittent fasting. The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition. 2021;113(5):1332-1342.
Medical Disclaimer: All information, content, and material of this website is for informational purposes only and is not intended to serve as a substitute for the consultation, diagnosis, and/or medical treatment of a qualified physician or healthcare provider.
Disclosure: Wild Free Organic is a member of various affiliate programs and if a purchase is made through one of our affiliate links a small commission is received. This does not affect your purchase price. Visit our disclosure page for more information.
How to use Peppermint Oil and Tea for IBS
Bloating, gas, abdominal pain, and variable gut motility from IBS can be quite troublesome, and peppermint is an effective treatment for IBS because of its unique chemical properties. Learn why peppermint is useful in naturally treating IBS and how to use peppermint essential oil and peppermint tea to improve gut health.
Treating Constipation, Diarrhea, Bloating, and Gas with Peppermint
Article by Stefan Burns - Updated July 2022. Join the Wild Free Organic email newsletter!
Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) is one of the most commonly experienced gut health problems, with 5-15% of the population in western countries having IBS. In fact IBS is the most common disease that gastroenterologists diagnose, and they might tell you that IBS will be with you for life, but that doesn’t have to be the case with a proper understanding of what IBS is and if you utilize the natural methods that help treat IBS.
There isn’t any single causal factor for IBS, the condition is defined by a general irritability and volatility of the digestive system, characterized by frequent and rapid shifts in digestive function and near constant abdominal pain and bloating. More women than men have IBS, and women with IBS may find that symptoms flare up during their periods. Three sub-types of IBS have been identified and they are:
IBS with constipation (IBS-C)
IBS with diarrhea (IBS-D)
IBS with mixed bowel habits (IBS-M)
To best treat gut health problems it’s helpful to understand the sequence of events that leads from what’s causing a gut health problem to the symptoms being experienced.
Causal Factors: IBS for example can be caused by lifestyle and emotional stress, anxiety & depression, food intolerances, gut dysbiosis (pathogenic microbiome), and a poor diet.
Altered Digestive Activity: These causal factors influence the activity of the gut-brain axis, gut motility (the transit of food through the digestive system), intestinal permeability (leaky gut), and the digestion of food.
Symptoms: With the functioning of the digestive system now disrupted, symptoms of IBS like constipation, diarrhea, gas, bloating, lower abdominal pain, and cramps occur.
For IBS to be healed it’s important that the causal factors are addressed and that effective treatment options are used to favorably influence digestive activity and ease symptoms.
Peppermint, in the form of peppermint essential oil capsules and peppermint tea, are excellent treatment options for IBS because not only do they both ease the symptoms of IBS, they both help normalize gut motility, restore normal communication between the gut-brain axis, and reduce pathogens of the microbiome.
Gut motility, the gut-brain axis, and the microbiome are linked together, and the reason peppermint has shown good success in treating IBS is because it helpfully targets all three of these simultaneously.
This article covers the following:
What is peppermint and its health benefits
Why peppermint essential oil is useful for IBS and how to use it safely
Why peppermint tea is useful for IBS and how to use it most effectively
Read to the end to receive a 10% discount on the Holistic Gut Health Guide, the all-in-one gut health eBook that will help you solve your gut health problems once and for all!
What is Peppermint?
Peppermint (Mentha piperita) is a perennial herb native to Europe and now found and cultivated in many parts of the world such as North America and Asia. Peppermint is a hybrid of spearmint and water mint. Peppermint has a strong flavor and fragrance thanks to its high menthol content. The chemical constituents of peppermint vary depending on plant maturity, where it was grown, and its specific variety.
Peppermint leaves contain anywhere from 1-4% essential oil, and peppermint essential oil contains menthol (33–60%), menthone (15–32%), isomenthone (2–8%), 1,8-cineole (eucalyptol) (5–13%), menthyl acetate (2–11%), menthofuran (1–10%), limonene (1–7%), β-myrcene (0.1–1.7%), β-caryophyllene (2–4%), pulegone (0.5– 1.6%), and carvone (1%).
When using peppermint essential oil for IBS you’re working with the chemicals above, and using peppermint tea for IBS exposes you not only to the above essential oils but also phytochemicals like carotenoids, chlorophyll, tocopherols, polyphenols, and flavonoids in addition to vitamin and mineral micronutrients. Of particular importance for gut health are the polyphenol flavonoids like apigenin that peppermint contains, as flavonoids exert beneficial effects on the gut microbiome of the large intestine and therefore on the gut-brain axis, and this is useful because most symptoms of IBS originate from the large intestine. About 75% of all polyphenols and a significant amount of peppermint essential oils are extracted from peppermint leaves when brewed into a tea, making peppermint tea very useful for IBS and gut health problems in general.
Peppermint Health Benefits
Peppermint has a wide-range of health and wellness uses (see reference 3) because of the biologic properties it possesses. Notably peppermint is:
Antioxidant, anti-inflammatory: Peppermint is able to lessen inflammation locally or throughout the body depending on how it’s applied/used. Peppermint has this anti-inflammatory effect in part because it contains antioxidant compounds that bind to and neutralize inflammatory free radicals (highly reactive and unstable molecules).
Antitumor: Peppermint through its diverse array of active compounds like menthol exerts antitumor effects on the body through a variety of different chemical and cellular pathways. Peppermint is beneficially cytotoxic to cancer cells while not being harmful to healthy cells.
Antiallergenic: Peppermint has antiallergenic properties because it has an inhibitory effect on histamine release and suppresses the release of inflammatory compounds like leukotriene, prostaglandin, and interleukin. Leukotriene in particular triggers the contraction of smooth muscles which can alter gut motility.
Antimicrobial, antiviral, antifungal: Like many of herbs, peppermint limits the growth and replication of pathogens, viruses, and funguses. The antimicrobial action of peppermint is very useful for improving the gut microbiome because flavonoids, one of the main antimicrobial active constituents found in peppermint (and other herbs), limit the growth of bad endotoxin producing pathogens while promoting the growth of good symbiotic microorganisms like Lactobacillus and Bifidobacteria. Symbiotic microorganisms living in the large intestine metabolize flavonoids into biologically-useful secondary metabolites that improve the functioning of the gut-brain axis.
Together the digestive system and microbiome are the foundation of health from which everything else is dependent on.
The Holistic Gut Health Guide contains all the information you need to identify and understand the gastrointestinal and microbiome problems you may have while also providing you the most effective natural methods you can use to heal your gut. No gut health problems are unsolvable, give yourself every possible advantage along your gut health journey by reading an implementing the advice shared in the Holistic Gut Health Guide.
Some of the information in the Holistic Gut Health Guide isn’t common knowledge but when implemented it is highly effective in healing the gut and shifting the microbiome towards symbiosis. Give yourself every possible advantage along your gut health journey by reading an implementing the advice shared in the Holistic Gut Health Guide.
Peppermint Oil for IBS
Peppermint oil is an effective treatment option for IBS, particularly acute bouts of IBS, because peppermint oil naturally helps normalize gut motility by relaxing gastrointestinal smooth muscle tissues through blockade of cellular Ca2+ channels. What this means is that peppermint oil helps to restore regular and consistent peristaltic waves of smooth muscle activity in the digestive system.
IBS is characterized by digestive peristaltic waves that are ever changing. Sometimes these waves that move food through the gut are too frequent, other times they are too slow. The waves can also be too weak or too strong. What is desirable is for peristaltic waves to be regular and consistent in strength and frequency.
IBS is often treated with antispasmodic drugs, but research studies have shown that peppermint oil is as effective as antispasmodic drugs in treating IBS but better tolerated with less adverse events occurring. As a natural carminative (prevents gas formation, assists in the expulsion of gas), peppermint oil also reduces the very common IBS symptoms of bloating and gas and also significantly reduces abdominal pain from IBS
Peppermint Oil for Digestion
The small intestine has three sections, the duodenum, jejunum, and ileum. The duodenum connects to the stomach and measures about twenty-five centimeters (ten inches) long. Ducts from the pancreas and gallbladder connect to the small intestine early at the duodenum so the digestive enzymes and bile they release may pass through the full length of the small intestine. Following the duodenum is the jejunum, the middle section of the small intestine, about one meter (three feet) long. The twists and folds of the small intestine really begin with the jejunum, and as the jejunum subtly transitions into the ileum these folds, twists, and projections increase. The ileum is the final section of the small intestine, which connects to the large intestine, about 1.8 meters (six feet) long. The ileum is thicker, more vascular, and has more developed mucus folds than the jejunum.
How food transits through the small intestine determines how well it is digested. Each section of the small intestine absorbs different nutrients, and if food is pushed through one section faster than optimal due to IBS, then food won’t be properly digested. For example if food is pushed through the duodenum faster than ideal, it won’t be mixed with fat-digesting bile as well as it could be, and fats will only be at best poorly digested and absorbed even if they spend long lengths of time in the jejunum and ileum..
By normalizing the bioelectrical activity and contractile waves of the gastrointestinal smooth muscle tissues, peppermint oil improves digestion and ensures that food spends the optimal length of time in each part of the digestive system.
Peppermint Oil for Bloating & Gas
Peppermint oil has been shown to reduce acute and chronic occurrences of bloating and indigestion, and peppermint also reduces abdominal pain and frequency in those who have dyspepsia (indigestion).
For reference, in a study where 96 people with functional dyspepsia were given 90 mg of peppermint oil plus 50 mg caraway oil twice daily, on average the study participants observed an average 40% reduction in pain intensity, 43% reduction in the sensation of pressure, heaviness and fullness, and 67% global improvement as compared to their baseline assessments. The efficacy of the peppermint + caraway oil treatment was unaffected by Helicobacter pylori, a bacteria which can cause gut health problems, which approximately 50% of patients suffering from functional dyspepsia have.
Peppermint Oil for GERD
In addition to improving digestion through normalizing gut motility and reducing bloating, gas, and indigestion, peppermint oil is also useful in treating acid reflux, clinically known as Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease (GERD). Peppermint oil helps with GERD for the same reason it improves gut motility, it works to relax smooth muscle activity.
Peppermint oil reduces multiphasic, spontaneous, and missed esophageal contractions while improving the amplitude and duration of these contractions. Notably peppermint oil completely eliminated simultaneous esophageal contractions. What this means is that peppermint oil reduced erratic all-over-the-place esophageal contractions and stabilized them back to regular consistent strong waves of activity.
Peppermint oil also helps normalize duodenal contractions, with 90 mg of peppermint oil relaxing the smooth muscle activity of the duodenum and stomach, reducing the frequency and duration of contractions in both parts of the digestive system. Altogether, peppermint oil is a useful treatment option for GERD that is effective and well-tolerated, causing adverse events very infrequently.
How to Take Peppermint Oil
Peppermint Essential Oil Capsules: There are a few ways to use peppermint oil for improving IBS. The first method is to use enteric coated-peppermint essential oil capsules during an acute bout of IBS symptoms, and you for chronic IBS it is useful to take these peppermint oil capsules daily on an empty stomach or with a very light meal.
I recommend Heather’s Tummy Tamers enteric-coated peppermint essential oil capsules, with each softgel containing 180 mg of high-grade peppermint essential oil in addition to ~20 mg each of digestion-friendly fennel (helps with gas) and ginger (helps with pain and nausea) essential oils. It’s extremely common for IBS to be caused in part by microbiome dysbiosis, and if you’re already going to be taking peppermint oil capsules daily for IBS, I recommend taking an oregano essential oil capsule at the same time. Oregano oil is an even more potent antimicrobial which will reduce pathogenic bacteria populations while supporting symbiotic bacteria populations.
Both of these essential oil supplements use sunflower oil as a carrier oil and are free of major allergens.
Peppermint Essential Oil: The other way peppermint essential oil can be used to help with IBS is by topically applying it to where pain is being felt, most commonly the lower part of the abdomen. This is how I typically use peppermint oil to improve digestion, I simply rub it in and enjoy the invigorating menthol effect while it kicks in, which takes about 15+ minutes.
Mountain Rose Herbs sells an organic peppermint essential oil which I use and recommend. BTW peppermint essential oil also makes for a good natural deodorant because it is naturally antimicrobial and has a strong pleasant aroma. Learn more by reading our underarm health guide.
Peppermint Oil Safety Considerations
Rarely peppermint oil can cause mild and transient adverse side effects like heartburn, dry mouth, belching, rash, dizziness, headache, and peppermint taste and smell. Making sure to take a peppermint oil capsule that is enteric-coated will reduce the chance of these side effects because the enteric coating will keep the pill intact during transit through the stomach before finally dissolving in the intestines.
The use of peppermint oil is not recommended in patients with bile duct, gallbladder and liver disorders. People with GI reflux, hiatal hernia, or kidney stones should be more cautious in using peppermint oil. Also avoid using peppermint oil if you you have a G6PD enzyme deficiency or take certain medications where the inhibition of enzyme CYP3A4 is problematic, please consult with your doctor.
Peppermint Tea for IBS
Peppermint Tea for Bloating, Gas, and Constipation
Most research has examined how peppermint oil can help with IBS and its symptoms, and peppermint tea is similarly effective in treating IBS and for improving digestion and gut health overall. Peppermint is one of the most popular single ingredient herbal teas, and most people know that drinking mint tea helps with gas and bloating.
You’ll consume less peppermint essential oil when drinking a peppermint tea than if using peppermint oil capsules, but the advantage of the tea is that you’ll consume valuable plant polyphenols like flavonoids. IBS is caused in large part by a bidirectional miscommunication between the nerves connecting the brain and gut, and this gut-brain axis as it is known is hugely impacted by the microbiome. Flavonoids are super beneficial for the microbiome, for improving gut health, and for overall wellness because:
Pathogens don’t tolerate the presence of flavonoids well and their populations will reduce if flavonoids are a constant presence in the diet
Symbiotic microorganisms like Lactobacillus and Bifidobacteria like flavonoids because they are able to metabolize them into secondary metabolites, and flavonoids support the growth of symbiotic microorganism populations.
Flavonoids and their secondary metabolites exert beneficial biologic effects throughout the body because of their antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties. Flavonoids help aid in the repair of digestive linings, improve the gut-brain axis, fight cancer, improve cardiac health, normalize nervous system activity, and more. To learn more about flavonoids read about nature’s most powerful flavonoid - apigenin.
Peppermint tea will extract peppermint essential oil and flavonoids (among other useful phytochemicals) from peppermint leaves quite effectively, and if you are interested in brewing peppermint tea either by itself or in combination with other gut-healing herbs like dandelion and chamomile, I recommend purchasing organic peppermint leaves from Mountain Rose Herbs.
If experiencing an acute bout of IBS, prepare some peppermint tea and drink it over the course of 5-10 minutes for fast relief, and for help with chronic IBS you can drink peppermint daily, either once a day or multiple times per day. You can drink peppermint tea with a meal to help improve your digestion of that meal, or you can drink peppermint tea on an empty stomach for a stronger effect.
Peppermint isn’t the only herb useful for IBS and gut heath in general, learn more on how herbs help with gut health by clicking the button below.
Other Ways to Treat IBS
Peppermint essential oil and peppermint tea are very useful for treating IBS but they doesn’t address the root causes of IBS, which are typically stress, a poor diet, a pathogenic microbiome, or a combination of all of these. It’s very common to have leaky gut at the same time as IBS, and for the best success in treating IBS steps should be taken to heal digestive barriers and reduce intestinal permeability.
One of the best ways to accomplish these objectives and to return the digestive system to good health is via fasting. Fasting to reset the digestive system is one of my top recommendations to people who are experiencing gut health problems because it’s so effective in holistically treating the reasons why gut health problems exist in the first place. Fasting for 24-48 hours will provide noticeable relief from gut health problems, and highlight any changes and improvements that have taken place. There’s little guess work with fasting, it’s beneficial effect on the digestive system and overall health is felt and understood very clearly at the end of every fast, and this is invaluable.
I hope you found the information in this article on how to use peppermint to treat IBS useful, and if you really want to heal your gut then I recommend you continue your gut health and wellness education by purchasing the Holistic Gut Health Guide. Use the code PEPPERMINT10 for 10% off at checkout, and best of luck!
If you read all the way here then it’s clear to me that you’re ready to do what it takes to finally restore your digestive system and gut microbiome back to healthy and optimal function.
I wrote the Holistic Gut Health Guide to help you accomplish exactly this! It contains all the information that you need to understand the gastrointestinal system, gut-brain axis, and microbiome in-depth, and the Holistic Gut Health Guide also educates you on the natural methods you can holistically use together like fasting and herbalism to transform your health from the inside out.
I’m so excited to be able to help you along your gut health and overall wellness journey with the Holistic Gut Health Guide! Please contact me with any questions you have and wishing you the best.
Medical Disclaimer: All information, content, and material of this website is for informational purposes only and is not intended to serve as a substitute for the consultation, diagnosis, and/or medical treatment of a qualified physician or healthcare provider.
Disclosure: Wild Free Organic is a member of various affiliate programs and if a purchase is made through one of our affiliate links a small commission is received. This does not affect your purchase price. Visit our disclosure page for more information.
References:
Cleveland Clinic | Disease and Conditions. my.clevelandclinic.org/health/diseases
Khanna R, MacDonald JK, Levesque BG. Peppermint oil for the treatment of irritable bowel syndrome: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Journal of Clinical Gastroenterology. 2014;48(6):505-512.
McKay DL, Blumberg JB. A review of the bioactivity and potential health benefits of peppermint tea (Mentha piperita L.). Phytother Res. 2006;20(8):619-633.
How to Heal Leaky Gut with Fasting
16, 24, and 48 hour fasts are one of if not the best way to heal leaky gut easily and effectively. By giving the digestive system time to rest from the rigors of digestion and by activating autophagy, digestive barriers can be restored to their normal integrity and leaky gut is healed.
Article by Stefan Burns - Updated July 2022. Join the Wild Free Organic email newsletter!
Systemic inflammation throughout the body can cause many health problems and chronic diseases, and one way chronic inflammation occurs is through a gut health condition known as “leaky gut”. When the barriers of the digestive system are degraded and intestinal permeability is higher than normal, things like too-large food particles, microorganisms, and toxins that normally are unable to cross the digestive barrier into the bloodstream and the body as a whole are in fact able to do so. When this happens, the immune system goes on high alert and works to cleanup and detoxify the body, and the worse the condition of the mucosal and epithelial layers of the digestive barrier, the worse leaky gut is.
Leaky gut is most commonly a gut health condition that is experienced alongside other gut health problems like irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) or inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), but it can be experienced by itself, and leaky gut is often the first gut health problem that is experienced before other gut health problems develop. The tissues of the digestive system are highly dynamic and undergo cellular turnover quite rapidly, and at the same time the integrity of digestive barriers can degrade rapidly depending on what one eats, environmental or lifestyle stressors, and exposure to pathogens. What this means is that leaky gut can develop rapidly. Everyone has had leaky gut at least a few times in their life due to eating a poor diet, excessive stress, or illness, and while normally leaky gut will go away as everything returns to normal, leaky gut can persist if certain conditions remain.
Because leaky gut is characterized by excessive inflammation caused by chronic activation of the immune system, symptoms of leaky gut can be quite diverse, ranging from skin inflammation to joint pain to cognitive impairment to the typical digestive problems of bloating, gas, constipation, and/or diarrhea. To recover from leaky gut, digestive barriers must be restored to their normal integrity, and this can be done rapidly by fasting. By abstaining from all food and emptying the digestive system over the course of many hours or days, the presence of gut barrier degraders like food particles, gut microbiota, and toxic chemicals like pesticides are dramatically reduced and the digestive system is able to rapidly regenerate in a much quieter immune system environment. Combining fasting with stress reduction practices, certain herbs, and supplements like probiotics and zinc amplify the healing effect further.
Leaky gut can persist for a long time if left untreated and can set the stage for more serious gut health problems or inflammation-based diseases to develop, but it is relatively easy to treat when the right steps are taken.
In this article we cover:
The science and biology of digestive barriers, the microbiome, and the immune system
Things that cause leaky gut, symptoms of leaky gut, and food intolerances
How fasting can rapidly heal leaky gut
Beneficial dietary changes for leaky gut, herbs that help with leaky gut, probiotics and zinc
How to combine fasting with dietary changes, herbs, and supplements to heal your leaky gut
Together the digestive system and microbiome are the foundation of health from which everything else is dependent on.
The Holistic Gut Health Guide contains all the information you need to identify and understand the gastrointestinal and microbiome problems you may have while also providing you the most effective natural methods you can use to heal your gut. No gut health problems are unsolvable, give yourself every possible advantage along your gut health journey by reading an implementing the advice shared in the Holistic Gut Health Guide.
Some of the information in the Holistic Gut Health Guide isn’t common knowledge but when implemented it is highly effective in healing the gut and shifting the microbiome towards symbiosis. Give yourself every possible advantage along your gut health journey by reading an implementing the advice shared in the Holistic Gut Health Guide.
Intestinal Permeability and Gut Health
The Role of Digestive Barriers
Digestion is the process that takes nutrients from the outside world and converts them into components usable by your body. As far as the human system is concerned, something is not truly in the human body until it has passed through the intestinal lining and into the bloodstream. Everything inside the digestive system is technically “outside” the cells and tissues of your body. The body wraps around this long, high surface area tunnel that end to end (mouth to anus) is exposed to the outside world, sealed by various gates (sphincter valves) along the way. All the food that is transiting through the gut, the acids and juices that are released into the gut, and the microbiome that reside in the gut all exist outside the human tissues of the body. For there to exist an outside and an inside there must exist a separator between the two; a wall, barrier, divider of some sort. In the case of the digestive system the linings of the esophagus, stomach, small intestine, and large intestine are that divider.
Digestive barriers exist for the following reasons:
To create a immune-silent environment inside the body, stopping viruses and pathogens from entering into the bloodstream and beyond
To limit the exposure of epithelial cells to chemically-reactive digestive juices like stomach acid, bile, and digestive enzymes
To differentiate and select nutrients usable by the body from those that aren’t fully digested and broken down small enough yet
To protect the body from unwanted chemicals and toxins, like environmental toxins such as pesticides or endotoxins produced from pathogenic bacteria
Healthy intestinal epithelial barrier with no weak tight junctions.
DOI: 10.1038/s12276-018-0126-x | CC4.0
The Mucosal Layer
The digestive lining starts with a layer of mucus which sits over the one-cell-thick internal lining of the gut made of different types of epithelial cells. The mucosal layer is a chemical barrier that limits contact between the epithelial cells and the microbiome, which is of critical importance. Mucus also protects epithelial cells from the various digestive juices such as stomach acid, bile, and enzymes. Depending on the gut health of an individual, mucosal layers can be thick and healthy or eroded and unhealthy, and this can vary between the different sections of the digestive system.
In the context of leaky gut it’s typically the intestinal mucosal layer that is degraded, whereas an eroded mucosal layer for the stomach can lead to issues like gastritis and acid reflux (GERD). If the gut is healthy when viruses and pathogens in the digestive system make contact with the mucosal layer, there is a robust immune response from white-blood cells like T-cells and monocytes that occurs. Dysregulation of the mucosal immune response is a very important factor in the progression of gut health problems like leaky gut, irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), and more serious conditions like irritable bowel disease (IBD).
Epithelial Cells and Tight Junctions
Underneath the mucosal layer are epithelial cells, the main component of digestive linings. Once food particles are fully digested they pass through the mucosal layer and upon reaching the villi of the intestinal epithelium are transported across the cell membrane and into the bloodstream. Epithelial cells are wedged tightly together to stop things from passing in-between them, and the strength of these tight junctions are a key component of gut health.
The layers of the digestive system are selectively permeable, and the status of the mucosal layer and the epithelial cells determines intestinal permeability. The defining characteristic of leaky gut is that intestinal permeability has increased because the mucosal layer is thin and the tight junctions of the epithelium are degraded and gaps exist in-between the epithelial cells.
An increase in intestinal permeability allows food particles, chemicals, toxins, and microorganisms to pass from the digestive system into the body, which then triggers the immune system to clean up the “mess”. If digestive barriers are degraded and inflamed, restoring these digestive barriers to optimal health and function is one of the most important things that can be done to improve gut health. Restoring intestinal permeability to normal is the key to healing leaky gut.
Symptoms of Leaky Gut
Increased Intestinal Permeability
Leaky gut is a gut health condition characterized by increased intestinal permeability caused by eroded protective mucosal layers and an inflamed epithelial cellular layer. Leaky gut isn’t a health condition currently recognized to exist by the medical establishment, but its existence is undoubtable simply due to the sheer volume of people who suffer from health symptoms caused by increased intestinal permeability. Leaky gut can exist by itself as a gut problem, though more typically it is a gut health problem that exists concurrently with other gastrointestinal issues like IBS and IBD.
It’s the inflammation of the epithelium and the systemic response of the immune system that is primarily responsible for the symptoms of leaky gut.
Leaky Gut and Inflammation
By far the most notable symptom of leaky gut is that it triggers a constant inflammatory response in the body. It’s this inflammation that causes a lot of the symptoms commonly associated with leaky gut like:
Skin problems like acne, rashes, auto-immune skin issues
Joint pain, swelling, arthritis
Chronic fatigue and energy an overall deficit
Neurocognitive problems such as brain fog, anxiety, depression,
Asthma
Being caused by the inflammatory response of the body, when leaky gut is healed and inflammation goes down these symptoms can disappear quite rapidly.
More common are symptoms digestive in origin which themselves are effected by the inflammation leaky gut causes but are triggered primarily through mechanisms before the inflammatory response. These symptoms are:
Bloating and gas
Abdominal and stomach pain
Changes in gut motility like constipation and diarrhea
Food sensitivities and intolerances
Nutrient deficiencies
The body is always doing its best to heal itself, and with leaky gut it recognizes that its digestive barriers are functioning poorly, so it alters digestion how it can to help the digestive barriers heal. For example this could mean that if a meal is eaten that will make the leaky gut condition worse because it contains damaging foods, the transit of the food through the digestion system may be expedited and diarrhea experienced. Or since leaky gut is typically paired with some degree of microbiome dysbiosis, bloating from excess gas production of an overgrown pathogenic microbiome is common. As it is with gut health problems, the answer to the problem can be found in the symptoms experienced.
With leaky gut every meal feels like an unknown in whether symptoms will be triggered and which ones at that. The reason fasting is so effective in healing leaky gut is that it completely empties the digestive system of food, and food is one of the main triggers of leaky gut symptoms. Food may trigger symptoms of leaky gut, and certain foods can cause leaky gut, but leaky gut can be caused by factors other than food.
*Read till the end to receive a special discount code for the Holistic Gut Health Guide, the all-in-on eBook on how to heal the gut using natural methods.
Things that Cause Leaky Gut
Pesticides and Leaky Gut
Pesticides are well-known to increase intestinal permeability and thin mucus linings. In the USA ~2.5 kg of pesticides (herbicides, insecticides, fungicides, bactericides, and rodenticides) are applied per hectare of land (100 x 100 meters). What this means is that most of the food sold in grocery stores is contaminated with significant amounts of pesticides. Excessive pesticide exposure also causes gut dysbiosis and unfavorably alters the gut-brain axis because pathogenic bacteria like Clostridium spp. and Salmonella, which produce noxious health-disrupting endotoxins, are more resistant to common pesticides like glyphosate (the herbicide roundup) than symbionts like Lactobacillus and Bifidobacteria.
Pesticide residues are found in high concentrations on many fruits and vegetables as well as wheat, oats, rice, beans, and legumes. Eating these foods, particularly wheat and oats in excess (multiple times per day), exposes the body to pesticide concentrations beyond tolerable and can contribute greatly to leaky gut.
Pathogens Increase Intestinal Permeability
Toxic pesticide exposure in excess will lead to gut dysbiosis, a condition marked by an increase in harmful pathogenic microorganisms in the gut microbiome while helpful symbionts decrease in population. Pathogens and the toxic metabolites they produce degrade digestive linings and increase intestinal permeability. An especially troublesome situation is when hard-to-dislodge pathogenic biofilms are able to adhere close to or directly onto epithelial cells because the mucosal lining is thin/non-existent. Biofilms are protective structures both symbiotic an pathogenic microorganisms make for a variety of reasons and to increase the survivability. In the worse cases of leaky gut the presence of pathogenic biofilms on the intestinal epithelium is almost assured, and this creates many complications.
Drugs and Antibiotics Increase Intestinal Permeability
Certain pharmaceutical drugs and antibiotics erode and degrade digestive linings. For example oral low-dose antibiotics are often prescribed for skin acne, and this daily antibiotic will slowly degrade digestive linings while simultaneously altering the microbiome towards gut dysbiosis. A short-course of antibiotics or certain drugs will also unfavorably alter intestinal permeability and the microbiome, but the effect is generally less than that caused from the constant use of these drugs, and can be recovered from quickly if the right steps are taken.
Stress/Anxiety and Leaky Gut
The gut-brain axis is a bidirectional connection pathway that exists between the gut microbiome and nervous system/brain, and not only does the microbiome effect the functioning of the brain, but conditions of the nervous system and brain like stress, anxiety, depression, insomnia, and more in-turn effect the microbiome and gut. Excessive stress and anxiety in particular degrade digestive function and the integrity of digestive barriers.
For example an extended stressful period of one’s life can lead to gut health problems like gastritis (stomach inflammation) and IBS. The depth of the connection between stress and the gut isn’t well-known by most, and it’s often a mystery to people who are experiencing gut health problems like leaky gut why they are having these problems; they never consider that the stress they are experiencing day by day may be a large contributing factor in their gut health problems.
Food Intolerances and Leaky Gut
A food intolerance occurs when the digestive system has a difficult time breaking down a particular food or chemical, and it can be common to be intolerant to many foods at once. When intestinal permeability is high and undigested food particles are slipping past epithelial tight junctions and into the bloodstream, then the immune system begins to recognize that certain food nutrients are constantly causing problems and a preemptive immune response can develop to those foods. If the body is having difficulty breaking down certain food macronutrients in the digestive track, like with fructose, lactose, or wheat proteins, then greater numbers of those nutrients will be not fully digested as compared to other food nutrients that are being adequately digested, and they will trigger the immune system strongly causing greater amounts of inflammation.
Food intolerances are highly individual, and it’s often hard to diagnose what food(s) is causing the digestive problems without first performing a few carefully observed 48+ hour fasts or with a 6+ week elimination diet.
The Case of Joe and Kate
To understand how all these leaky gut causing factors interplay with each other let’s examine a hypothetical scenario that unfortunately is all too common.
Joe and Kate eat a typical American diet high in wheat, other grain products, and ultra-processed foods. Their poor quality diet causes chronic inflammation of the digestive system (and body), and the high levels of pesticides they expose their gut and microbiome to through their diet exacerbate the problem more by further degrading digestive barriers and promoting the growth of pathogenic microorganisms. Both Joe and Kate take a few different pharmaceutical drugs for health conditions they have, and then when they mention that their developing gut health problems to a gastroenterologist they are prescribed a low-dose antibiotic, worsening the problem. Overworked and underpaid, the stress from each of their jobs bleeds over into their daily life, and one of the few ways they find comfort is by eating highly-pleasurable junk foods that trigger the food intolerances they’ve developed (but don’t yet know they have). With limited gut health consciousness, the health of their gastrointestinal systems and their overall wellness goes down day by day.
As you can see every factor is influencing the others, creating a feedback loop that degrades gut health further and further, and whereas leaky gut was the first and only gut health problem that existed, if things aren’t changed then eventually IBS and then IBD develops. If those conditions aren’t treated, then long term chronic diseases and cancers can develop. To unravel this knot of problems is no easy task, but one way significant progress can be made quickly is stop the downward spiral at the beginning and to abstain from all food for a period of time.
Fasting for Leaky Gut
There are many ways to reduce stress on the digestive system, from a liquid diet to removing intolerant foods from the diet, but there is no question that the simplest and most effective way to reduce digestive stress and inflammation is to simply not eat. The epithelial layer of the digestive system regenerates about 20% per day, and this rate is increased even further when the regular stress of digesting food is alleviated via fasting.
Luckily it’s in our physiology to fast, it’s a second “default mode network” for the body that has developed over millions of years of evolution. In fact the body wants you to fast every now and then, it’s the most efficient way to active autophagy, the cellular process that repairs and regenerates the tissues of the body.
With leaky gut the barriers of the digestive system are highly degraded and dysfunctional, and to heal leaky gut these tissues must be repaired and regenerated. Not only does fasting create an environment in the gut free of triggering food particles and greatly reduces microorganism populations, it also triggers this value process of autophagy which is essential in recovering from leaky gut. Leaky gut will not be remedied if autophagy isn’t activated, and autophagy is most powerfully activated by nutrient deprivation.
Intermittent Fasting for Leaky Gut
Most information out there that discusses how fasting can be used to remedy leaky gut focuses on daily 16:8 intermittent fasting. Most people eat every few hours, so food is constantly transiting through their digestive systems, and intermittent fasting changes this by condensing food consumption to an eight hour window (typically) with the other 16 hours of the day being free of all food consumption. Intermittent fasting is a good place to start for people brand new to fasting and interested in experimenting with fasting for gut health, metabolism, and overall wellness benefits. To see the biggest benefit from intermittent fasting, it should be done consistently everyday.
Intermittent fasting can certainly be effective in reducing leaky gut, but it can take a long time (weeks to months) to see beneficial changes because the digestive system is still processing food everyday. To really heal the gut and regenerate the digestive barriers quickly, the digestive system should be completely emptied of all food, and this takes 24+ hours of fasting. Longer fasts are much more effective in healing the digestive system, and intermittent fasting is a good protocol to follow in-between longer fasts to keep autophagy elevated.
OMAD for Leaky Gut
A 24 hour fast will take the body deeper into autophagy than intermittent fasting will, and it’s a good way to begin experimenting with fasting for healing leaky gut because it’s easy to perform with a little preparation and the beneficial effects are more likely to be felt and experienced. The best way to stick to something is to actually feel how it’s helping you, and guaranteed after a 24 hour fast if you pay attention you’ll notice that your gut health has noticeably improved and whatever symptoms you normally have have reduced in severity. Twenty four fasting can be done daily with what’s known as one-meal-a-day (OMAD) fasting. As has been shown intermittent fasting is useful for treating leaky gut, and OMAD is even more so.
48 Hour Fasting for Leaky Gut
Most effective for treating leaky gut significantly and quickly is a 48 hour fast. While not eating anything for 2 days may seem daunting, in fact a forty-eight-hour fast is short enough to be easily completed by most people without serious health issues as long as they have the willpower and do a little bit of planning. Remember the body is physiologically designed to go through periods of nutrient deprivation, and most people carry around enough body fat to make fasting for 48 hours, let alone a week or two, no problem. Abstaining from eating for 48 hours really clears the digestive system of all food and greatly reduces the size of the microbiome through nutrient deprivation. Symbiotic microorganisms are more adaptable to conditions of nutrient deprivation than pathogens and better survive the conditions an extended fast, and this makes fasting an excellent way to treat gut dysbiosis, which is often a main contributor to leaky gut.
Fiber and Fasting
The size and composition of the 1-2 meals before a fast is critical for the success of any fast. A final pre-fast meal rich in fiber with a balanced fat, carbohydrate, and protein macronutrient profile will provide long-lasting energy to the body during the first 24 hours of the fast, and once it has transited to the large intestine, the microbiome there will metabolize the fiber present into short-chain fatty acids and other useful metabolites which provide energy to the body and are useful for the brain for the next 24+ hours. It’s remarkable how much easier a fast can be when the last meal eaten is for example a grain bowl loaded up with fresh vegetables, versus a highly processed meal like pizza with glass. Fiber also normalizes gut motility and helps to remedy gut dysbiosis by promoting the growth of symbiotic microorganisms like Lactobacillus and Bifidobacteria.
I don’t recommend you try fasting off a low-quality meal. If you really want to heal your leaky gut you should make healing your gut a priority, make a plan, eat the right foods, and provide yourself the time you need. How well you stick to the plan is up to you and no one else.
For example when I do a 48 hour fast I will schedule it during the weekend so I have no outside responsibilities that require my energy or attention. I specifically set aside those two days for deep relaxation which reduces my stress levels, and the biggest physical activity I may do is go for a walk and practice some yoga/stretching. While fasting, keep physical and mental energy demands on the body low and dip into a deep state of parasympathetic relaxation and healing. This places less stress on the metabolic and energetic systems of the body and greatly reduces the chance of experiencing any unwanted side effects from fasting like low blood sugar and lightheadedness.
Before embarking upon your first fast I recommend you learn more about the nuances of fasting, either by reading my article on fasting to reset the digestive system, or by reading chapters 8 and 9 of the Holistic Gut Health Guide. You should also consult with a medical professional to make sure fasting will be safe for you to do.
Heal Leaky Gut in Two Weeks
By utilizing fasting and a few other gut health boosting strategies, significant progress can be made in healing leaky gut in just two weeks.
First and most important is to eat a very simple and gut health promoting diet during this period of time. Only organic/biodynamic foods should be eaten in order to reduce pesticide exposure, lifestyle and environmental stress should be reduced as much as possible, and the use of drugs/antibiotics should ceased if possible.
Diet to Reduce Intestinal Permeability for Leaky Gut
Different people can react to the same food quite differently, and for this reason I won’t give sweeping dietary advice, but there are a few best practices I am comfortable recommending which you can try and evaluate for yourself.
The first step is to increase your fiber and vegetable intake. Aim for 40+ grams of fiber in a day. A healthy symbiotic microbiome is critical in having healthy digestive barriers, and eating sufficient fiber and flavonoids is the main way to promote a healthy microbiome through dietary measures. Polyphenols and flavonoids are plant phytochemicals found in fruits, vegetables, and herbs that possess strong anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, and antimicrobial (for pathogens) properties. Flavonoids in particular are well-known to strengthen intestinal tight junctions, decrease intestinal permeability, and decrease gut dysbiosis, which are the exact things needed to heal leaky gut.
Second step is to eat more rice. Rice is a very easy grain to digest that can be prepared into a wide variety of meals, and I recommend eating rice over other grains when healing gut health problems like leaky gut. Organic rice will contain much less pesticides than non-organic rice, and rice flour is also the backbone of many gluten-free products.
Third step is to remove the most common food allergens from the diet, these being eggs, fish, milk, peanuts, shellfish, soy, tree nuts, and wheat. With some preparatory meal planning, it’s not difficult to eat a nutritious and filling diet without these foods.
Begin Fasting Regularly
Alongside these dietary changes you can begin experimenting with fasting regularly. Start with daily 16:8 intermittent fasting, and then on the easy days in your schedule add in some 24 hour and 48 hour fasts. One 48 hour fast for example will cause a huge improvement in your leaky gut condition, and during this focused two week effort to heal your leaky gut you should aim to complete two separate 48 hour fasts and a few 24 hour fasts. It is possible to keep caloric intake at maintenance while fasting, but if you have some body fat to lose then don’t worry about eating the same volume of food and let your body burn some body fat for energy as that’s beneficial for your health too.
Supplements and Herbs for Leaky Gut
Lastly the whole gut healing process can be helped along significantly by utilizing the gut healing and normalizing properties of herbs like black pepper, dandelion, and chamomile in addition to supplements like multi-strain probiotics and zinc. Herbs are so useful for gut health because they contain abundant amounts of useful flavonoid phytochemicals like apigenin, and a tea brewed from herbs like dandelion and chamomile contains no calories making it the perfect drink to enjoy during fasting. In fact a herbal tea like this makes fasting much easier metabolically and more effective in healing the gut via an upregulation of autophagy.
Black Pepper: One of the main chemicals found in black pepper is piperine, it’s the chemical responsible for black pepper’s pungency. Piperine is a gut health wonder chemical because it improves digestion by stimulating the body to release more digestive enzymes, restores healthy mucous linings, is antimicrobial against pathogens, increases the bioavailability and absorption of nutrients, reduces inflammation and mitigates stress, reduces the toxicity of certain chemicals, and boosts the metabolism. Black pepper and piperine by extension are great for gut health problems because not only does black pepper improve digestion and balance the microbiome, but it also aids in nutrient absorption, and many people who suffer from gut problems like leaky gut have problems absorbing the nutrients they consume.
Nootropics Depot sells a good piperine supplement which is useful taken with meals or during fasting. The main way I dose piperine is to simply grind extra black pepper on all my meals. Piperine makes up 3-10% of peppercorns by weight, so if you grind up enough black pepper, you’ll receive a significant amount (20+ mg) of piperine every time.
Dandelion Root: Dandelion is useful for fasting and healing gut problems because it normalizes gut motility (the speed of food transit through the gut), increases gastrointestinal mucus production thereby restoring protective mucous linings, applies beneficial antimicrobial pressures on pathogens in the microbiome, increases bile production (improving fat metabolism), and helps heal gastric ulcers. In addition to these amazing benefits, the phytonutrients found in dandelion help purify the blood of pathogens, reduce inflammation throughout the body, and heal blood vessel epithelial linings.
Dandelion also boosts fat metabolism, improves blood cholesterol parameters, and reduces unwanted platelet aggregation, which improves energy and oxygen transport throughout the body. Dandelion also aids the autophagy process by inducing unhealthy cells to undergo apoptosis while protecting healthy cells.
Dandelion is a wonder herb, use it often and you’ll be amazed by how much it helps you to heal your leaky gut.
Chamomile Flower: Chamomile is a digestive aid, calms the nervous system, and improves cardiovascular health. Chamomile is one of the best herbs for fasting and gut health because it improves gut motility, applies a gentle antimicrobial pressure to the microbiome, and increases gastrointestinal mucous production. Chamomile improves blood cholesterol levels, reduces excessive platelet aggregation, and normalizes blood sugar levels.
Chamomile is notably calming and increases the parasympathetic activity of the nervous system, which aids in relaxing and improving digestion. Balancing the activity of the autonomic nervous system is foundational to good health. Sometimes during a fast, energy levels will dip and become more volatile, and chamomile tea helps normalize metabolism and promotes relaxation, which smooths out the energy volatility that otherwise might have been experienced. The autonomic nervous system is also responsible for the waves of smooth muscle activity that propel food through the digestive system, and by normalizing these peristaltic waves, chamomile stabilizes gut motility to the Goldilocks zone, with food not transiting too quickly or too slowly through the digestive system
Mountain Rose Herbs sells organic dried dandelion root and chamomile flower which can be blended together into a 1:1 tea blend. Steep with boiling water for 5-15 minutes and drink daily to enjoy the gut health and overall wellness benefits it promotes. Drinking this tea in-between fasts with every or in-between meals is another way to keep autophagy increased and the gut healing.
Multi-Strain Probiotics: Probiotics containing strains of Lactobacillus and Bifidobacteria appear to be the most effective in helping with gut health problems, and these probiotic formations have also shown small but consistent benefits for those experiencing IBS. A multi-strain probiotic is usually more effective than a single-strain probiotic, and probiotics should be taken with a meal so more of the beneficial microbes survive the harsh acidic conditions of the stomach and can begin populating in the intestines, specifically the large intestine. I have used the following multi-strain probiotic from Nature’s Bounty successfully, I recommend you try it if you have leaky gut.
Zinc: Zinc has been shown to strengthen epithelial tight junctions, and you can consume more zinc by increasing your consumption of zinc-rich foods like oysters, pumpkin seeds, pulses (beans, lentils, etc), cashews, leafy greens, mushrooms, and avocado. You can also take a zinc supplement. Taking zinc in too high of doses (>25 mg) can cause digestive upset and nausea, and it’s for this reason I recommend the 15 mg Zinc Balance supplement from Jarrow Formulas. This Zinc Balance supplement also comes with 1 mg of copper which helps to keep zinc and copper levels balanced in the body.
Signs Leaky Gut is Healing
The clearest sign that your leaky gut is healing is that your gut motility normalizes and you experience much less bloating and gas after eating a meal. If you are having inflammatory health problems as a result of the leaky gut, then you’ll begin to notice that these issues are decreasing in severity and/or becoming less frequent. For example you might notice your skin clearing up, your brain fog go away, joint pain lessens in severity or vanishes, and chronic fatigue lessens.
These are the initial signs that leaky gut is healing, once intestinal permeability has returned to normal because the mucosal lining is restored and the epithelium is once again strong and intact, then you may notice that foods which previously triggered your leaky gut symptoms now no longer cause problems. To elaborate on this further I will describe how I healed my leaky gut and the changes I noticed.
How I Healed my Leaky Gut
Leaky gut was one of the many gut health problems I had for many years, alongside IBS, small intestinal bacteria overgrowth (SIBO), food intolerances to gluten and fructose, gut dysbiosis, and other issues. Yeah it was a handful, and my gut health problems are one reason I started Wild Free Organic.
Restoring the integrity of my digestive barriers was a key step in healing myself of my many gut health problems as leaky gut was one of the main contributing reasons to my IBS and food intolerances.
The main way I healed my leaky gut was by focusing on the following:
Fasting regularly with intermittent, 24 hour, and 48 hour fasts scheduled at regular intervals.
Constantly optimizing my diet to increase my vegetable and fiber intake. Introducing more fermented foods like pickles into my diet also helped considerably.
Reducing environmental stressors like pesticide exposure by shopping organic and by growing my own food. I also switched from drinking tap water which is bad for the gut microbiome to drinking only spring water free of added chemicals like fluoride and chlorine.
Reducing lifestyle stress by being more mindful of my energy levels and being careful with the intensity of the exercise I did, listening to my body and resting more when needed, and not letting factors beyond my control (like at work) stress me out needlessly.
I hope you found the information in this article on leaky gut and fasting useful, and if you really want to heal your gut then I recommend you continue your gut health and wellness education by purchasing the Holistic Gut Health Guide. Use the code LEAKY10 for 10% off at checkout, and best of luck!
If you read all the way here then it’s clear to me that you’re ready to do what it takes to finally restore your digestive system and gut microbiome back to healthy and optimal function.
I wrote the Holistic Gut Health Guide to help you accomplish exactly this! It contains all the information that you need to understand the gastrointestinal system, gut-brain axis, and microbiome in-depth, and the Holistic Gut Health Guide also educates you on the natural methods you can holistically use together like fasting and herbalism to transform your health from the inside out.
I’m so excited to be able to help you along your gut health and overall wellness journey with the Holistic Gut Health Guide! Please contact me with any questions you have and wishing you the best.
Medical Disclaimer: All information, content, and material of this website is for informational purposes only and is not intended to serve as a substitute for the consultation, diagnosis, and/or medical treatment of a qualified physician or healthcare provider.
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Chelakkot C, Ghim J, Ryu SH. Mechanisms regulating intestinal barrier integrity and its pathological implications. Exp Mol Med. 2018;50(8):1-9.
Cleveland Clinic | Disease and Conditions. my.clevelandclinic.org/health/diseases
Suzuki T. Regulation of the intestinal barrier by nutrients: The role of tight junctions. Anim Sci J. 2020;91(1).
Rudea-Ruzafa L, Cruz F, Roman P, Cardona D. Gut microbiota and neurological effects of glyphosate. Neurotxicology. 2019;75:1-8 5. Zhao GP, Wang XY, Li JW, et al.
Imidacloprid increases intestinal permeability by disrupting tight junctions. Ecotoxicology and Environmental Safety. 2021; 222:112476
Wang X, Valenzano MC, Mercado JM, Zurbach EP, Mullin JM. Zinc supplementation modifies tight junctions and alters barrier function of CACO-2 human intestinal epithelial layers. Dig Dis Sci. 2013;58(1):77-87.
Coffee and Digestion - The Complete Guide
Coffee is enjoyed the world over, and its destabilizing effects on digestion have been experienced by a majority of people who drink coffee. By effecting the autonomic nervous system coffee influences digestion, but if the right steps are taken, coffee can improve digestion and favorably alter the microbiome.
Article by Stefan Burns - Updated July 2022. Join the Wild Free Organic email newsletter!
Besides water, coffee is one of the most consumed beverages worldwide next to tea. As a bitter drink containing various phytonutrients, coffee has an effect on digestion that can be quite variable, and depending on the gut heath of an individual, quite noticeable. Coffee exerts antioxidant and anti-inflammatory effects on the digestion system while also increasing gut motility and thinning gut mucosa.
Coffee is one of the most well-known foods to effect digestion, most commonly known to cause heartburn or to need to use the restroom soon after consumption in sensitive individuals. There are a few reasons why coffee has these heartburn and/or laxative effects, and in this article we’ll explain why this so frequently occurs for many people. This article will also discuss coffee’s overall effect on digestion and gut motility, the phytonutrients it contains, how coffee can change the microbiome for the better, coffee’s effect on the gut-brain axis, and specific ways to drink coffee so it improves gut health rather than make it worse.
Digestion and the Large Intestine (colon)
Roasted coffee contains thousands of bioactive compounds that together exert numerous biologic effects on the body. Coffee affects the nervous system, brain, cardiovascular system, and the digestive system. Before any discussion on the effects coffee has on digestion can be had, the basics of digestion must be understood.
A Simple Summary on Digestion
Digestion starts before anything is actually eaten, as before eating food just the sight, smell, or thought of it releases digestive enzymes in the mouth. These digestive enzymes assist with the breakdown of food that is chewed in the mouth, and they also prime the stomach to release more stomach acid. Chewing food physically breaks it down into smaller pieces, then it’s swallowed and moves down the esophagus before dropping into the stomach where strong acids break the food down even more at a chemical level. Once the stomach has done its job the slurry that the food has become moves into the small intestine, more digestive enzymes and bile are released, and muscular contractions further break down food into absorbable proteins, fats, and carbohydrates that pass through the lining of the gut and into the bloodstream.
If all is normal, what’s leftover after this are harder to break down food particles, namely soluble and insoluble fibers. It’s in the colon that the microbiome can then break down the final food remnants and produce beneficial compounds, such as short chain fatty acids from fiber. These fatty acids are absorbed by the colon and provide base-load energy to the body. The longer the microbiome of the large intestine has to work on the food there, the more beneficial nutrients can be metabolized by the microbiome to then be absorbed into the body, and this overall increases the stability of human metabolism.
It’s the introduction of new food/energy that stimulates the bowels to release the stool that it has been holding onto, as the body senses it needs to make room for a new influx of nutrients. It’s a balancing act between what new nutrients can be taken in (eating new food) and what nutrients can be synthesized and absorbed from the stool in the large intestine already mostly digested of its fats, carbohydrates, and proteins.
Gut Health Problems and Incomplete Digestion of Food
A lot of gut health problems stem from the incomplete digestion of food. Certain biologically valuable nutrients and chemicals are only produced by the microbiome in the colon, for example short chain fatty acids, metabolites of polyphenols, and neurotransmitters. If the microbiome consistently isn’t given enough time to breakdown the final remnants of food in the colon, then nutrient and neurotransmitter deficiencies can occur over time.
An easy way to directly experience the ability of the microbiome to very efficiently break down and upcycle food is to fast for 48 hours. If the final meal before a fast is of high-quality and consists of whole foods, like a grain bowl (rice, beans, vegetables, healthy fats like avocado), then once that final meal reaches the colon the microbiome will have plenty to begin breaking down as whole grains and vegetables contains an abundance of material not extractable by the small intestine. If the normal defecation stool volume from that meal is a “1” with a normal eating schedule, then during a 48 hour fast what’s likely to occur is that defecation isn’t induced for the entire two days until a refeed meal is eaten, and then when defecation of that pre-fast meal does occur, the final stool volume may only be 1/2 to 1/4 of normal, or even less.
When there is a physiological need to extract more nutrients from less input, and the microbiome is given time to do this, food is more efficiently absorbed than normal. I’ve personally experienced during many a 2 day fast that my pre-fast meal was nearly completely absorbed. In 2 days the microbiome was able to completely break down and upcycle what I ate before the start of the fast such that I simply absorbed nearly everything. It wasn’t until a normal eating schedule was resumed that “normal” bowel movements returned. What this indicates is that “normal” bowel movements are more wasteful bowel movement as compared to the maximum level of extraction possible under conditions of nutrient scarcity.
Most people haven’t experienced long periods of nutrient scarcity like during a 48+ hour fast so what I described may seem outlandish, but all that’s required to prove this effect and ability for yourself is to go on a 48-72 hour fast. The quality of the last meal is very important to observe this effect, eat only whole unprocessed foods for final pre-fast meal. As shown by this phenomenon, fasting is one of the best ways to improve the functioning of the gut and to come to a better understanding of how the digestive system truly works.
As coffee alters the rate of digestion among other effects, it was important to present the information above as context for coffee’s specific impacts on digestion, which we’ll now dive into.
Together the digestive system and microbiome are the foundation of health from which everything else is dependent on.
The Holistic Gut Health Guide contains all the information you need to identify and understand the gastrointestinal and microbiome problems you may have while also providing you the most effective natural methods you can use to heal your gut. No gut health problems are unsolvable, give yourself every possible advantage along your gut health journey by reading an implementing the advice shared in the Holistic Gut Health Guide.
Some of the information in the Holistic Gut Health Guide isn’t common knowledge but when implemented it is highly effective in healing the gut and shifting the microbiome towards symbiosis. Give yourself every possible advantage along your gut health journey by reading an implementing the advice shared in the Holistic Gut Health Guide.
Coffee and Gut Motility
One of the most obvious effects that coffee has on gut health for many people is how it speeds up gut motility. Gut motility is the speed of movement of food through the digestion system, and one of the hallmark signs of poor gut health is highly variable gut motility. If some meals sometimes takes days to transit through the digestive system leading to constipation, while other meals seem to transit through the entire gastrointestinal system in under a day or even just hours, and this variability in gut motility is common, then that’s a clear indication that the gut is not in a state of ideal health. This state of variable gut motility is often referred to as irritable bowel syndrome (IBS).
How does Coffee make you Poop so Fast?
Coffee exerts a diuretic effect on gut motility through its stimulation of the hormone gastrin. Gastrin stimulates the secretion of gastric acid (HCl) in the stomach, aiding the breakdown and digestion of food. For about 90 minutes after drinking coffee the stomach environment is made more acidic because greater amounts of gastric acid are released. The release of gastric acid signals to the body that more food is incoming and therefore an increase in gut motility is observed, specially in the large intestine (colon). Melanoidins found in roasted coffee also increase gut motility through direct activation of the smooth muscles of the digestive system.
Caffeinated and decaf coffee significantly increase motor activity of the colon, activating greater propagated and simultaneous contractions. Eating a meal causes an increase in colonic motor activity as well (gotta make room), and caffeinated coffee is comparable in effect to consuming a meal. Caffeinated coffee is about 25% stronger in this effect than decaf coffee.
At least one-third of the population is susceptible to being stimulated to defecate soon after drinking regular or decaf coffee, with the effect more frequently observed in women then men. Within five minutes of drinking coffee rectosigmoid colon activity increases significantly and lasts for 30 minutes of more. The rectum is the final section of the colon a few inches long that attaches to the anus, and the sigmoid colon is the 1.5 foot long (40 cm) section of the colon just before the rectum. Coffee stimulates muscular contractions in these sections of the colon in a large percentage of the population, and this can cause rapid defecation for sensitive people, especially those who have IBS.
The colon stimulating effect of coffee is generally beneficial for people who regularly experience constipation, whereas people who suffer from already rapid gut transit times should stay away from drinking coffee.
Coffee and Frequent Bowel Movements
If coffee is consumed multiple times per day, as is commonly done by a large percentage of the population, then it’s ability to trigger waves of increased colon motor activity can result in bowel movements becoming more frequent, even to the point where it is problematic.
This is significant for reasons made clear by the earlier section on digestion and also in the microbiome section below. If food that recently made it to the large intestine is being released preemptively, then the body is missing out on a lot of beneficial compounds and metabolites only the microbiome can produce. Without a consistent stream of short chain fatty acids from the colon, metabolism suffers and energy volatility is more likely to be experienced. One of the functions of the large intestine is also to draw water out of the remaining food/waste, and frequent bowel movements can make dehydration a very real problem, or at least make dehydration more likely to occur.
In 1992 it was published in the British Medical Journal that nearly one quarter of the general population has smooth muscle dysfunction and other symptoms consistent with irritable bowel syndrome. Considering that the majority of the world’s population on average has become less healthy in the 30 years since that study, it’s likely that IBS affects an even greater percentage of the population now than it did in 1992.
Coffee Digestive Issues
Before we get into all the ways coffee improves digestion let’s finish covering how coffee can cause digestive issues for people with sensitive gastrointestinal systems. How is it that coffee can cause digestion problems while also having the ability to improve gut health?
Certain herbs have a dual ability to improve a bodily system or to cause problems. A good example of an herb that does this is cannabis. Cannabis that contains an even ratio of cannabinoids like THC and CBD if used in moderate amounts occasionally is neuroprotective and stimulates neurogenesis, increasing connectivity within the brain while also boosting creativity overall. Cannabis that is too high in THC though, and if used in excessive amounts, can cause mental health problems like paranoia, insomnia, and anxiety, and long term use of cannabis in this way can shrink the gray matter of the brain and cause memory problems. The dose of certain herbs like cannabis or coffee is critical in how their consumption will affect the body, and what’s also important is the state that the body is in prior to use.
Coffee (and cannabis, among other herbs) has the characteristic of exacerbating certain health issues if a bodily system is already out of balance. Think of it as a wake up call, with coffee highlighting preexisting health issues by making their symptoms more obvious, and in this manner this effect is beneficial in diagnosing health problems. So if drinking coffee is causing digestive issues like heartburn, stomach pain, or diarrhea, then that’s a big sign that coffee consumption should be stopped until gut health is improved, because when the gut and microbiome are healthy, coffee has a net positive influence on the digestive system and gut microbiota as we’ll see later.
Coffee and Irritable Bowel Syndrome
Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) is the most common gastrointestinal disorder, with up to 30% of the population or more having regular symptoms consistent with IBS. Most people with gut health issues never seek the help of the medical system, and as a result the prevalence of gut health issues is thought to be much larger than what’s reported in the literature. Irritable bowel syndrome is most prevalent in people in the 20-40 and over 60 age groups, and women in their 30’s-40’s in particular seem to have higher rates of IBS
The main symptoms of IBS are abdominal pain which is relieved by defecation, abdominal distension, more frequent and looser bowel movements progressing up to diarrhea, general digestive pain, and heartburn. Less common symptoms of IBS that are still experienced at a higher rate than in the normal population include rectal bleeding and the passage of mucus. Underlying these symptoms of IBS are smooth muscle abnormalities.
What is Smooth Muscle?
Smooth muscle is a type of non-striated muscle that is activated by the autonomic nervous system to apply pressure to various organs by contracting. Smooth muscle is a critical component of the digestive system, as it’s waves of smooth muscle contractions that cause food to move through the gut. Smooth muscle contractions are stimulated by nerve impulses, certain hormones (like gastrin), and other chemicals released by various organs. Smooth muscle contractions are much slower but sustained longer than skeletal muscle contractions. The amount of intracellular free Ca2+ is a key regulator of smooth muscle tone and contractility.
Why does Coffee make my Stomach Hurt?
Coffee lowers lower esophageal sphincter pressure while simultaneously stimulating the production of gastric acid via gastrin. For sensitive individuals with thin stomach mucosa linings and/or preexisting stomach ulcers, increases in stomach acid can cause stomach pain, and with the sphincter valve separating the stomach from the esophagus becoming more relaxed, the chance of acid reflux also increases.
If drinking coffee is causing stomach pain then the consumption of coffee should be ceased and steps should be taken to heal the stomach back to normal function. Coffee has not been shown to modify gastric wall compliance, wall tension, or sensory function.
Why does Coffee give me Diarrhea?
Alongside its effects on the stomach, coffee also increases contractile pressures in the rectosigmoid area of the colon, which can cause an increased and sometimes very rapid need to defecate. Both the possible symptoms of heartburn and diarrhea from drinking coffee point to coffee’s ability to affect smooth muscle function, and both of these symptoms are also common to IBS irrespective of coffee consumption. Basically if smooth muscle function is dysfunctional overall, then the smooth muscle stimuli that coffee causes can be too powerful and further exacerbate symptoms of IBS.
Having covered how coffee can trigger the same pathways already imbalanced in those who have IBS, we’ll now discuss the phytonutrients coffee contains and how these nutrients can benefit gut health and the microbiome.
Coffee Phytonutrients
Roasted coffee contains thousands of biologically relevant compounds, and many of them have beneficial antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, neuroprotective, and metabolism boosting health effects. Together these chemicals influence the functions of the digestive system, cardiovascular system, nervous system, and the gut-brain axis.
Coffee and Caffeine
The most well-known chemical found in coffee is caffeine. Caffeine is a central nervous system stimulant that is rapidly absorbed into the body by the stomach and small intestine. Caffeine increases fat oxidation, in general boosts metabolism, and has been shown to improve cognition, especially for the elderly. One cup of black coffee contains ~95 mg of caffeine, and the upper bound for caffeine that shows health benefits is ~300 mg per day. Consuming more than 300 mg of caffeine per day causes significant hormonal alterations and can cause health problems best avoided.
If you have a built-up caffeine tolerance that you want to reset, and/or also want guidance on how to best use and dose caffeine, then read our guide on the subject for more information.
Coffee Polyphenols
Coffee also contains abundant polyphenols, which possess strong antioxidant properties. The polyphenols in coffee are not greatly effected by the decaffeination process. Flavonoids, a subgroup of polyphenols that are abundant in coffee, significantly increase the expression of proteins at epithelial tight junctions, improving their strength and reducing intestinal permeability which is a good thing. Weak tight junctions are a key symptom of leaky gut, food intolerances, and food allergies.
The polyphenol chlorogenic acid (CGA) is a major component of coffee, and chlorogenic acids have a regulating effect on glucose and lipid metabolism, which is why they have anti-diabetic, anti-carcinogenic, anti-inflammatory, and anti-obesity effects. One-third of free chlorogenic acids are absorbed in the small intestine and the rest of the polyphenols reach the colon where they are broken down into simpler molecules by the microbiome. Polyphenols influence the microbiome directly (more on that below) while also requiring microbial activity for their alteration into other compounds that have beneficial health effects when absorbed by the body.
Coffee Melanoidins and N-Methylpyridium
The chemical composition of green coffee beans is noticeably altered by the roasting process, and two of the notable chemicals produced from the heat-driven Maillard reactions that occur are melanoidins and N-Methylpyridium.
Melanoidins are brown pigment chemicals that are created when sugars and amino acids combine under high heat. Melanoidins have several health promoting properties such as being antimicrobial, antihypertensive, anti-inflammatory, antitoxin, and antioxidant in nature. Melanoidins are mostly indigestible and therefore act as dietary fiber, being fermented in the gut by the microbiome. People who drink a lot of coffee along with eating other foods that have undergone Maillard reactions (like crusty bread) may receive up to 20% of their dietary fiber from melanoidins. Melanoidins have a pro-motility on the gut not only because of their fiber effect but also through direct activation of the smooth muscles of the digestive system. In addition to melanoidins, dietary fiber is present in coffee.
N-methylpyridium (NMP) is an interesting chemical found in coffee that exerts an opposite effect on the stomach than coffee in general, as it reduces gastric acid production by stomach cells. NMP is only generated by the roasting process, and as such darker-roasted coffee contains more NMP than lightly roasted coffees, up to twice as much. For people who want to enjoy coffee and its health benefits but want to reduce their chance of experiencing heartburn and increased gut motility, drinking a darker roasted coffee is recommended.
Coffee and Gut Microbiome
On average 75% of feces are water, with the remaining 25% being solid materials. Bacterial biomass make up 25-55% of the solids in feces (6-14% total). This bacterial biomass is composed of dead and also living bacteria, and therefore as you can see, every bowel movement changes the microbiome because it’s removing a portion of the total microorganism population out of the body.
Coffee through its ability to trigger increased smooth muscle activity for the colon can cause defecation, and through this mechanism coffee influences the development of the microbiome. Microorganisms divide and reproduce on very fast timespans on the timespan of 20 minutes to 24 hours, with bad pathogenic bacteria typically dividing faster than good symbiotic bacteria. The longer stool stays in the colon, the longer the microbiome has to divide and evolve, which changes the overall population characteristics and diversity of the microbiome. If a healthy meal is eaten rich in vegetables and fiber, then symbiotic microorganisms will increase in population numbers, whereas if a junk food meal is eaten containing lots of highly processed foods and chemicals, then pathogenic microorganisms will better be able to survive and expand in population.
Coffee’s ability to trigger defecation can then be considered good or bad for the microbiome depending on the context. If the content of the stool in the large intestine is of a poor quality, then triggering defecation is a good thing as it’ll reduce the growth of pathogenic bacteria and remove toxins from the body. If the stool is composed of what’s left of a healthy meal from whole unprocessed foods, then triggering defecation early won’t be advantageous as valuable nutrients will be lost and symbiotic microorganisms will have less time to diversify and expand their populations.
Here’s the thing though, in my personal experience it’s the current contents of the digestive system that determine coffee’s defecating activating effect. When I eat healthy meals full of whole unprocessed foods, such as a rice and bean bowl with vegetables and avocado on top, coffee doesn’t trigger any significant increase in motor activity in the colon. If I eat a lower quality meal though, then I can definitely feel that coffee creates a stronger urge to use the restroom. At the beginning of the article I discussed how coffee can improve gut health because it highlights existing gut health issues like IBS by making the symptoms worse, and diet quality is a factor as to why that is the way it is. If you’re struggling with eating a good diet, resetting your dietary beliefs is an important step towards eating healthier.
If low quality junk food is in the digestive track, then it behooves the body to push it out quickly and hope for a higher quality meal to follow. Of course if junk food continues to be eaten then nutrient deficiencies develop and other health issues can compound, but having a longer transit time for these foods wouldn’t necessarily be better than a short transit time due to the presence of toxins in the food.
“There’s no way to win by eating poor quality food”
The benefits of coffee on the microbiome are further amplified by the abundant polyphenols that coffee contains. Coffee decreases populations of pathogenic bacteria such as Escherichia coli, Enterococcus spp., Clostridium spp., and Bacteroides spp., while increasing populations of beneficial microorganisms like Lactobacillus spp. and Bifidobacterium spp., and this is thought to be primarily an effect of polyphenols, as polyphenols from things like herbs have shown similar effects.
Polyphenols both influence microbiome populations, and are also metabolized into different beneficial chemicals by the microbiome. By containing abundant polyphenols, dietary fiber, and melanoidins coffee exerts a strong influence over the microbiome and shifts microbial populations towards greater symbiotic function and away from pathogenic overgrowth. Drinking herbal teas are another way to shift the microbiome towards greater symbiosis, as an herbal tea blend like a 1:1:1 chamomile, peppermint, and dandelion tea contains abundant flavonoids and each of those herbs is already well-known for improving gut health.
Coffee and the Gut-Brain Axis
Coffee as a natural source of many chemicals like caffeine and polyphenols exerts an influence on the gut-brain axis, from changing emotional status to altering neurogenesis and neurodegeneration. Caffeine is the main psychoactive compound found in coffee, easily crossing the blood-brain barrier and stimulating the sympathetic nervous system in addition to the overall central nervous system. Caffeine increases extracellular dopamine concentrations and causes a greater expression of dopaminergic receptors and transports, leading to an overall cognitive improvement, especially amongst the elderly.
Additionally caffeine reduces the activity of the Gamma-aminobutyric (GABA) system and modulates GABA receptors. GABA is an inhibitory neurotransmitter that acts on the central nervous system, lessening the ability for nerve cells to create, transmit, and receive signals to other nerve cells. Through this inhibitory effect GABA can produce a sense of calm as it reduces the activity of the nervous system, but as with anything too much GABA isn’t beneficial. Chronic caffeine intake is related to a long-term reduction in GABA, and that is also not good, as GABA plays a role in controlling stress, anxiety, and feelings of fear.
The gut-brain axis is also heavily influenced by the microbiome because it’s the microbiome that produces a large portion of the neurotransmitters the body uses, directly producing dopamine, GABA, and norepinephrine, and indirectly influencing the bodies natural production of serotonin in epithelial enterochromaffin cells (intestinal epithelial cells that play a governing role in intestinal motility and secretion). The gut microbiome also regulates stress hormones produced by the HPA-axis and sends direct signals to the brain via the vagus nerve. Through these interactions with the brain the microbiome has a strong ability to influence human behavior.
A Better Coffee
After learning everything that has been outlined in this coffee and digestion guide, there are a few key takeaways to remember:
If currently experiencing gut health problems like IBS (either knowingly or unknowingly) coffee consumption has the possibility of increasing the negative symptoms being experienced as it’s a mechanism to bring consciousness to the problem and attempt to shift the microbiome to a more favorable symbiotic state.
If gut health is good then coffee consumption can further improve gut health by modulating the microbiome towards greater symbiotic integration with the host by increasing populations of beneficial microorganisms such as lactobacillus and bifidobacteria, while also providing the body a rich source of health boosting polyphenols, fiber, and other unique compounds.
Coffee consumption within reasonable parameters (<3 cups a day) improves brain health, especially for the elderly.
The darker the roast the less likely coffee is to trigger the excessive production of gastric acids thanks to greater concentrations of N-methylpyridium, and darker roasted coffees also contain more melanoidins which have beneficial effects on the colon.
With all this taken into consideration, when eating a healthy diet and with a healthy gut, drinking a dark roast black coffee has little chance of causing gut health disturbances and overall has gut health and metabolism boosting benefits. The cardiovascular and cognitive systems also benefit from reasonable coffee consumption.
Coffee can be made even better though!
When certain herbs are added to coffee, it improves the metabolic effects of coffee while smoothing out the increase in sympathetic nervous system activity that coffee causes, which can lead to energy volatility in some individuals. And if the autonomic nervous system is already unbalanced between sympathetic and parasympathetic states, with the sympathetic nervous system being too dominant, then drinking coffee can make that imbalance worse.
Adding cacao, ceylon cinammon, chaga mushroom, cistanche, and a small amount of honey to a black coffee creates what I call a dark mocha, and having enjoyed a bunch of dark mochas in my time it’s my experience that they have a much greater beneficial nootropic effect than regular black coffee while also improving energy metabolism noticeably. While a dark mocha still has a stimulant effect, it’s much more even keel and balanced than a regular cup of black coffee (or a cup of coffee with sugar), and the metabolism boosting effect seems to last all day rather than just for a couple hours.
I encourage you to learn more about why adding these ingredients to coffee makes it even better as it’s a good introduction to herbalism and it should significantly improve your day to day if you drink coffee often.
If you read all the way here then it’s clear to me that you’re ready to do what it takes to finally restore your digestive system and gut microbiome back to healthy and optimal function.
I wrote the Holistic Gut Health Guide to help you accomplish exactly this! It contains all the information that you need to understand the gastrointestinal system, gut-brain axis, and microbiome in-depth, and the Holistic Gut Health Guide also educates you on the natural methods you can holistically use together like fasting and herbalism to transform your health from the inside out.
I’m so excited to be able to help you along your gut health and overall wellness journey with the Holistic Gut Health Guide! Please contact me with any questions you have and wishing you the best.
References:
Iriondo-DeHond A, Uranga JA, del Castillo MD, Abalo R. Effects of coffee and its components on the gastrointestinal tract and the brain–gut axis. Nutrients. 2020;13(1):88.
Jones R, Lydeard S. Irritable bowel syndrome in the general population. BMJ. 1992;304(6819):87-90.
Bitar KN. Function of gastrointestinal smooth muscle: from signaling to contractile proteins. The American Journal of Medicine. 2003;115(3):15-23.
Rubach, Malte, et al. Identification of a coffee compound that effectively inhibits mechanisms of stomach acid secretion in human gastric parietal cells. Abstracts of Papers of the American Chemical Society. Vol. 239. American Chemical Society, 2010.
Rose C, Parker A, Jefferson B, Cartmell E. The characterization of feces and urine: a review of the literature to inform advanced treatment technology. Critical Reviews in Environmental Science and Technology. 2015;45(17):1827-1879.
Strandwitz P. Neurotransmitter modulation by the gut microbiota. Brain Research. 2018;1693:128-133.
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More Articles on Gut Health and Coffee
Herbal Teas and Fasting for Gut Health
Combing herbal teas with fasting is one of the safest and best ways to heal the gut and dramatically improve digestion. Herbs like dandelion and chamomile are already highly beneficial for the gut and overall wellness, and their unique phytochemicals make fasting easier and more effective. Learn more.
Article by Stefan Burns - Updated July 2022. Join the Wild Free Organic email newsletter!
Some of the most foundational health problems are gut health issues. The gastrointestinal system has some of the strongest connections to the bloodstream, is closely tied to the immune system, provides the raw inputs for energy metabolism, is a huge production center of neurotransmitters for the brain and nervous system, and in general is one of the largest sources of inflammation in the body because of the microbiome and from the rigors of digestion itself.
What this means is that if the gut is in a state of dis-ease, then it’s likely that not only will gut health problems exist but also other maladies such as chronic inflammation and pain, weakened immunity or auto-immune issues, poor energy metabolism, skin problems, or mental health issues. Returning the digestive system to a state of normal function is often the root-cause fix that will resolve those other health issues. It’s very common for people who have healed their gut to report that their depression/anxiety/insomnia or other mental health issues go away, for their skin inflammatory conditions such as acne, psoriasis, or eczema to vanish, or for chronic pain and fatigue to disappear.
The digestive system is a complex web of interactions between many different organs and also trillions of microorganism that live inside it known as the microbiome. When it comes to healing the gut, the digestive system is too complex to be successfully healed by examining it through a narrow window and then treating one or two identified symptoms. Instead the best methods for improving the entire functioning of the gut are holistic in nature. In my experience of 10+ years of gut healing and gut health mindfulness I’ve found that the most powerful all-encompassing holistic tools that can be used to heal the gut are fasting (abstaining from food) and drinking herbal teas.
Fasting removes all caloric inputs, volume, and bulk from the digestive system, allowing the epithelial cells and mucous layers that make up the lining of the digestive system to regenerate while also giving the immune system time to reset and restore to normal protective functioning. Herbal teas (with the right herbs of course) are packed full of beneficial vitamins, minerals, and phytochemicals which give them anti-inflammatory, anti-microbial, and adaptogenic properties which beneficially amplify the fasting process.
In this article you will learn about:
How fasting is beneficial for gut health
How herbal teas benefit gut health
How fasting and herbal teas can be used in conjunction to heal gut health and microbiome problems.
Together the digestive system and microbiome are the foundation of health from which everything else is dependent on.
The Holistic Gut Health Guide contains all the information you need to identify and understand the gastrointestinal and microbiome problems you may have while also providing you the most effective natural methods you can use to heal your gut. No gut health problems are unsolvable, give yourself every possible advantage along your gut health journey by reading an implementing the advice shared in the Holistic Gut Health Guide.
Some of the information in the Holistic Gut Health Guide isn’t common knowledge but when implemented it is highly effective in healing the gut and shifting the microbiome towards symbiosis. Give yourself every possible advantage along your gut health journey by reading an implementing the advice shared in the Holistic Gut Health Guide.
Fasting and Gut Health
Life is driven by metabolism, and there are two default mode networks for metabolism. One is anabolism, the growth and creation of new tissues, which naturally is an inflammatory process. The other is catabolism, the anti-inflammatory process that repairs and recycles old and worn out bodily tissues. To be optimally healthy time spent in both anabolism and catabolism is required, generally in equal amount (unless already out of balance).
Modern culture has most people spending an excess of time in an anabolic state, the main symptoms of which are being overweight or obese and having generalized inflammation throughout the body. If anabolic pathways are seriously out of balance then life-threatening conditions like cancer (the out of control growth of mutated cells) is often the result.
Fasting and Inflammation
The reason fasting is so powerful in healing gut health problems, and in general many many inflammation based health problems is because it activates the other default mode network for human which is catabolism, otherwise known as autophagy. Food intake is one of the greatest drivers of anabolism, and removing all food from the equation turns off the “energy spigot”. The brain and body still require energy for cognition and movement though, so a beautifully complex sequence of events takes place if the energy spigot turns off which has the body switch to a protective healing state known as autophagy. During autophagy malfunctioning cells are terminated through a process known as apoptosis, and their still functional components are recycled and distributed to where they are needed. Cells that can be repaired are patched up, and the body begins to burn stored bodyfat for energy. After a couple days of fasting once all glycogen stores are used up the body begins producing ketones from bodyfat so the brain can continue to operate successfully.
Fasting is a cellular deep cleaning that sees the different systems of the body repair and be recharged with the vital nutrients that they need to function properly. Inflammation goes down dramatically. Once food is reintroduced, the body switches back to catabolism and the healthy cells remaining divide to restore tissues and organs back to their normal sizes. For example during a seven day fast the size of the liver can contract by as much as 50% and then with the reintroduction of food it will regenerate back to its normal size and function, but now it’s composed of a much greater number of healthy functioning cells.
There are many ways to trigger catabolism, but the most powerful way is to simply fast and abstain from eating any food. The longer the body requires catabolic processes to heal to return to balance, the more time must be spent catabolic, and if using fasting for this purpose, longer fasts and/or more frequent fasts will be needed. The great thing about fasting is that it is completely free, can be done anywhere and doesn’t require any specialized devices or drugs, and is a relatively safe natural process that the body wants you to do from time to time.
Fasting and Gut Microbiome
Fasting has a powerful ability to heal the gut because of how it actives system-wide autophagy, and the other way it powerfully improves gut health is through the evolutionary pressures it places on the microbiome. The microbiome is made up of trillions of microorganisms that live “inside” the body but in reality outside the tissues of the body. The microbiome feeds off the food constantly being consumed, and a helpful microbiome will work symbiotically with the host to break down nutrients normally not digestible like plant fibers. A pathogenic microbiome, one that doesn’t work with and serve its host, will feed off the nutrients normally reserved for the host like sugar and starches, growing their populations while also producing waste components in the process. Pathogens dream of entering into the body at large where ample nutrients float through the bloodstream, and if the gut is compromised then this task is made easy and they slip past epithelial tight junctions. Once pathogens are in the bloodstream the responsibilities of the immune system ramp up dramatically which creates chronic inflammation if pathogens are constantly slipping into the bloodstream from the gut.
By removing all food, fasting applies an evolutionary pressure to the microbiome that selects for microorganisms that can survive during times of nutrient scarcity. Microorganisms that are comfortable chewing and subsisting on long-transiting foods like fiber will survive in greater numbers than microorganisms that feed off quick nutrients like sugar that are quickly in short supply during a fast. Fasting is a great way to cleanse the microbiome.
The microbiome of the gut is one of the main sources of neurotransmitters in the body, and a 48 hour fast for example will not only heal the digestive system and reduce bodily inflammation but by changing the composition of the microbiome it will change neurotransmitter ratios and their production for better cognitive function and mental health. Neurotransmitters are how the microbiome influences behavior.
For the reasons laid out above one can already see how fasting is a tremendously powerful way to improve gut health and overall health and wellness. Combining fasting with herbal teas amplifies the healing and regenerative processes while also making a fast easier and safer to complete.
*Read to the end to receive a 10% discount on the Holistic Gut Health Guide, the all-in-one gut health eBook that will help you solve your gut health problems once and for all!
Fasting and Herbal Tea
The biggest issue with fasting is the fact that new energy input is removed from the system which requires a metabolic shift. It’s the metabolic shift to burning body fat for energy that is one of the primary benefits of fasting, but if that mode of metabolism hasn’t been used often or recently, then it can be difficult to maintain adequate energy levels during a fast. Practice makes perfect, and the more time is spent fasted in general, the easier fasting becomes, but for those very new to fasting who have weak metabolisms, pursuing any ways to make fasting easier and safer (avoiding low blood sugar dips) is highly encouraged.
Drinking herbal teas are an amazing addition to fasting because not only do they help heal the digestive system and balance the microbiome through their antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and antimicrobial properties, but certain herbs also improve metabolism by regulating fat oxidation and blood glucose levels. Below is a list of the most useful and readily accessible herbs for fasting and gut healing, and afterwards I’ll share the herbal tea blends that I recommend for fasting.
Dandelion for Gut Health and Fasting
Dandelion is one of the most common herbs worldwide and it’s well known for it’s herbal uses. The entire dandelion plant from flower to root is edible, and dandelion (especially dandelion root) is a powerful digestive aid, blood purifier, anti-inflammatory and antimicrobial, cancer fighter, and metabolism booster.
Dandelion is especially useful for fasting and healing gut problems because it normalizes gut motility (the speed of transit of food through the gut), increases gastrointestinal mucous production thereby restoring protective mucous linings, applies beneficial antimicrobial pressures on pathogens in the microbiome, increases bile production (which improves fat metabolism), and assists in healing gastric ulcers.
In addition to all these amazing benefits the beneficial phytonutrients found in dandelion help purify the blood of pathogens while also reducing inflammation and healing blood vessel epithelial linings. Dandelion also boosts fat metabolism, improves blood cholesterol parameters, and reduces unwanted platelet aggregation which improves energy and oxygen transport throughout the body. Dandelion also aids the autophagy process by inducing unhealthy cells to undergo apoptosis while protecting healthy cells.
Dandelion can be wild harvested or purchased from my favorite supplier of herbs Mountain Rose Herbs.
For use in an herbal tea steep dandelion root for 5-15 minutes with boiling water.
Chamomile for Gut Health and Fasting
Like dandelion chamomile is also a very well-known and widely used herb worldwide. There are multiple types of chamomile and even though their chemical composition differs they all generally have the same health benefits. Chamomile is a digestive aid, calms the nervous system, and improves cardiovascular health.
Chamomile is one of the best herbs for fasting and gut health because it improves gut motility, applies a gentle antimicrobial pressure to the microbiome, and increase gastrointestinal mucous production. Chamomile improves blood cholesterol levels, reduces excessive platelet aggregation, and normalizes blood sugar levels. Chamomile notably is very calming and increases the parasympathetic activity of the nervous system, which aids in relaxing and also improves digestion. Balancing the activity of the autonomic nervous system is foundational to good health. Sometimes during a fast energy levels can dip and become volatile, and chamomile tea helps normalize metabolism and promotes relaxation which smooths out the energy volatility that otherwise might have been experienced.
Chamomile and dandelion are very similar in their herbal uses, and together mixed in a 1:1 ratio they make a fantastic herbal tea which is useful for general health and wellness but also specifically for gut health and fasting.
Chamomile can be wild harvested or purchased from my favorite supplier of herbs Mountain Rose Herbs.
For use in an herbal tea steep chamomile flowers for 5-15 minutes with boiling water.
Green Tea for Gut Health and Fasting
Green tea is in many ways is a perfect fasting aid because it increases fat oxidation and raises energy levels while also having a calming influence through its natural L-theanine content (an amino acid). Green tea polyphenols are also potent antioxidants and anti-inflammatories which help heal the epithelial linings of the gut.
I have already written about green tea fasting so I encourage you to read my article on it which goes in depth.
Many different types of green tea can be purchased from Mountain Rose Herbs and Pique Tea, or in a supplemental form from Nootropics Depot. Learn more about the herbal uses of green tea.
Herbal Tea Blends for Fasting and Gut Health
Combing herbal teas and fasting is the most powerful way to heal the gut and therefore completely revitalize your health and wellness. Healing the gut will aid in fat loss and boost metabolism, improve mental health, reduce inflammatory skin conditions, reduce/eliminate autoimmune issues as well as food intolerances and food allergies, and reduce stress on the immune system.
My favorite herbal tea for use during fasting but also for keeping the gut healthy in general is a 1:1 blend of dandelion root and chamomile flowers. Green tea is also an excellent fasting and gut health aid. While fasting is extremely powerful in healing the gut, fasting cannot be done forever and at some point calories are required to survive. The benefit of fasting with herbal teas is that once the fast is complete the herbal teas can continued to be used in order to extend the gut healing benefits out beyond the fast (and even to the next fast) and to help with the digestion of the healthier food that is now being eating which further aids in the shifting of the microbiome from pathogenic to symbiotic.
There are other herbs which improve digestion like ashwagandha, chaga mushroom, and reishi mushroom and all of these herbs can be used independently or mixed together into a blend for use during fasting. I’d also be remiss to not make a note of the powerful gut health benefits of black pepper and its main active ingredient piperine.
I hope you found the information in this article on how to use herbal teas and fasting together to improve gut health useful, and if you really want to heal your gut then I recommend you continue your gut health and wellness education by purchasing the Holistic Gut Health Guide. Use the code HERBALFASTING10 for 10% off at checkout, and best of luck!
If you read all the way here then it’s clear to me that you’re ready to do what it takes to finally restore your digestive system and gut microbiome back to healthy and optimal function.
I wrote the Holistic Gut Health Guide to help you accomplish exactly this! It contains all the information that you need to understand the gastrointestinal system, gut-brain axis, and microbiome in-depth, and the Holistic Gut Health Guide also educates you on the natural methods you can holistically use together like fasting and herbalism to transform your health from the inside out.
I’m so excited to be able to help you along your gut health and overall wellness journey with the Holistic Gut Health Guide! Please contact me with any questions you have and wishing you the best.
Medical Disclaimer: All information, content, and material of this website is for informational purposes only and is not intended to serve as a substitute for the consultation, diagnosis, and/or medical treatment of a qualified physician or healthcare provider.
Disclosure: Wild Free Organic is a member of various affiliate programs and if a purchase is made through one of our affiliate links a small commission is received. This does not affect your purchase price. Visit our disclosure page for more information.
Other Herbs Useful for Gut Health and Fasting
Piperine Improves Digestion and Enhances bioavailability
Piperine is a phytochemical found in black pepper that has numerous health benefits and most notably enhances the bioavailability of other phytochemicals like curcumin (from turmeric). Piperine can be used as an anti-inflammatory, digestive aid, to increase the absorption of other supplements, and to help with neurodegenerative diseases like Alzheimers. Learn how to supplement with piperine.
Article by Stefan Burns - Updated July 2022. Join the Wild Free Organic email newsletter!
There exists a phytochemical that dramatically improves digestion while also boosting the bioavailability and absorption of nutrients. It’s a potent anti-inflammatory, has neuroprotective effects, and can even reduce the toxicity of certain chemicals. With such a broad range of health effects, it almost seems too good to be true that piperine exists, and lucky for us it is 100% real and one of the main reasons why black pepper is the “king of spices” worldwide.
White pepper contains the greatest percentage of piperine
Piperine is the main active ingredient in black pepper, white in color and makes up 3-10% of a peppercorn by weight, and piperine is responsible for the pungency of black pepper. If the oxidized black skin of a peppercorn is removed, this creates what is known as white pepper, and white peppercorns have a greater percentage of piperine than black pepper does. This article examines the different uses of piperine, in particular its ability to dramatically enhance the bioavailability of certain chemicals like curcuminoids and psilocybin, and how to best supplement with piperine.
Piperine Health Benefits
Because piperine stimulates quite a few different pathways throughout the body, it has a wide range of health uses depending on what health issues are present and how it is dosed. The main health benefits of piperine are:
Increases bio-absorption of vitamins and trace elements
Improves digestion
Decreases fat accumulation
Antimicrobial
Effective against acute inflammation
Piperine ameliorates chronic mild stress
Stimulates anti-cancer pathways
Reduces the extent of toxicity for certain chemicals
Piperine is an inhibitor of MAO activity, which is a potential treatment path for depression, Parkinson’s disease, and Alzheimer’s disease. Piperine also can increase serotonin and dopamine levels under conditions of stress. Piperine’s effects on cancer, inflammatory diseases, and neurodegenerative diseases is still actively being researched into, and at this moment in time piperine is best known for it’s ability to enhance the absorption of other compounds like curcuminoids (antioxidant anti-inflammatories found in turmeric).
Together the digestive system and microbiome are the foundation of health from which everything else is dependent on.
The Holistic Gut Health Guide contains all the information you need to identify and understand the gastrointestinal and microbiome problems you may have while also providing you the most effective natural methods you can use to heal your gut. No gut health problems are unsolvable, give yourself every possible advantage along your gut health journey by reading an implementing the advice shared in the Holistic Gut Health Guide.
Some of the information in the Holistic Gut Health Guide isn’t common knowledge but when implemented it is highly effective in healing the gut and shifting the microbiome towards symbiosis. Give yourself every possible advantage along your gut health journey by reading an implementing the advice shared in the Holistic Gut Health Guide.
Piperine Curcumin Bioavailability Enhancement
Curcuminoids are the yellow to orange pigments found in turmeric. There are many different curcuminoids but the main and most common of them is curcumin. The issue with curcumin is that it has nearly zero physiological effects on the body if taken by itself because it has terrible bioavailability, measured at less than 1%. The bodies ability to absorb curcuminoids is limited due to its poor solubility in the aqueous phase of the digestive tract and what does reach the bloodstream is rapidly metabolized and excreted. A lot of time and effort has gone into increasing the absorption of curcumin, and piperine has proven to be one of the best ways to increase curcumin’s absorption and therefore increasing its health effects, the main ones of which are:
Antioxidant and anti-inflammatory
Anti-depressive and is neuroprotective
Dramatically reduces symptoms of osteoarthritis
Improves prostate health
Reduces inflammation of the digestive system
Piperine works synergistically with curcumin by inhibiting curcumin's rabid absorption by the liver and intestinal wall, thereby increasing the absorption of curcumin by 2000% (20x better). Now able to pass into the bloodstream in much greater quantities thanks to piperine, curcumin can circulate throughout the body and past the blood-brain barrier for much more powerful full body anti-inflammatory effects. It takes about one hour after supplementation for curcuminoids and piperine to reach max concentrations in the blood, and they are metabolized almost completely a few hours later.
Most studies that observed the bioavailability enhancing effects of piperine on curcumin used a ratio of 5 mg piperine to 500 mg curcumin, and as a result most supplements are formulated with the same ratio. New research is currently being done where the amount of piperine relative to curcumin is increased, and being considerate of all the health benefits piperine has of its own, increasing the ratio by 4x by supplementing with 500 mg curcumin and 20 mg piperine is worthwhile to try.
Piperine for Psilocybin Absorption
Because piperine has been shown to increase the ability of various phytochemicals (curcumin, green tea EGCG) to be absorbed into the blood stream, there is a growing interest in if piperine can aid in the absorption of other compounds like psilocybin. Psilocybin is a chemical produced by over 200 species of fungi that is water soluble and is biologically inactive. Once in the body though, psilocybin is rapidly metabolized into psilocin which creates psychedelic effects such as hallucinations, feelings of euphoria, changes in perceptions, and space/time distortions, and for these reason psilocybin is often used for spiritual journeys or in the treatment of mental illness.
Though good scientific evidence is very limited in regards to piperine’s ability to increased the absorption of psilocybin, mechanistically it should work as piperine in general increases gastrointestinal function and absorption ability. My personal anecdotal experience backs this up (N=1) as I’ve experimented with psilocybin using magic mushrooms while also taking some piperine. Piperine in theory is the perfect pair for psilocybin because it also has neurologic functions and can cross the blood-brain barrier like psilocin. Taking 1.5 grams of magic mushrooms paired with 25 mg of piperine increased the effect of the magic mushrooms noticably for me, to the point where it felt like I actually took about 2-2.5 grams of mushrooms. My experience in pairing piperine and psilocybin together is limited but it seems piperine makes magic mushrooms about 20-30% more potent simply by increasing the amount of psilocybin that successfully passes through the digestive system into the bloodstream.
Since psilocybin is water soluble, one effective way to use magic mushrooms is to powder them and stir that into a chamomile tea steeped in 170F water. Take the piperine supplement while drinking the tea.
Piperine for Medicinal Mushrooms
It’s also very likely that piperine increases the absorption and effect of medicinal mushrooms like reishi and cordyceps. Medicinal mushrooms have powerful immune-boosting and cognitive-enhancing health effects, and it’s worth keeping a piperine supplement on hand for use in boosting the absorption of herbal supplements like curcumin or medicinal mushrooms.
How to Supplement with Piperine Capsules
Piperine is one herbal supplement I always keep on hand because it enhances the absorption and actions of many other herbal supplements like turmeric and green tea. If herbal supplements do include piperine into their blend, it’s usually in amounts of 2-5 mg per serving, which is quite low. To supplement with piperine by itself or in conjunction with other herbals use 0.25-0.5 mg piperine per kg of bodyweight. A good starting dose is 10-25 mg.
Nootropics Depot Piperine
Nootropics Depot conveniently sells piperine extract in 10mg capsules. Piperine is highly sensitive and will degrade quickly when exposed to light, so supplementing with piperine in capsule form instead of with a powder is not only easier to dose but also lowers the amount of degradation that will occur due to light exposure.
The 10 mg capsules also make experimenting with piperine dosages quite easy. If interested start with 10 mg a few times and then increase to 20 mg or beyond. This is especially useful when digestive upset is being experienced. Consuming black pepper is one way to help ease digestive ailments, but it can be difficult to consume enough black pepper directly to be especially effective, but piperine can be supplemented at whatever 10 mg increment desired.
References:
Butt MS, Pasha I, Sultan MT, Randhawa MA, Saeed F, Ahmed W. Black pepper and health claims: a comprehensive treatise. Critical Reviews in Food Science and Nutrition. 2013;53(9):875-886. https://doi.org/10.1080/10408398.2011.571799
Rahman Khan Z, Moni F, Sharmin S, et al. Isolation of bulk amount of piperine as active pharmaceutical ingredient (Api) from black pepper and white pepper(<i>piper nigrum</i> l.). PP. 2017;08(07):253-262. https://doi.org/10.4236/pp.2017.87018
Shoba G, Joy D, Joseph T, Majeed M, Rajendran R, Srinivas PS. Influence of piperine on the pharmacokinetics of curcumin in animals and human volunteers. Planta Med. 1998;64(4):353-6.
Medical Disclaimer: All information, content, and material of this website is for informational purposes only and is not intended to serve as a substitute for the consultation, diagnosis, and/or medical treatment of a qualified physician or healthcare provider.
Disclosure: Wild Free Organic is a member of various affiliate programs and if a purchase is made through one of our affiliate links a small commission is received. This does not affect your purchase price. Visit our disclosure page for more information.
Turmeric Curcumin Bioavailability and Supplement Guide
Curcumin is the main active chemical of turmeric root and it is well-known for its many beneficial health effects, from reducing inflammation and improving gut health to enhancing cognition and ameliorating mental health issues. Curcumin has limited bioavailability in its raw state and therefore many different bioavailability enhancement measures have been developed, each with their strengths.
Article by Stefan Burns - Updated June 2022. Join the Wild Free Organic email newsletter!
Turmeric is a flowering plant (Curcuma longa) of the ginger family and the bright orange rhizome it grows is used as a spice, most notably in India. Turmeric has many medicinal properties due to it’s unique blend of essential oils, plant polyphenols, and it’s main active ingredient curcumin which is a pigment chemical that gives turmeric its bright orange color.
Turmeric and its main active ingredient curcumin have become popular supplements worldwide because of their anti-inflammatory, anti-cancer, and antioxidant capabilities (1). There are many different ways turmeric and curcumin supplements are formulated, and some formulations are more effective than others because of their superior bioavailability.
This turmeric and curcumin buyers guide discusses the health benefits of turmeric, the science of how to increase it’s bioavailability, and the characteristics the best turmeric and curcumin supplements share.
Whole turmeric rhizome, slices, and powder
What Are Turmeric Supplements Good For?
The different active compounds of turmeric are known as curcuminoids, and for thousands of years Ayurvedic and Tradition Chinese Medicine have held turmeric root in high esteem due to its healing properties. Turmeric and its curcuminoids are helpful for a variety of health conditions such as cognitive ailments, pain, poor digestive function, and diseases that are inflammation based. I recommend incorporating turmeric spice into the diet for a generalized heath benefit and to also keep a curcumin supplement readily available so it can be used whenever pain or inflammation is experienced in excess. Curcuminoids are especially excellent at relieving pain, such as joint pain, a headache, or generalized discomfort. For those with ongoing health conditions which curcuminoids would help with, using a turmeric and curcumin supplement daily is a safe and practical option.
The drawback to turmeric is curcuminoids are not very bioavailable under normal circumstances. There have been many different attempts made to find a way to increase the bioavailability of curcumin, and this has flooded the supplement market with different turmeric and curcumin formulations some of which are well formulated and effective, and others which will have minimal health effect.
Without reading the research papers directly, detailed information regarding how to best take turmeric and curcumin supplements is hard to find, and this comprehensive guide to turmeric/curcumin supplements solves that problem by explaining the different type of turmeric supplements that exist on the market, their bioavailability and effectiveness, and the health benefits different formulations have on different systems of the body.
Curcuminoids
Curcumin is the yellow to orange pigment found in turmeric. The more alkaline the curcumin the darker the color. Curcumin has a massive catalogue of studied health benefits (2). It's anti-inflammatory, anti-depressive, a minor antioxidant, dramatically reduces symptoms of osteoarthritis, improves prostate health, reduces mucositis, and so much more. Curcumin is one of the most well researched supplements known, and more is still being discovered. It is mostly the curcuminoids in turmeric that give turmeric its noted health benefits.
Most pure curcumin supplements consist of a blend of different types of curcuminoids, such as curcumin, bisdemethoxycurcumin (BMC), and demethoxycurcumin (DMC), which all together usually total around 500 - 750 mg per serving. When analyzed, curcumin is the dominant curcuminoid at 60%, with BMC and DMC coming in around ~20% each.
The issue is that curcumin has nearly zero physiological effects on the body if taken by itself. Like turmeric powder, curcumin has terrible bioavailability, measured at less than 1%. Curcumin’s bioavailability is limited due to its poor solubility in the aqueous phase of the digestive tract. The body also rapidly metabolizes and excretes it. Bioavailability is also different between the sexes, with women on average reaching double the blood concentrations of curcumin compared to men. The reason for this difference in bioavailability between the sexes is unknown.
To fix the bioavailability problem, scientists have various methods to increase the bioavailability of curcuminoids in the body, and supplement manufacturers have created different formulations based on these scientific studies.
Turmeric and Curcumin Bioavailability
The reason so many different types of turmeric and curcumin supplements exist is because turmeric isn’t highly bioavailable in the human body under normal circumstances. If taking a supplement consisting of pure turmeric powder and nothing else, only 1-2% of the curcuminoids that make up part of the turmeric spice will enter into the bloodstream. Curcuminoids make up about 6% of turmeric by dry weight, so if taking a 1000 mg turmeric supplement, then ~1mg of curcuminoids will enter into the bloodstream, an insignificant effect.
Curcumin’s bioavailability is limited due to its poor solubility in the aqueous phase of the digestive tract. Furthermore, curcuminoids are rapidly absorbed by the tissues of the digestive system, limiting their ability to enter into the bloodstream. The digestive system, particularly the small intestine, is under constant stress from having to digest food and being in contact with the microbiome, and as a result it’s inflamed to some degree. Curcuminoids being potent antioxidants and anti-inflammatory compounds are quickly absorbed by the tissues of the gut for their own use.
Bioavailability is also different between the sexes, with women on average reaching double the blood concentrations of curcumin compared to men. The reason for this difference in bioavailability between the sexes is unknown.
If interested in using turmeric for its digestive healing effects, then taking plain turmeric without any bioavailability enhancement is desirable because it will specifically target the tissues of the gastrointestinal system and little else.
If curcuminoids are able to enter into the bloodstream in large quantities, then they exert their antioxidant and anti-inflammatory effects throughout the body, reducing pain and inflammation and enhancing cognition.
Methods of Increasing Curcumin Bioavailability
Curcumin is the main active ingredient found in turmeric responsible for its potent health and wellness benefits. Increasing its bioavailability increases its medicinal effect. That said, other compounds exist in raw turmeric that are health promoting, such as turmeric essential oils. Extracting more curcuminoids from turmeric increases the potency of its health effects, but for the complete benefits of turmeric, whole turmeric must also be consumed. The methods below describe how curcumin bioavailability can be increased, but keep in mind that the most effective curcumin supplement will also be one that incorporates some portion of powdered turmeric into its formulation.
Turmeric Dual Spectrum X:1 Extract
One way to achieve the synergistic health effects of raw turmeric while still receiving enough curcuminoids is to take a turmeric supplement concentrated through extraction.
Extraction is used to refine and purify a product. An extract is prepared using alcohol or water, and at the end of the concentration process the resulting extract is more potent. Depending on the level of extraction, curcuminoids can be much more heavily concentrated or just lightly more concentrated. With the right extract formulation, it is possible to create a turmeric supplement which retains all of the beneficial compounds of the turmeric rhizome while still increasing the potency and concentration of the main active curcumin compounds.
Curcumin with Piperine Supplements
Piperine is an enzyme inhibitor found in black pepper, giving black pepper its iconic pungency, and it has been shown to increase the bio-availability of curcumin (and by extension, turmeric) by 20x (3). Piperine works synergistically with curcumin, inhibiting curcumin's rabid absorption by the liver and intestinal wall. This inhibition allows curcumin to circulate into the blood stream for full body anti-inflammatory effects. Curcuminoids and piperine together enter into the blood stream rapidly peaking sharply about an hour after ingestion before being fully metabolized about 2-3 hours later.
When used in supplements, piperine is most often listed as biopiperine. Most studies which have researched the effect of piperine on curcumin absorption have used 20 mg of piperine per 2 grams of curcumin, and most curcumin/piperine supplements use 5 mg of piperine per 500 mg of curcuminoids, which is the same ratio.
Piperine is a bioavailability enhancer for more than just curcuminoids, and it has it’s own long list of health benefits (gastrointestinal aid, cognitive enhancer, antioxidant and anti-inflammatory) that overlap quite a bit with curcumin. Ancient Ayurveda knew this, and it’s why black pepper and turmeric spice are paired together for some many dishes in India.
Nootropics Depot sells a curcumin + piperine supplement which contains 1000 mg of 95% standardized curcuminoids and 6 mg of piperine.
Micellar Curcumin Supplements
Micellar curcumin is a special type of curcumin supplement shown to have better bioavailability that curcumin paired with piperine. Curcumin is a lipophilic molecule, meaning it is poorly water soluble, and that in large part is why curcumin is so poorly bioavailable. A micelle as shown to the left is a collection of lipid (fat) molecules that can simultaneously interact with water and lipids.
When curcuminoids are encapsulated in micelles, their ability to enter into the bloodstream skyrockets, and they stay active in the body for much longer
Through a special chemical process, curcumin molecules can be contained inside micelles. Protected by the micelles which are able to interact with water soluble materials and membranes, the curcumin is much more easily transported though the digestive system and into the blood stream.
Micellar curcumin is incredibly bioavailable (4), more so than curcumin taken with piperine, and curcumin concentrations in the blood stream stay elevated for up to a day as compared to a few hours with curcumin and piperine supplements. This approach to increase curcumin bioavailable is completely independent of enzyme inhibition which is how piperine works.
Because the addition of micelles increases the bioavailability of curcumin so dramatically, its health effects can be too potent at times, and caution is recommended. In a study measuring micellar curcumin’s bioavailability (4), the researchers took note of the side effects observed. Out of 13 women and 10 men total, 7 women and 3 men experienced mild nausea. Since curcumin is ~2x more bioavailable in women in men, we’d speculate that more women experienced nausea than men because they received too much curcumin. 1 woman even vomited! The nausea prevalent with use of micellar curcumin did not occur when those same men and women used the other two formulations (Micronized Curcumin and Meriva® type formulation). Unless you have a serious health condition that would benefit from all day elevated curcumin blood levels, I would stick to the safer and more widely available curcumin with piperine supplements.
Nootropics Depot sells a Longvida curcumin supplement which uses micellular technology to dramatically increase the bioavailability of curcuminoids.
Micronized Curcumin Supplements
Micronized curcumin is effectively “crystallized” curcumin. The method one study used to create micronized curcumin involved mixing 25% curcumin powder with 58.3% triacetin (an anti-fungal) and 16.7% panodan (an emulsifier) and spraying and soaking the solution onto porous silicon dioxide crystals (basically glass, inactive physiologically) (5). The resulting micronized curcumin powder contained ~15% curcumin.
Micronized curcumin was found to be 9x more bioavailable than regular standardized curcumin averaged between men and women. Micronized curcumin was also shown to be more bioavailable in women compared to men. Compared to regular curcumin, the micronized version was more bioavailable, but still less so than curcumin with piperine.
Micronizing curcumin is a complex process which uses a lot of chemicals, and I would stay away from micronized curcumin supplements for these reasons.
Curcumin with Turmeric Essential Oils Supplements
As discussed, it is turmeric/curcumin’s poor water solubility that negatively affects its bioavailability. When taken with fats, curcumin’s bioavailability improves.
It is also usually the case that when an herb or root with medicinal properties is taken in its original whole form a type of entourage effect occurs. With the entourage effect, the secondary compounds which are normally standardized out can now contribute to and boost the overall health effect, and the benefits of supplements that take this into account this holistic nature are broader in their beneficial medicinal effect.
The essential oils found within the turmeric root are some of those secondary compounds, and it’s been shown that when standardized curcumin is taken with turmeric essential oils the bioavailability of curcumin improves significantly (6). This increase in bioavailability is because of the synergistic effect these plant compounds exhibit, and also the fact that the essential oils add fat to the supplement, aiding assimilation into the blood stream.
One formulation that employs this tactic is known as BCM-95 (Biocurcumax), and it’s been shown to be 7x more bioavailable than standard curcumin (7). BCM-95 is more bioavailable than curcumin with piperine, and with piperine added to a BCM-95 curcumin formulation, I think the bioavailability would be improved even further, possibly rivaling or surpassing the bioavailability of micellar curcumin due to the entourage effect.
Curcumin with Emulsifiers (lecithins)
Emulsifiers such as lecithins have also been used in an effort to increase the bioavailability of curcumin. The idea is that the emulsifiers help to carry the curcumin through the gut and into the bloodstream. Meriva is one such formulation, and overall bioavailability is improved compared to just curcumin, but not by much. In one study, a reference dose of 1800 mg of standardized curcuminoids, was compared to a Meriva formulation (8). Compared to the reference dose, the Meriva formulation was 5.5x more potent and stayed in the bloodstream for longer. Interestingly, the Meriva formulation dramatically boosted the bioavailability of demethoxycurcumin (DMC), a less prominent curcuminoid.
The specific physiological effects of just DMC are not well studied yet, and it is unknown why the addition of lecithins to standardized curcuminoids dramatically increases the bioavailability of DMC compared to the other curcuminoids.
Fermented Turmeric Supplements
Fermented turmeric is yet another supplement type. During fermentation curcumin is metabolized by bacteria into a different yet similar compound called tetrahydrocurcumin (THCC). Typically chemical reactions result in more stable compounds, and it’s been observed that THCC is more stable than curcumin. Likely as a result of it’s increased stability, THCC has a longer half-life of 323 minutes in plasma versus 111 minutes for curcumin.
One study which measured the effect of fermented turmeric observed that 36 hours of fermentation using Aspergillus oryzae at 25°C reduced regular curcumin levels from 2.0 mg/g to 0.79 mg/g (9). The reduction in curcumin in fermented turmeric is offset by the creation of THCC, though the exact ratios of how fermentation converts curcumin to tetrahydrocurcumin is unknown.
With rats, tetrahydrocurcumin appears to be more bioavailable than curcumin (10). In general its been observed that rats absorb curcumin much easier than humans. Like curcumin, THCC was found to primarily be absorbed by the intestine and liver. No studies have been performed measuring tetrahydrocurcumin’s bioavailability in humans or rats when paired with piperine or encapsulated in micelles.
Fermented turmeric is highly experimental and as of now it’s medicinal effects are poorly quantified. Fermented turmeric doesn’t appear to be unsafe in any way considering normal usage, but the effects on your body are not well researched. Below are two non-comprehensive lists laid out in layman’s terms outlining some of the benefits of curcumin over THCC, and vice versa. Nootropics Depot sells a Curowhite curcumin supplement which is standardized to 25% to contain dura, hexa, and octa curcuminoids.
Curcumin Benefits over Tetrahydrocurcumin:
Curcumin was more effective than THCC in preventing skin tumors in mice
Curcumin was more effective than THCC as an antioxidant
Curcumin induced apoptosis (cellular death) of leukemia cells but THCC did not
Curcumin, but not THCC, was effective in reducing amyloid plaque burden and amyloid aggregation (think Alzheimers)
Curcumin, but not THCC, inhibited Ca(2+) influx through CRAC for activating immune cells
Curcumin, but not THCC, inhibited entry of hepatitis C virus genotypes into human liver cells
Curcumin inhibited type A influenza virus infection to a greater extent than THCC by interfering with viral hemagglutination activity (red blood cell clumping)
Tertahydrocurcumin Benefits over Curcumin:
THCC was more active than curcumin as an antioxidant
THCC was more active than curcumin for suppression of LDL oxidation
THCC was equal to curcumin in potency for suppression of histamine release
THCC was more active than curcumin in normalizing blood glucose and improvement of altered carbohydrate metabolic enzymes in diabetic animals
THCC was more active than curcumin in increasing plasma insulin in diabetic rats
THCC was more active than curcumin for antidiabetic and antihyperlipidemic (blood lipid lowering) effects
THCC was more active than curcumin in a hepatoprotective role in CCL4-induced liver damage in rats and alcoholic liver disease model rats
THCC was more active than curcumin as an antihypertensive
Comparing Curcumin Supplement Effectiveness
Below are the different well studied curcumin supplements compared across three markers, Cmax, AUC, and Tmax.
Cmax is the peak concentration reached in blood plasma, expressed in nmol/L.
AUC (area under the curve) is the concentration in blood plasma over time, expressed as nmol/L * H
Tmax is the time it took to reach Cmax. Higher values for Cmax and AUC are typically better.
A lower value for Tmax is preferred if you are looking for a fast acting curcumin supplement for immediate pain relief. A higher Tmax value indicates a broader effect.
Cmax (nmol/L)
7.1 - 2g Curcumin
41.6 - 410mg Micronized Curcumin
489 - 2g Curcumin, 20mg Piperine
1240 - 2g BCM-95®
1765 - 297mg Meriva
3228 - 410mg Micellar Curcumin
AUC (nmol/L * H)
65.6 - 2g Curcumin (measured for 24 hours)
217.2 - 2g Curcumin, 20mg Piperine (measured to zero after 3 hours)
582.7 - 410mg Micronized Curcumin (measured for 24 hours)
1460.4 - 297mg Meriva (measured for 24 hours)
8690 - 2g BCM-95® (measured for 8 hours)
12147.7 - 410mg Micellar Curcumin (measured for 24 hours)
Tmax (H - hours)
0.69 - 2g Curcumin, 20mg Piperine
1.1 - 410mg Micellar Curcumin
3.0 - 2g BCM-95
3.8 - 297mg Meriva
7.5 - 2g Curcumin
7.5 - 410mg Micronized Curcumin
If choosing a turmeric/curcumin supplement based purely off of the blood markers above, micellar curcumin is the clear winner, with the BCM-95 formulation coming in second and the Meriva formulation coming in third.
There are other important considerations besides just Cmax and AUC values though. Anytime a drug, supplement, or food is ingested, body chemistry is altered. Care must be taken when taking supplements, as too much of even a good thing can have negative health effects. Take for example that curcumin strongly activates AMPK (adenosine monophosphate-activated protein kinase), an very important enzyme which governs metabolism (aka fat oxidation or fat storage).
With micellar curcumin, curcumin concentrations in the blood are elevated very strongly and for a long time, overly activating AMPK and other systems throughout the body. If using a curcumin supplement everyday as many people do, using a micellar curcumin supplement will strongly influence AMPK 24/7, and over a long duration the effect this will have hasn’t been studied yet. Positive or negative, the effects are currently unknown. The high reports of nausea from the use of micellar curcumin is also troubling. With a supplement to be used often, exerting caution is always the best approach. Start conservatively, gauge how it affects your body, both physiologically and psychologically, and tweak the dosing from there.
Micellar curcumin was the front runner based on having the highest Cmax and AUC values, but with these concerns noted, I recommend a more conservative approach, and a curcumin formulation that is more holistic in nature.
Where to Buy Curcumin Supplements
After studying into the health benefits of curcumin and how its bioavailability can be increased, the best marketplace I have found for curcumin supplements is Nootropics Depot. They carry three different types of curcumin supplement, each having their unique bioavailability differences which are worth trying separately.
Curcumin + Piperine Capsules
The standard curcumin supplement they sell is a blend of 1000 mg of 95% standardized curcuminoids and 6 mg piperine derived from black pepper. This is a good curcumin supplement that is readily bioavailable and can be used for a wide range of purposes, from treating headaches to joint pain or to boost metabolism.
Longvida Curcumin Supplement
Nootropics Depot also carries a Longvida curcumin supplement. Longvida curcumin has been coated in a blend of highly purified fatty acids and phospholipids, which increases greatly increases curcuminoid bioavailability into the bloodstream. Each capsule contains 400 mg of the Longvida opimized curcumin extract.
Curowhite Curcumin Supplement
Lastly Nootropics Depot carries a Curowhite curcumin supplement which is a blend of tetra, hexa, and octa-curcuminoids standardized to at least 25%. These hydrogenated curcuminoids have differing effects physiologically than regular curcuminoids and are worth experimenting with.
1-2 servings of the any of the curcumin supplements sold by Nootopics Depot will be enough to use for digestive relief, pain relief, headaches, inflammatory diseases, and for general health and wellness purposes.
Mountain Rose Herbs also sells a variety of turmeric products, from the rhizome itself to different supplements and teas.
References:
Hewlings SJ, Kalman DS. Curcumin: A Review of Its' Effects on Human Health. Foods. 2017;6(10)
Kamal Patel. Curcumin. Examine
Shoba G, Joy D, Joseph T, Majeed M, Rajendran R, Srinivas PS. Influence of piperine on the pharmacokinetics of curcumin in animals and human volunteers. Planta Med. 1998;64(4):353-6.
Schiborr C, Kocher A, Behnam D, Jandasek J, Toelstede S, Frank J. The oral bioavailability of curcumin from micronized powder and liquid micelles is significantly increased in healthy humans and differs between sexes. Mol Nutr Food Res. 2014;58(3):516-27.
Schiborr C, Kocher A, Behnam D, Jandasek J, Toelstede S, Frank J. The oral bioavailability of curcumin from micronized powder and liquid micelles is significantly increased in healthy humans and differs between sexes. Mol Nutr Food Res. 2014;58(3):516-27.
US Patent 7883728B2
Antony B, Merina B, Iyer VS, Judy N, Lennertz K, Joyal S. A Pilot Cross-Over Study to Evaluate Human Oral Bioavailability of BCM-95CG (Biocurcumax), A Novel Bioenhanced Preparation of Curcumin. Indian J Pharm Sci. 2008;70(4):445-9.
Cuomo J, Appendino G, Dern AS, et al. Comparative absorption of a standardized curcuminoid mixture and its lecithin formulation. J Nat Prod. 2011;74(4):664-9.
Kim SW, Ha KC, Choi EK, et al. The effectiveness of fermented turmeric powder in subjects with elevated alanine transaminase levels: a randomised controlled study. BMC Complement Altern Med. 2013;13:58.
Pianpumepong Plangpin, Et al. Study on enhanced absorption of phenolic compounds of Lactobacillus‐fermented turmeric (Curcuma longa Linn.) beverages in rats. International Journal of Food Science & Technology 47(11). November 2012.
Medical Disclaimer: All information, content, and material of this website is for informational purposes only and is not intended to serve as a substitute for the consultation, diagnosis, and/or medical treatment of a qualified physician or healthcare provider.
Disclosure: Wild Free Organic is a member of various affiliate programs and if a purchase is made through one of our affiliate links a small commission is received. This does not affect your purchase price. Visit our disclosure page for more information.
Other Articles on Natural Supplements
How to Cleanse the Microbiome
The microbiome is a collection of microorganisms that exist at the cellular level and are incredibly important to life. When the microbiome of a person or environment becomes out of balance and diseased, cleansing the microbiome restores health and proper symbiotic function. A one day microbiome cleanse is an efficient way to cleanse an internal and external microbiome all at once.
Article by Stefan Burns - Updated July 2022. Join the Wild Free Organic email newsletter!
For proper hygiene and health, it is good to occasionally cleanse the microbiome. The microbiome are all the microorganisms that live in the environment, on the body, and inside the body. The microbiome is incredibly important for life to exist, being life at a smaller scale, and when the microbiome becomes disorderly for best wellness it should be cleansed carefully.
The microbiome can be cleaned to a large degree in one day, and if you feel your microbiome requires a cleansing then set aside sufficient time to follow these steps. Each step has a point value, and at the end total up the points from each step you completed to see how rigorous your microbiome cleanse was, and how it can improve next time it’s done.
Full Skin Microbiome Clean
Step One | 1 Hour | 10 points
There are a few ways to clean the skin. The most common methods are with a shower or bath. If a natural pool of water is available, a scrub-down there qualifies. If dry sand or clay is available, or a rough dry towel, a dry scrub also qualifies. A hot sauna or steam room followed by a shower and/or toweling off is another excellent way to cleanse the skin.
Each way of cleaning the skin and its microbiome will be different in effect. It’s good to clean the skin in a variety of ways at different frequencies.
Here is a typical way to proceed with a full skin microbiome cleanse:
Run a shower with warm water
Blow the nose out and wash the face with soap
Lather the hair with a natural shampoo (I mix aloe vera gel, liquid soap, and tea tree oil)
Scrub the full body and all parts with soap
Rinse the head using your fingers, massage the scalp
Dry towel off and vigorously scrub the skin of any imperfections
Apply aloe vera and essential oils to any location that could use some healing
Q-tip the ears
Consider using an agent like bentonite clay to help. Bentonite clay can be added to bath water, or it can made into a mud and applied to the face or anywhere on the skin. As the clay dries it will pull together and tighten the skin it’s on. Bentonite clay can be made into a mud with water or a dilution of apple cider vinegar.
BONUS | Sauna 10-20 minutes | 5 points
Perform heat/cold therapy by alternating using a sauna and/or steam room with a cold shower or cold plunge. 10 minutes in the sauna followed by a 5 minute cold shower done twice is my standard way to performing heat/cold therapy.
Heat/Cold Therapy Benefits
Acutely stresses the circulatory system and increases its performance
Flushes toxins and excess electrolytes from the skin via sweat
Activates heat and cold shock proteins which exert anti-inflammatory and longevity effects
Strengthens the metabolism and energy systems of the body
Note - Be careful performing heat therapy if you have low blood pressure.
Wash Mouth
Step Two | 10 Minutes | 5 points
Scrap the tongue of biofilm and flush away. Brush teeth with a natural toothpaste containing ingredients like peppermint oil, bentonite clay, silica, baking soda. Floss in-between teeth and finish with a gargle of lightly salted water.
Wash All Clothes
Step Three | 1 Hour | 5 points
In-between the various tasks of the day wash all dirty clothes. When interacting with the environment, whether this is with others or not, clothes will pick up and carry some of the microbiome encountered. Wearing clothes overtime exposes you to this microbiome. Washing clothes often and well is an important part of cleansing the microbiome because after the complete wash done in step 1, wearing clean clothes afterwards won’t reseed the microbiome of the past back onto your skin.
Cleansing the microbiome can be thought of as pulling the vines off a tree. Ivy or kudzu growing at the base of a tree climbs up with time becomes suffocating to the tree. Cutting the vines at the trunk and removing the roots of the vines at the base of the tree sever the connection between the heavy ivy at the top of the tree and the nutrients they need from the soil. The ivy up in the tree might stay green for a while, but eventually it will die off and the tree is cleaned of an burdensome influences. Cleansing the microbiome for optimal health is the same way.
The cycles of microbiome seeding from the environment and others can be cut off through actions like washing or fasting, and when this is done, the endogenous symbiotic microbiome that has existed in your body since birth can establish itself strongly.
A natural soap recipe that I use for washing clothes is as follows:
2 bars Fels-Naptha
1 1/2 cups baking soda
1 1/2 cups borax
Cut the Fels-Naptha and grind it into a powder with the borax and baking soda. Scoop into a laundry machine as normal.
Reset The Air
Step Four | 1 Hour to 1 Day | 10 Points
Though in very low percentages, microorganisms live and float in the air. If the air in the living space is “thick” and hasn’t been aired out recently, then it will carry more microbiome and viruses than it could otherwise. Bringing fresh air from nature into the environment will cleanse the microbiome of the air. Smudging with sage also will clean air of microorganisms.
Open all windows for at least 1 hour, better would be for all day
Dust the area
Remove any air polluters. This could include trash, food waste, unclean bathrooms, a litter box, etc.
Clean and/or replace air filters
Grow plants in the living space, they naturally purify air over time
Clean the Living Space
Step Five | Time Variable | 15 points
Cleaning the living space, especially the kitchen and bathroom, is a very important way of cleansing the microbiome. Food contains a rich microbiome that originated in its home environment, and the bathroom contains the output microbiome from that food after being processed by the body. Wiping surfaces clean of all marks, discolorations, and gunk will ensure that any microbiome that lives on those surfaces will be extremely minimal as there will be no large food source available nearby.
Cleaning a Bathroom
Scrub a toilet clean with a cup of borax, flush and then clean the bowl again with a natural soap like Dr. Bronner’s.
Wipe all surfaces with a natural cleaner like white vinegar, a dilute soap, baking soda, or borax.
Clean mirror with a rag and disinfectant so no visible marks exist on the mirror’s surface
Clean the bowl of the bathroom sink
Scrub the floor and shower/bathtub with baking soda, borax, or bleach.
Cleaning a Kitchen
Remove all unused food from the refrigerator, wipe all surfaces clean
Clean all kitchen counters
Remove all food from the pantry causes gastrointestinal issues
Sweep the floor
Note - If caustic chemicals are used, wear the appropriate safety gear to stay protected.
Fasting
Step Six | 24 hours | 20 Points
Not eating any food will apply an evolutionary pressure on the internal microbiome causing all microorganisms that cannot subsist without immediately available energy to die. Symbiotic gut microorganisms that are hardy and are comfortable slowly digesting fiber, protein, and tough plant matter for energy will survive a 24 hour fast, and after the refeed meal they will repopulate the gut in greater numbers improving digestion of food in the future. A 24 hour fast is best scheduled from dinner to dinner. The last dinner eaten before a fast should contain ample fiber, protein, fats, and greens.
Example pre 24 hour fast dinner:
Roasted butternut squash or sweet potato
Serving of protein (like tempeh, wild cooked fish, grass fed meat)
Salad or sautéed vegetables (like swiss chard, garlic, onions)
1 cup of kombucha
If dinner is eaten at 6 pm, then waking up at 8 am the following morning means 14 hours of fasting is already complete!
Drinking herbal teas throughout the fast will increase the rate of healing for the tissues of the gut and apply more pressure to the microbiome to symbiotically adapt.
Peppermint tea is a wonderful digestive aid that helps with all manner of gastrointestinal issues from gas and bloating to IBS and food intolerances.
Green tea increases metabolism and contains potent antioxidant chemicals known as catechins. These green tea polyphenols are rapidly absorbed by the tissues of the gut and react with free radicals, reducing inflammation.
Gut supplements can also be taken with a fast to increase it’s efficacy. Piperine is derived from black pepper and it’s a cure-all for the digestive system, increasing mucus and acid production while neutralizing free radicals. Piperine also normalizes gut motility and has antimicrobial properties.
Herbal supplement blends consisting or oregano oil, wormwood, clove, and black walnut hull together are a gentle yet potent antimicrobial that if used over time removes parasites from the body. The easiest way to supplement with these four herbs together is by using the premade supplement SCRAM. Follow the dosing instructions on the bottle for full effect, but in the context of a one day microbiome cleanse, 10 pills taken at once with water or tea will be effective.
Stay well hydrated and break the fast with the same meal that was eaten 24 hours prior. Resume normal dietary practices afterwards, or if the digestive system is in need of a greater therapeutic healing, follow a foodfasting protocol.
If the fast cannot be successfully completed due to low energy midway through, then their are two options. A nutrient dense snack like pumpkin seeds can be eaten until energy levels return to normal, or if more energy is required, the fast can be broken immediately with the dinner originally planned.
Snacking on pumpkin seeds during a fast is an excellent option because they contain important nutrients like iron, zinc, magnesium, healthy fats, protein, and fiber. Pumpkin seeds are digested easily and are antimicrobial and anti-parasitic as well.
The One Day Microbiome Cleanse
Calculate your microbiome cleansing score using the chart below:
0 - 10 points | Mini microbiome cleaning 👅
10 - 30 points | Microbiome improvements were made 🧼
30 - 50 points | New microbiome environment established 🧹
50 - 70 points | Complete microbiome cleanse ✨
If you did all of the steps above including the heat/cold therapy bonus then congratulations, you were successful in successfully cleansing your internal and external microbiome! With less pathogens in the environment your health and wellness should improve.
There exists a strong connection between the microbiome and behavior of a person. Performing a microbiome cleanse is another way of cleansing the energy of a space and purifying your internal energy. While performing the cleanse grow and foster positive thoughts that encourage joy, happiness, compassion, faith, confidence, and success. Use a one day microbiome cleanse as a way to cultivate wellness and hygiene habits that keep you and others healthy and safe. Life is continuously changing, so having an occasional microbiome cleanse day is a great way to keep the vines off the tree 😉
Together the digestive system and microbiome are the foundation of health from which everything else is dependent on.
The Holistic Gut Health Guide contains all the information you need to identify and understand the gastrointestinal and microbiome problems you may have while also providing you the most effective natural methods you can use to heal your gut. No gut health problems are unsolvable, give yourself every possible advantage along your gut health journey by reading an implementing the advice shared in the Holistic Gut Health Guide.
Some of the information in the Holistic Gut Health Guide isn’t common knowledge but when implemented it is highly effective in healing the gut and shifting the microbiome towards symbiosis. Give yourself every possible advantage along your gut health journey by reading an implementing the advice shared in the Holistic Gut Health Guide.
Medical Disclaimer: All information, content, and material of this website is for informational purposes only and is not intended to serve as a substitute for the consultation, diagnosis, and/or medical treatment of a qualified physician or healthcare provider.
Disclosure: Wild Free Organic is a member of various affiliate programs and if a purchase is made through one of our affiliate links a small commission is received. This does not affect your purchase price. Visit our disclosure page for more information.
Gut Health for Strength Training
Muscle can be built and strength gained when in a caloric surplus. If the digestive system processes food poorly, then restoring proper "zero-waste" digestive function ensures any food eaten contributes to the goal of continuous lean body mass growth and strength adaptations. This article describes how to have a healthy gut in a food surplus.
To Grow, you need to Eat
Article by Stefan Burns - Updated July 2022. Join the Wild Free Organic email newsletter!
More calories need to be consumed than expended to increase lean body mass and muscle. Physical strength can increase slowly when metabolism is in homeostasis, and to gain strength at a faster rate eating 500 more calories daily will grow useful lean body mass.
So after deciding to make strength training a primary endeavor for health, it’s a known requirement to eat 250 - 500 calories per day in surplus. This additional load of food requires greater work from the gastrointestinal system, and therefore more gut stress is likely to be experienced.
The equation for increasing strength and building muscle by increasing dietary consumption is further complicated by how well food is digested.
All food eaten is processed perfectly efficiently (100% nutrients captured)
Food processed with occasional waste (25% not captured)
Food processed with constantly inefficiency (50%)
Food processed poorly (75%)
Zero useful processing (diarrhea) or intake of calories (fasting).
If food isn’t being digested efficiently, then even if calories are consumed in excess for building muscle and strength, those calories and nutrients won’t be utilized by the body and stagnation will occur. It’s rare to be at 100% perfect food absorption or zero food absorption, and most people because of their gut health are somewhat wasteful and inefficient at absorbing everything they eat.
When the goal is to building muscle and strength, and digestion inefficiency is an unknown, then it becomes very difficult to calibrate how much extra food must be eaten to be absorbing the nutrients needed in slight excess for healthy lean body mass to be added. On top of that, if digestion is inefficient and therefore the 250-500 extra calories aren’t absorbed as desired, then if even more food is eaten in order to offset digestive inefficiency, then digestive inefficiency usually will increase even more. It’s a blurry line that makes the whole situation complicated, and it’s for this reason that having good gut health is a prerequisite for any proper strength training cycle to be successful.
Ectomorphs or hardgainers, people who struggle to gain weight yet eat a lot of food, most typically blame their lack of results on an extremely fast metabolism, and there is some truth to that, but the bigger causal factor is usually poor gut health or exaggerated food intake.
Tip - Healing the gut often will heal adrenal fatigue
How to Heal the Digestive System
The first and most important goal with wellness is to be healthy. If you’re very weak to the point of detriment, then strength training improves overall wellness.
When sticking to the goal of maximum wellness and understanding the dynamics of eating on overall anabolism it becomes clear why healing the gut is the first step in pursuing any muscle building endeavors. Once the gut is healthy and processing food consistently at above a 90% efficiency, then a serious strength training routine can be started.
Exercise is acutely stressful on the body, and it is this stress that helps stimulate the body to adapt by growing muscle and getting stronger. Exercise stress also stresses the digestive system, as exercises places a lot of force onto the muscles and tissues of the core. If the digestive system is already functioning poorly and high-intensity exercise is placed on the body, gut health decreases even further and the systemic inflammatory load is to great for adequate recovery to occur.
With a healthy and well-functioning digestive system, systemic inflammation that exercise transiently creates is resisted and nullified with normal rest and recovery. Turmeric and curcumin supplements, cannabis (CBD/THC), and piperine (derived from black pepper), all have anti-inflammatory properties that target the digestive system can also help lessen the impact of exercise stress on the gut. In addition to those useful herbs and supplements, there are a few main factors at play that determine gut health. In a loose order of importance:
The state of the microbiome (diseased or symbiotic)
Food eating behaviors
Eating food allergens (creates massive inflammation)
Food state of matter (unprocessed to super processed)
Diversity of foods eaten (eat all the colors!)
Macronutrient ratios
Too many added sugars are bad
Not enough fiber is bad
Low fat and low protein diets are suboptimal for most
Dietary consistency (are consistent nutrients being eaten weekly?)
All these factors are important for gut heath, and if they are all not in order or functioning for an individual’s biologic needs, then there is a weakness in the diet, digestive system, and metabolism that ultimately needs to be resolved.
If more than 1 or 2 of these requirements for a well-functioning digestive system are out of balance, then it will take time, willpower, and strategy to restore gut health to optimal. Fixing one or two issues at a time in order of importance until all issues have been dealt with is the best way to proceed.
Through my own personal 10 year experience in healing my gut from a state of disease to function, I have learned how to do this, and I have written about gut health as a result.
Once the digestive system is healthy, chronic inflammation from the gut is reduced to normal levels (the normal rigors of digestion), allowing the immune and hormone systems to properly function once again. At this point the body is well primed for a strength-training program can be followed for many months or possibly years with the goal of increasing lean body mass and strength.
I have written a six month strength training routine for people who are ready to begin strength training to follow. Month one starts with full body workouts and then progresses in complexity from there. Growth enhancing methods like the Cistanche Cholesterol Protocol can also then be cycled on and off at maximum effect.
Gut Health for Strength Training
It’s important to exercise, from activities such as walking, hiking, and gardening to more vigorous activity such as lifting weights at a gym. If the digestive system is poorly functioning and the microbiome isn’t improving digestion, then stressing the body further with excessive ego-driven exercise will be a huge wellness setback. It is not recommended to completely stop exercising, but the frequency, volume, and intensity of exercise should be reduced to a beneficial baseload that allows the body to heal from other hurts.
If you are an intermediate to advanced trainee, then shifting gears to healing the gut for the long-term benefits can result in a loss of some muscle and strength in the short-term. Once the digestive system is healed and properly functioning though, when strength-training frequency and intensity is increased again, muscle memory kicks in quickly and strength and muscle quickly return. With a healthy digestive system, new muscle and central nervous system adaptations can be built at maximum efficiency and in the shortest amount of time.
Together the digestive system and microbiome are the foundation of health from which everything else is dependent on.
The Holistic Gut Health Guide contains all the information you need to identify and understand the gastrointestinal and microbiome problems you may have while also providing you the most effective natural methods you can use to heal your gut. No gut health problems are unsolvable, give yourself every possible advantage along your gut health journey by reading an implementing the advice shared in the Holistic Gut Health Guide.
Some of the information in the Holistic Gut Health Guide isn’t common knowledge but when implemented it is highly effective in healing the gut and shifting the microbiome towards symbiosis. Give yourself every possible advantage along your gut health journey by reading an implementing the advice shared in the Holistic Gut Health Guide.
Medical Disclaimer: All information, content, and material of this website is for informational purposes only and is not intended to serve as a substitute for the consultation, diagnosis, and/or medical treatment of a qualified physician or healthcare provider.
Disclosure: Wild Free Organic is a member of various affiliate programs and if a purchase is made through one of our affiliate links a small commission is received. This does not affect your purchase price. Visit our disclosure page for more information.
Microbiome and Behavior
There is a bidirectional connection between the microbiome and food behaviors. An unhealthy pathogenic microbiome can feed itself through behavioral patterning of its host, and a healthy symbiotic microbome can likewise encourage beneficial feeding behaviors for itself and its host. The state of the microbiome determines whether you have crave healthy or junk foods. Fasting can reset this system.
Article by Stefan Burns - Updated July 2022. Join the Wild Free Organic email newsletter!
If I may usurp the microbiome throne, I would bring attention to the profound effect toggling nutrients on/off has on the human microbiome. A microbiome is a characteristic microbial community which lives in a reasonably well-defined habitat with distinct physio-chemical properties (1). Without an influx of nutrients, microbiomes cannot exist.
Fasting, this is refraining from all nutrition besides water for a length of time, is capable of completly reversing gut dsybiosis and restoring proper digestive function. Fasting is our normal physiological state in-between feeding, and the longer you go without nutrition in any form, the more pronounced effects from fasting you feel. For example the lining of the intestines, the epilithium, heals increadibly fast by up to 20% a day, when their is little-to-zero lumen in the gut.
The human body and mind require nutrition to function, and it is important for overall wellness to stay well fed with ample micronutrients, macronutrients, and other more exoctic compounds like phytonutrients. That said, solving gut dysbiosis solely through dietary and supplemental measures will be inefficient compared to methods which incorperate toggling nutrients on/off. To heal, the body requires it, and additionally microorganisms multiple increadibly fast, and can survive without nutrition themselves for some length of time. Those pathogens survive even longer if they have eroded away the muscus lining of the gut and establismed biofilms. A period of fasting can completely eliminate pathogens, biofilms, and parasites faster than it can completely eliminate the symbiotic microorganisms we want preserved. With a nutrient dense refeed schedule of the same length of the fast after the fast, no new pathogens will be introduced into the microbiome while the body reuptakes nutrients and symbionts establish new territory and multiple.
We know that their exists a bidirectional gut-brain connection wired by the nervous, blood, and endocannabinoid system. The microbiome can trigger the vagus nerve and cause behavior adjustements to the brain (2). Likewise the brain can choose which foods to eat which determine the composition of the microbiome. With a healthy microbiome, the triggering of the vagus nerve might manifest as a thought or feeling to eat vegetables or for something else you body is deficient in, such as fiber, fats, and micronutrients. When the microbiome is pathogenic, you might feel triggered to eat unhealthily, or perhaps you experience food cravings. With enough self-consciousness, it is possible to ignore this behavioral commands from the microbiome, which wants to be fed with what it wants most, and instead make an informed decision on what is best to do for your overall wellness. But when awareness is not present, then thoughts can turn into actions and be repeated into behaviors. To use a metaphor, a microbiome that triggers the brain for low nutrient quality food, has effectively compromised the central processing unit of a computer with a virus.
The most effective way to reset the gut-brain connection is to reset the digestive system. A 48-hour fast will eliminate nearly all pathogens, and with a proper refeed schedule, the microbiome can evolve to synergism. This work also requires behavioral resets, for long term gut health success cannot be had without addressing this aspect of the problem. During a fast, behavior can be reset to a more holisitic mindset as low-quality triggers are removed and replaced. For behavioral resetting, the refeed after a fast is critically important, as it is also in refeeding the body after a period of zero nutrient intake.
High calorie foods, fruits, and vegetables that are all gentle on the stomach are best. Avocados and coconut are excellent in being very nutrient dense, while fruits and vegetables provide many micronutrients in addition to paired carbs and fibers. The refeed schedule should be as long as the fast that is undertaken, with an understanding that the longer the fast the more impressive the results will likely be but all the more important it is to follow a proper refeed.
With willpower and following precise instructions, the well-grooved signals from the vagus nerve firing for junk food can be easily ignored, as new more beneficial pathways between the brain and symbionic microbiome develop. Reseting behaviors and creating new habits requires time, and any loose signals from pathogens which slip through successfully could led to the feeding they require for survival. The trick in eliminating gut dsybiosis is to make sure you understand the human mind and behavior. Just as important as the gut health protocol being followed is the behavioral protocol that needs to be assigned.
Together the digestive system and microbiome are the foundation of health from which everything else is dependent on.
The Holistic Gut Health Guide contains all the information you need to identify and understand the gastrointestinal and microbiome problems you may have while also providing you the most effective natural methods you can use to heal your gut. No gut health problems are unsolvable, give yourself every possible advantage along your gut health journey by reading an implementing the advice shared in the Holistic Gut Health Guide.
Some of the information in the Holistic Gut Health Guide isn’t common knowledge but when implemented it is highly effective in healing the gut and shifting the microbiome towards symbiosis. Give yourself every possible advantage along your gut health journey by reading an implementing the advice shared in the Holistic Gut Health Guide.
Fasting provides a neat set of instructions that gastroenterologists can issue to their patients, given proper safeties in place. As an example, if the patient is overweight, then fasting will switch the body to buring bodyfat, which may or may not contain stored toxins which will stress the liver, spleen, and kidneys. Fasting and autophagy (cellular cleanup) has been used to completely reverse auto-immune conditions, lower cholesterol and blood pressure, help patients suffering from neurological conditions such as narcolepsy, and is protective against chemotherapy treatment. Once the main systems of the body are in well-enough shape and/or controls are in place, then fasting can be prescribed clinically for people with gut-dsybiosis. Knowing the patient’s wellness situation is of utmost important before triggering such a big metabolic switch. Some questions asked may be uncomfortable, but knowing exactly what gut dsybiosis symptioms they are experiencing can be used to design the fasting and refeeding protocol. Diarrhea has to be treated differently than constipation. Mental health issues, inflammation, skin issues can all be linked to gut health issues. Bloating and gas are also signs that a patient has a microbiome dsybiosis.
Fasting removes all nutrients from the digestive system, with existing food/lumen typically emptying out completely after 48-72 hours. As the digestive system empties, the stress of digestion decreases and eventually all the organs which are involved in the digestive process can switch gears to cellular repair and regeneration. This regeneration process happens most meaningly during a fast of extended duration, with consistent intermittent fasting, or consistent OMAD (one meal a day, 24 hour fasting).
Typically after 2 days, the body switches ketogenic and bodyfat begins to be burned for energy exclusively. If toxins are stored in the bodyfat, then flu-like symptoms may be experienced, as known as keto-flu. Someone who is overweight, inactive, and with gut dsybiosis is likely to experience this, and should come prepared. There are certain herbal remedies which can increase the efficacy of a fast and also mitigate any negative symptoms experienced.
Green tea increases fat oxidation, levels out the brain into alpha wave lengths, and is rich in plant polyphenol antioxidants which aid in the repairing of the gut (3, 4, 5, 6).
Milk thisle flavonoids known as Silymarin support liver function by maintaining protective glutathione levels (7).
Turmeric curcuminoids and other turmeric compounds it possesses are rapidily taken up by the gut and are powerful antioxidant healers and more important powerfully anti-inflammatory (8, 9)
Sulforaphane has these functions too, being a powerful anti-inflammatory derived from cruciferous vegetables, targeting the bloodstream better than turmeric, improving immune functon throughout the body (10)
Papaya enzymes can aid in digesting food, especially for the first few refeed meals after a fast when the microbiome is still newly reshaped and growing.
Wormwood, clove, black walnut hull, and oregano oil are natural adaptogenic antimicrobials, killing pathogens and parasites while being gentle on symbiotic microorganisms.
Natural herbs like these can be used to assist in the evolving of the microbiome and behavioral transition from low-quality to high-quality vagus nerve triggers. The microbiome will always be able to influence the mind of its host, but it can be done symbiotically and cooperatively.
Beneficial behaviors need to be established to ensure minimal to zero gut-health issues continuing forward. Additionally, A well-rounded diet of fats, carbs + fibers, protein, and diverse micronutrients, from relatively unprocessed superior quality sources (organic, non-gmo, pasture-raised) will ensure the gut functions normally, and therefore all nutrients the body and mind receive henceforth are of the highest bioavailibilty. “You are what you eat”, and this truth has not changed.
The mind and body cannot function to their maximum possible potential when low-quality nutrients are being received, the culprit of which is behavior. Low-quality behavioral food patterns people have existed and relied on for years now can be difficult to reset. In this instance, a longer month-long period consiting of many shorter fasts, or a single long fast, can be successfull in repatterning behavior. A single long fast of seven days is shorter in total duration than a month from a patterning standpoint, but more difficult to execute safely and to the benefit of the patient. A month long period of intermittent fasting with 48 hour fasts once a week will be similarily effective in repatterning, but possibly be harder to execute as willpower drains over time.
In either setting, if the patient sticks to the protocol 80% effective and no medical emergency is encountered, then success will have been made in evolving the microbiome and repatterning food behaviors. The more precisely followed the fasting and refeeding schedules, the more effective the strategies will be. Conscious awareness of the gut must developed by the patient for long-term success, and it is the hope that a strict fasting/refeeding schedule, plus keeping a daily digestive system journal, establishes this long term gut-microbiome-wellness consciousness. Cannabis usage can assist with this, and when CBD dominant flower is dry-vaporized, it also calms inflammation in the gut (11), inflammation being a key ingredient in developing a systemic disease such as an auto-immune condition (12), heart-disease, or cancer. Most diseases begin in the gut.
Once gut consciousness is developed, then whatever further tools/protocols the patient has experienced and knows to work will be willingly reused to further improve the situation. Stabilizing the mind during the day (feeding hours) to alpha brainwaves from the L-theanine in green tea makes resetting food behaviors easier to accomplish as the brain is functioning at a higher cognitive level. When having green tea consitnetly for this purpose and its other benefits, it is then important to be mindful of the effects caffeine has on the body and circadian rhythm. Lastly alcohol is to be completely avoiding during any gut healing endeavor. Alcohol kills microorganisms indiscriminately, stresses the liver, and throws metabolism into haywire. Alcohol is not good for wellness and will not help the patient establish a healthy symbiotic microbiome.
With this information and theory now laid out, we will now establish the framework in more specific actionable details. Let’s start with a simple 48 hour fast and refeed schedule.
48-Hour Fast and Refeed Instructions:
Schedule
Day Zero - 3 meals, fast begins (after dinner)
The last meal eaten will be dinner, with no food happening after 6 pm. The meal can be what the patient decides, but with an emphasis on being healthy. Two servings of squash (~300 grams) will be included with this meal and is the last thing to be eaten, all together.
1 gallon (4 liters) of filtered water will be spread out and consumed daily. 16 oz before bed and immediately after waking are a good place to start.
At 6 pm day 0, the digestive system of the body is filled completely up. If the patient had 3 meals that day, then their stomach, small intestine, and large intestine will all contain food, lumen, and partly individualistic microbiomes. By 9 pm, the stomach is now empty and begining to repair from the stress of digestion. After sleeping a full eight hours, by 8 am the patient is now 14 hours into the 48 hour fast. A 16 hour intermittent faster would refeed at 10 am with this schedule.
Day One - Fasting, 1 gallon water
With a 48 hour fast, no food is eaten though at this 16 hour mark. Instead, a cup of green tea can be had anytime in the morning, from 6 am to 10 am. This is determined by every individuals unique circadian rhythm. The green tea assists the healing process in the stomach and also the small intestine as food moves out of there. Green tea also provides clarity of thought through alpha eave generation. If well-fed on day 0, day 1 of a fast is typically easy to achieve and of high energy. If feeding on day 0 was sporactic and lacking nutrients, then day 1 will be harder as the dysbiotic microbiome begins triggers the gut-brain connection for nutrients of any quality.
By 6 pm day 1, 24 hours have elapsed, and when performing a short 24 hour fast to control food cravings, you would refeed here. This is known as OMAD, or one meal a day. As night settles in, energy demands decrease, and with a little extra willpower, it is not difficult to begin getting ready for sleep and go to sleep without eating.
Day Two - Fasting plus first refeed meal (dinner)
After another 8 hours of restful sleep, by 8 am on day two 38 hours of fasting have been completed. With zero food intake, the brain has begun its own cellular cleanup, pruning synapses associated with the low-quality behaviors we’re selecting against. 10 more hours o no food and just water takes the patient to their first refeed meal.
By 8 am day 2, one or more bowel movements will have occured since the start of the fast, and now the stomach and small intestine are completely emptied of lumen. The large intestine may or may not have fully emplied yet depending on the patients gut motility. Another cup of green tea has the same helpful benefits as before on day 1, and now also sulforaphane and milk thistle can be added for liver and blood support. A dsybiotic gut typically has weak tight-junctions, and therefore inflammatory particles and microorganisms can slip into the blood stream, causing a base-load immune response.
Energy and behavioral volatility may be experienced during the final 10 hours of the fast from 8 am to 6 pm. Ensuring the patient has a low-stress easy routine set for the duration of the 48 hour fast helps the patient stay on-track and safe with their fasting schedule. Walking helps to energize the body and stablize energy levels, while some downtime focused on simple mental activities like meditation, writing, reading, or watching educational content are easy to pass the time with, requiring little calories. For fasting to be maximally successful and safe for resetting the digestive system and gut dysbiosis, these lifestyle factors need to be communicated to the patient and understood for their importance. Heavy exercise is best avoided during a fast, though certain types of yoga are fine, like yin yoga.
At 6 pm of day 2, the first refeed dinner is eaten. The food ingredients for the breakfast, lunch, and dinner refeed meals are below. This refeed dinner is light and easy to digest, easing the digestive system back into work and reestablishing a more productive symbiotic microbiome. Papaya enzyme is used here to help break down the food. Eating small bites and chewing each bite thoroughly will reduce food particle size and therefore reduce the demands on the microbiome to process the nutrients down into sizes that can pass into the bloodstream. No food after the dinner refeed, just water if thirsty.
Day Three - Refeed
The 48 hour fast has been broken by the first dinner refeed meal, but this meal also marks the beginning of a 16 hour fast, from dinner to brunch. This intermittent fast will make it very clear to the patient how they respond to the dinner they ate since their will be no food before or after it for 16 hours. Intermittent fasts are benifically healthy in numerous ways (13).
From 10 am to 12 pm the patient can refeed with either a large breakfast or lunch. This meal will be the primary caloric replenishing meal for the patient after the fast, as the first refeed dinner was small in order to ease the patient back into digestion.
After brunch, no snacks are consumed other than some nuts or pumpkin seeds. Pumpkin seeds are calorically dense with healthy fats, contain appreciable fiber and protein, and are high in commonly deficient minerals. Pumpkin seeds are also good at killing parasites.
1 gallon of filtered water is consumed evenly throughout the day.
At 6 pm the second refeed dinner is eaten. This meal is the same as it was on day 2 just larger in volume. No food is consumed after dinner.
Day Four - Refeed
Now the patient can decide to resume a 3 times a day eating schedule (breakfast, lunch, dinner) or a 2 meals a day feeding structure, breakfast + dinner or lunch + dinner being the most common. If the 2 meal structure is preferred, then day three can be repeated. For the purpose of this guide, we will guide the patient back to a 3 meal food schedule.
At 8 am a refeed breakfast is eaten, with no snacking in-between breakfast and lunch.
At 12 pm a refeed lunch is eaten, with some snacking of nuts or pumpkin seeds allowed in-between lunch and dinner.
1 gallon of filtered water is consumed evenly throughout the day.
At 6 pm the final refeed dinner is eaten, and then the patient can begin making their own food choices hopefully guided by increased gut-health consciousness and better behaviors. If following a month long plan, then this 3 meals a day or intermittent fasting schedule focusing on food quality and no food alergens is followed until the next 48 hour fast, one week later.
In this way, after multiple repititions, the microbiome will have been sufficiently reset to symbiosis, the brain will have pruned bad synapses, and food behaviors will have been changed. Within this framework is the task of making sure the patient consumes enough calories and required macro and micronutrients over the entire duration of the digestive reset. If the patient is carrying excess bodyfat, then the caloric concern is not as warranted, but stored toxins in the bodyfat, and the potential flu-like symptoms that might be encountered during detoxifying must be considered clinically.
By the end of the full month, or even just after a single four day bout, especially if journaling all aspects of gut health, symptoms, experiences, feelings, and thoughts was done, the patient will now be much more cognisant and mindful of their gut health, diet, mental state, and how they are all connected. Journaling for 1-2 months is typically successful in identifying any food intolerances or allergies they might have without the need for an elimination diet. For patients with these or suspected having these issues, intermittent fasting is more effective in intolerance/allergy diagnosis than a 3 meals a day schedule, as there will be less blurring of the effects between different meals.
Refeed Meals
Dinner
10.5 oz (300 grams) squash (butternut, zucchini) lightly roasted
2 oz (55 g) of raw mixed salad greens and/or spinach. No additions or dressing
1 large avocado
3 oz (85 g) Cassava chips
Notes: The first refeed meal on day 2 will be half the amounts above. Avocado and cassava chips are eaten first providing the body with much needed fats and elecrolytes. After 48 hours of fasting the body will now be ketogenic so the fats from the avocado will be processed efficiently. The carbs from the cassava chips will begin shifting the body back out of ketosis gently. Next the bulk of the meal is eaten, which is squash. Zucchini and butternet squash contain good fiber, helping to scrub the intestines clean, and is a natural food source for symbioic microorganisms which otherwise might exist in nature on the vegetable itself or in the soil. Eaten last are the salad greens, containing ample water-soluable micronutrients as well as fiber and protein. Food timing is important.
Note: Buying all organic non-gmo foods is important for the refeeding process. Whoever undergoes this fasting schedule is not just refeeding themselves with food but also the makings of a new microbiome. The patient is best served consuming the lowest amounts of pesticides possible and food grown from healthy soil. Washing fruits and vegetables with a baking soda rinse helps to remove pesticide residues. Organic food from a farmer’s market is ideal and still cost-effective.
Lunch
1 orange
1 cup of cooked brown rice
Protein - Either 4 oz (114 g) of mushrooms, beans, or fish protein. No beef, poultry, or pork.
1 oz (28 g) of a fermented food like kimchi, pickles, sauerkraut, kombucha, or others.
2 oz (55 g) of raw mixed salad greens and/or spinach. Olive oil and soy sauce can be added as a dressing.
Notes: The orance is eaten first in order to grow the microbiome, improving its ability to digest the incoming meal. Then the rice, protein, and fermented food is eaten. The salad is eaten last. Chopsticks are best used for this meal, as it forces smaller bites to be taken and lengthens the time it takes to complete the meal, improving digestion. Raw unpasteurized nuts or pumpkin seeds can be snacked on to satiety after this meal through to dinner, also contributing their microbiome communities to the symbiotic one you are establishing in your gut.
Breakfast
2-3 large pasture-raised eggs
1 potato (homefries, hashbrowns, baked), using butter or avocado/olive oil. Ketchup may be used.
Fruits or a fruit smoothie (1 orange, 1 banana, 1 lemon, 10-15 strawberries).
Notes: For vegans, the eggs can be replaced with mushrooms, beans, or lentils. The strawberries can also be used with or replaced by other berries like blueberries. Organic strawberries have signifigantly less pesticides and are the recommended purchase. The potato contains resistant starch, carbs, and many micronutrients. These 3 foods can be eaten simultaneously and will provide a very solid base of nutrition and energy for many hours. Eat to satiation but don’t stuff your stomach till you’re unconfortably full. Listen to your body and stop eating when appropriate. Therefore these recommended amounts of foods are variable based on individual needs and wellness preferences.
Supplemental Help (natural herbs)
For the herbs prescribed above, here is the dosage information and high-quality sources you can purchase. Not all these need to be used, though at a minimum the green tea is highly recommended as it makes fasting signifigantly easier.
1-2 cups a day inbetween 8 am and 4 pm.
200-300 mg Silymarin daily, taken with lunch.
1-2 servings of papaya enzymes, taken with dinner. Can be taken with other meals too if desired.
2-3 grams of turmeric powder, with or without standardized curcuminoids. Taken with breakfast or incorperated in food (avocado is a good choice, the fats present improving the bioavailibility of the curcuminoids).
50 - 100 mg a day, taken with lunch. Easy sources include brocolli sprouts, cabbage, or in supplemental form.
Wormwood, Clove, Black Walnut Hull
5-15 pills of SCRAM taken after dinner
300-400 mg taken after dinner.
In the context of a 48 hour fast and 2 day refeed, these herbal supplements are fine to take and will improve outcomes, but should not be taken daily forever. For a gut flareup, SCRAM, oregano oil, and turmeric work well. Papaya enzymes can be used to help food digestion. Sulforaphane is a powerful anti-inflammatory which can be used for any reason (gut flareup, headache, viral infection, injury). Milk thistle should only be used when placing the liver under stressful conditions (drinking alcohol, fasting if overweight/obese, prescription or commercial drug use).
4 Days to Success
With this theory of the digestive system, microbiome, behaviors, and neurology established, it is easy to understand the power of fasting in reversing gut dsybiosis. Fasting intelligently prescribed toggles the nutrient on/off master switch, from which cascades a series of important biological events such as autophagy, ketosis, and synaptic pruning. Once this reality of health is experienced and understood by the patient, then they have a powerful tool they can use to favorably alter their gut health at any point in the future given certain safety precautions best discussed with their primary care physician. Sometimes a 16 hour fast is all that is needed, other times longer duration fasts are more effective in healing the digestive system and guiding the microbiome to a more symbiotic state.
Our health is our responsibility, and it is up to us to make the most important health desicions there are to make. If you have a suspecicion that something is wrong with your gut, then you’re probably right. Normal gut function is 1-2 regular wipeless poops a day with no gas or bloating. Yes that is possible. No one can do for you what you need to do to establish a healthy digestive system, but clinicians, doctors, and natural health practitioners can guide you along the way. When not in a state of dire need, natural alternatives are safer than prescription drugs and much more gentle on the detoxifying organs of the body.
Fasting is one of the master switches for wellness, and much care must be taken when undergoing any fasting technique. If at any point blood sugar drops dangeously low and the patient feels dizzy, stablilize by sitting down and consume the refeed diner asap, no matter the time. It takes practice to improve your ability to fast without nutrients for extended periods of time, this is especially true for increase fat oxidation and metabolism. Once stabalized and healthy a few days later, the 48 hour fast can be attempted again, hopefully more successfully. The average 1st world citizen has never gone without food for more than 24 hours, and while the biology of the human body can go without food potentially for months, it is best to take the exploration of fasting for health cautiously and patiently. Green tea fasting is highly recommended as it increases the odds of success by aiding in the gut healing process, altering brain wave activity, and increasing fat oxidation.
The tea I use for my green tea fasts, from intermittent to 72+ hours, is Pique Tea. Pique Tea uses cold brew extracted green tea leaf products from pesticide-free sources for maximum potenency (antioxidant capability, polyphenols) and reduced risk of chemical exposure. They sell green tea blends specifically for fasting, of which I prefer their matcha and ginger Green Tea Power Bundle, as well as a variety of other green teas, herbal teas, and immune support products. If you use the coupon code WILDFREEORGANIC, you’ll receive 5% off your order and help support Wild Free Organic in funding operations. Amazon referral links also help support Wild Free Organic.
Medical Disclaimer: All information, content, and material of this website is for informational purposes only and is not intended to serve as a substitute for the consultation, diagnosis, and/or medical treatment of a qualified physician or healthcare provider.
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References:
Berg G, Rybakova D, Fischer D, et al. Microbiome definition re-visited: old concepts and new challenges. Microbiome. 2020;8(1):103.
Bonaz B, Bazin T, Pellissier S. The vagus nerve at the interface of the microbiota-gut-brain axis. Front Neurosci. 2018;12:49.
Dulloo AG, Duret C, Rohrer D, et al. Efficacy of a green tea extract rich in catechin polyphenols and caffeine in increasing 24-h energy expenditure and fat oxidation in humans. The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition. 1999;70(6):1040-1045.
Cooper R. Green tea and theanine: health benefits. International Journal of Food Sciences and Nutrition. 2012;63(sup1):90-97.
Kubo Isao, Muroi Hisae, Himejima Masaki. Antimicrobial activity of green tea flavor components and their combination effects. J Agric Food Chem. 1992;40(2):245-248.
Benzie IFF, Szeto YT, Strain JJ, Tomlinson B. Consumption of green tea causes rapid increase in plasma antioxidant power in humans. Nutrition and Cancer. 1999;34(1):83-87.
Hackett ES, Twedt DC, Gustafson DL. Milk thistle and its derivative compounds: a review of opportunities for treatment of liver disease. J Vet Intern Med. 2013;27(1):10-16.
Tilak JC, Banerjee M, Mohan H, Devasagayam TPA. Antioxidant availability of turmeric in relation to its medicinal and culinary uses. Phytother Res. 2004;18(10):798-804.
Aggarwal BB, Yuan W, Li S, Gupta SC. Curcumin-free turmeric exhibits anti-inflammatory and anticancer activities: Identification of novel components of turmeric. Mol Nutr Food Res. 2013;57(9):1529-1542.
Guerrero-Beltrán CE, Calderón-Oliver M, Pedraza-Chaverri J, Chirino YI. Protective effect of sulforaphane against oxidative stress: Recent advances. Experimental and Toxicologic Pathology. 2012;64(5):503-508.
Goyal H, Singla U, Gupta U, May E. Role of cannabis in digestive disorders: European Journal of Gastroenterology & Hepatology. 2017;29(2):135-143.
De Luca F, Shoenfeld Y. The microbiome in autoimmune diseases. Clin Exp Immunol. 2019;195(1):74-85.
Mattson MP, Longo VD, Harvie M. Impact of intermittent fasting on health and disease processes. Ageing Research Reviews. 2017;39:46-58.
How to get Rid of Parasites
Parasites are creatures that feed off their host and can cause serious disease or even death. Parasites can range from microscopic amoeba to tapeworms 5x longer than you are tall. Parasites are transmitted typically through contaminated water, poorly cooked meat, or exposure to feces. More people have parasites than they realize, and removing them will have a huge positive impact on your health.
Article by Stefan Burns - Updated June 2022. Join the Wild Free Organic email newsletter!
From disturbing television shows like Monsters Inside Me to parasite warnings given to those traveling out of country, the threat of parasites looms in the public conscious, but is rarely given real serious thought. Most often, parasites are only believed to affect those living in third world countries, or our beloved cat and dog companions…the truth unfortunately is much more disturbing.
Talking about parasites that possibly live in the digestive system (or worse) isn’t a feel good topic, but it’s important because unless you know you’re free of parasites, it’s a possible pathogenic attack vector that can influence your behavior and damager your health. At the end of this article you’ll be armed with tasty foods you can add to your diet which will deter parasites and a more complex anti-parasite action plan. For anyone interested in gut health this is a topic that requires familiarization.
Unidentified hookworm on the left, and a Strongyloides sp. filariform staged larvae on the right
How Many People have Parasites?
At minimum 14% of the U.S. population has been exposed to Toxocara, and more than 60 million people in the United States are chronically infected with Toxoplasma gondii, the parasite that causes toxoplasmosis (an unfun situation). Another very common parasite affecting 3+ million people in the United States is Trichomonas, and another 300,000 people are infected with the parasite that causes Chagas disease, Trypanosoma cruzi. These numbers totaled form a significant portion of the U.S. population, a country with “low parasite prevalence”. As most parasite infections go undiagnosed and scientific studies carried aren’t comprehensive in scope, the actual percentage of the population infected with parasites is likely much higher.
From the CDC:
A parasite is an organism that lives on or in a host and gets its food from or at the expense of its host. Parasites can cause disease in humans. Some parasitic diseases are easily treated and some are not.
Are you Ready to Heal your Gut and Microbiome?
This article on parasite removal is packed full of useful and actionable information, and I highly encourage you to read it, but if you’re tired of reading and piecing information together from various articles to find the gut health answers you seek, then the Holistic Gut Health Guide is for you. I wrote the Holistic Gut Health Guide to best help you heal any gut and microbiome dysbiosis problems you may have by providing you the best scientific and holistic information available on the topic and then educating you on the most effective natural methods I personally used to heal the severe gut health problems I had for many years. No gut health problems are unsolvable, and I’m here to help you solve yours.
Holistic Gut Health Guide
Price: $12.95 $18.95
Information:
88 Pages, 12 Chapters
Published July 2022
Together the digestive system and microbiome are the foundation of health from which everything else is dependent on. Gut health problems range from inconvenient to debilitating and are never fun to experience, and luckily healing the gut and shifting the microbiome towards greater symbiosis can be done safely and effectively using natural methods like dietary and lifestyle changes, fasting, herbalism, certain exercises, and more. The Holistic Gut Health Guide provides the information and framework you need to finally heal your gut and begin enjoying the best health of your life.
In this eBook I share what I’ve learned works for me and others I’ve helped as well as the best available science on gut health. Not everything I discuss is backed by rigorous science. Some of the information in the Holistic Gut Health Guide isn’t common knowledge yet, but considering its effectiveness I believe it will be with greater public awareness and time. Give yourself every possible advantage along your gut health journey by reading an implementing the advice shared in the Holistic Gut Health Guide.
Helminthic Therapy
Parasites, since they feed from their host either directly or indirectly, rob the host of energy and cause fatigue, lethargy, and anemia. In most situations, having a parasite infection is a serious health concern (1). Since parasites are able to interact with their hosts in very complicated ways, in rare circumstances having a parasitic infection will alleviate the symptoms of larger health concerns.
For example a tapeworm can mitigate the effects of gross calorie overconsumption by feeding on those nutrients itself, or a parasite can feed off elevated blood sugar levels, helping to lower blood glucose to more normal parameters. Parasites have also been shown to have interesting effects for those with autoimmune issues (mostly digestive based), as the parasite unwillingly will redirect the immune response away from the body onto itself. Helminthic therapy as it’s known is being researched for therapeutic uses, but in almost all health situations being completely free of parasites is best.
Parasites can Alter Behavior
If you suspect you have a parasite infection or think you felt them moving, the feeling can be sickening. Coming to the realization that parasites live inside you will create a strong visceral reaction of wanting them out of your body. And there is good reason for this visceral reaction because parasites can kill. Parasites can also influence human behavior (2, 3), making you do things that perhaps you might not have otherwise. Parasite driven behaviors can manifest as unhinged outburst, anger, a craving for sugary foods, and other self-destructive behaviors.
What can develop is a “parasite brain”. Just like how a pathogenic microbiome releases strong neurotransmitters that cause food cravings, a desire for junk food, and fatigue, parasites can exhibit similar effects on the body and mind. Unless you have strong conscious awareness of every action you take and how you feel, parasites and the microbiome can sometimes highjack behavior as described, influencing your actions in a way that best suits their survival instead of yours.
How Parasite Infection Occurs
Drinking contaminated water
Eating uncooked or undercooked meat
Exposure to feces
Typically, the parasite enters the body through the digestive system, and some parasites live permanently in the digestive system. Worms are the most common digestive parasite, and these can be roundworms, tapeworms, threadworms, hookworms, and more. Amoebae and other microorganisms are also common. Tapeworms as long as 30 ft and greater have been extracted from unfortunate folks around the world, and tapeworms can live for up to 30 years, causing long-term serious health issues which are difficult to diagnose.
Parasites found in bad water include guinea worm, schistosomiasis, amebiasis, cryptosporidiosis (Crypto), and giardiasis. To avoid catching parasites from contaminated water, boil the water for 10-15 minutes or use a backpacking water filter.
Parasites from sushi are dramatically on the rise, having increased 283‐fold for Anisakis spp. from 1978 to 2015 (4). Fish farming is to blame, with heavily polluted unnatural conditions existing in most farmed fish operations worldwide. To reduce your risk of parasites from raw fish, always consume sushi, nigiri, and/or sashimi with a lot of raw ginger, and buy only wild caught or New Zealand sustainably farmed fish.
The most common parasite from pork is Taenia solium, otherwise known as the pork tapeworm, which can infect the digestive system, muscles, and brain of its host. The pork tapeworm can be contracted when eating uncooked meat, and has been fatal in thousands of cases, with victims having had their brains and muscles eaten out by the larvae. With the modern livestock industry raising pigs in deplorable conditions, it is best to avoid all pork, both for your health, and also to reduce your risk of contracting Taenia solium.
The most common parasite contracted by humans from feces is Toxoplasma gondii, which causes toxoplasmosis. Mice infected with toxoplasmosis exhibit changed behavior, actively seeking out areas smelling of cat urine (whereas normal mice avoid these areas). The full effects of Toxoplasma gondii on humans is not known, but headache, poor coordination, confusion, and seizures can occur. Most infections are asymptomatic, but if the infection becomes latent, then tissue cysts can form and persist for the lifetime of the host. These cysts and the latent infection is associated with numerous disease burdens and neural alterations.
This is not an exhaustive list of what parasites humans can get, merely a glimpse.
Where Parasites Live in the Human Body
As discussed, parasites can infect both the digestive system, which is still “outside” the tissues of the body, and also human body tissues such as muscle and brain tissue. Most commonly, parasites live in the digestive system, and are members of the microbiome. From mouth to anus, the digestive system is the path food and water travels through the body so nutrients can be absorbed for metabolism and growth. Until nutrients both from broken down food and metabolites produced by the microbiome (such as short-chain fatty acids) pass through the gut-blood barrier and into the blood stream they still exist outside the body. Weak tight junctions of the gut make it easy for microbes and parasites to slip into the nutrient-rich blood stream, causing a chronic immune response and systemic inflammation, which if left unaddressed will lead to autoimmune issues, food intolerances/allergies, and potentially life threatening diseases like IBD, Crohn’s, and Celiac disease.
If you’re wondering how to get rid of parasites in humans, the digestive system is the best place to start. There exist herbal supplements that contain herbs rich in tannins which are tough on parasites but relatively easy on the body. Synthetic anti-parasitic drugs are very strong, and unless you have a serious infection as diagnosed by a medical professional, it is better for your health and understanding of the situation to start with natural remedies. This is especially true for those who don’t have hard evidence of a parasite infection, but want a non-damaging way to investigate and potentially flush parasites out of their digestive system.
Natural anti-parasitic remedies like wormwood, clove, oregano oil, and black walnut hull are very effective at killing parasites at all their different life cycles (5), and when these herbs are combined with fasting, parasites can be expelled rapidly and the digestive system can heal fully. A full parasite removal plan is below, but first let’s diagnose the symptoms of having parasites.
How to Know if you Have Parasites?
Intestinal parasites like simple energy sources like sugar, so the first thing to do which will help dramatically with a parasite cleanse is to break a sugar addiction if you have one and remove all added sugars from the diet. Eliminating excess sugar an other empty calories has it’s own wellness benefits in addition to helping starve out parasites. If you’re struggling and eating too much sugar, the best thing to take away from this article is to master your sugar consumption. Many of the 100+ health issues common today are born out of a poor diet, bad gut health, and chronic inflammation, and without the right dietary conditions in place, no parasite removal plan will ultimately be successful.
Parasite infections can cause a slew of health issues, and these unfortunate health symptoms can also be caused by other factors. It is important when discovering your health problems and fixing them to patiently pursue all possibilities and experiment safely. With time and faith, the root causes of your health issues can be identified and the appropriate dietary, environmental, and behavioral changes can be made to return to good health and wellness.
You might have a parasite infection if you have any of the following chronic health issues:
Anemia
Chronic fatigue
Muscle pain
Constipation and gas
Diarrhea
Itchy anus
Bloating and cramping
Joint pain
Jaw pain
Teeth grinding (bruxism)
Insomnia
Hives, rashes
The more overlapping symptoms from above you have, the more important it is to uncover if your gut health is as it should be and to do what you can to improve your situation.
Natural Treatment for Parasites
As already discussed, the first step for parasites is to eliminate sugar from the diet. Added sugars, heavily processed acellular carbs (i.e. flour), and junk food must all go. Following the FoodFast Method is one way of improving diet while also incorporating fasting for maximum health benefit.
The second thing that can be done is to include anti-parasitic foods into the diet. These foods are natural and healthy, with pumpkin seeds (6), garlic (7), and dried papaya seeds (8) being especially effective. Lectin found in cucumber seeds have also shown promise for intestinal parasite therapy (9). The compounds and oils found in these four foods are anti-parasitic and anti-microbial while not being harmful to human health.
Pumpkin seeds in particular are a very nutrient-dense food which should be added to the diet regardless of parasite or not.
Cucumber, garlic, pumpkin seeds, and papaya seeds can also be eaten preventatively to ward off parasites.
The third step would be fasting; abstaining from food for a period of 24-72 hours. A 48 hour fast is excellent at resetting the digestive system, helping to heal the tissues of the gut while also shifting the microbiome to a more helpful symbiotic state. A 24-48 hour fast is easily accomplished with a little bit of preparation and common sense and will starve or seriously stress any parasites living in the intestinal tract. The stress from nutrient deprivation weakens pathogens, making the other other steps taken more effective, particularly step 4.
The fourth step is to supplement with natural anti-parasitic herbs like oregano oil, wormwood, clove, and black walnut hull, which parasites can be directly killed by. A combination of these herbs can be found in natural parasite cleansing supplements, and typically a herbal parasite cleanse is run for 14-30 days. These four herbs used together will kill adult, larvae, and eggs.
The supplement I recommend for this is SCRAM by HealthForce SuperFoods. I purchased SCRAM for my own experimentation, and I was impressed by the quality of the product. All the ingredients are TruGanic certified, which means they are third-party tested for botanical identity, pesticides, GMOs, heavy metals, microbiological activity, and gluten. Opening up the bottle, you can smell the intense aroma of the clove, and with a dosing of 10 caps a day, you’re receiving enough active ingredient to kill and drive parasites out of the body.
To condense and summarize, parasites can be removed from the body using a four step method.
Parasite Cleanse
Remove added sugars, acellular carbs, and junk food from the diet.
Incorporate anti-parasitic foods into the diet like pumpkin seeds, cucumber, garlic, and oregano.
Begin fasting occasionally, starting with 16 and 24 hours fasts and progressing to 48+ hour fasts as safe and appropriate. Green tea fasting is particularly effective.
Run a natural anti-parasitic supplement protocol involving oregano oil, wormwood, clove, and black walnut hull. I recommend using oregano oil and SCRAM.
My Experience with SCRAM
On the supplement label, it is stated that SCRAM can be used to:
“Help promote optimum microbial balance and cleansing in individuals with a healthy digestive system and intestinal tract”
When I first began using SCRAM, I was already at the very end of a years-long journey to heal my gut. For me, doing a parasite cleanse was the final item on the checklist. Even though my gut health was exceptional at the time, I wanted to explore all avenues, and using SCRAM (which could also help further balance my microbiome) was a good idea.
I purchased two bottles so I could run the parasite cleanse for longer than the typical 17 days. I ran the full SCRAM protocol of 10 pills a day for 22 days.
I never noticed any negatives from using SCRAM. Many people report experiencing a deep cleansing of their gut (diarrhea), but since my gut was healthy, it easily adapted to the anti-microbial effects of the supplement. I apparently don’t have any parasites in my digestive system, because I found no traces in my stool. What I noticed using SCRAM is that it was a great supplement for balancing the microbiome.
5-10 pills of SCRAM a day will kill off any pathogenic microorganisms causing gas or bloating, normalize intestinal motility, and firm up stools. This effect can cause slight constipation at the beginning for a couple days. Outside of using SCRAM for a dedicated parasite removal, they can also be used whenever the gut feel unbalanced and requires a little help.
I was surprised by how well packed these pills are, the herbal mixture came out fluffy and was very pleasantly aromatic. You’re getting a great value with SCRAM
A parasite cleanse involving oregano oil and a product like SCRAM is best done with a gut that is already in okay shape. While I wouldn’t say that supplementing with SCRAM was particularly stressful, any change to a digestive system already at maximum stress can cause problems. In instances like that, fasting or a liquid diet are the two things which can begin healing the gut.
SCRAM is a safe an effective supplement, but it’s step four because steps 1-3 are more important as it relates to parasite removal. If the digestive system is unhealthy or diseased due to many different factors, a parasite cleanse will not solve all the problems present and may complicate the situation. When you begin pushing back against parasites and/or a pathogenic microbiome, the microorganisms that are being selected against will be everything they can to improve their situation, from increasing junk food cravings to creating irrational mental urges and behaviors through neurotransmitter production.
Having a sound diet is the foundation of all health success, and for parasite cleansing it’s no different.
Confirming your Results
When parasites leave the body you’ll find them or pieces of them in the stool. Some parasites are too small for detection while some parasites like worms are visible to the eye in stool. Parasites found in stool can be alarming, but this is a good sign that treatment is effective. If doing everything right and no parasites are found, then there was likely no parasite infection in the first place. If you suspect that you still have parasites, then visit a medical professional for an assessment and possibly more serious treatment.
As it relates to all health matters, you have to trust your gut instincts. Best of luck!
References:
Alum A, Rubino JR, Ijaz MK. The global war against intestinal parasites—should we use a holistic approach? International Journal of Infectious Diseases. 2010;14(9):e732-e738.
Flegr J. Effects of toxoplasma on human behavior. Schizophrenia Bulletin. 2007;33(3):757-760.
Thornhill R, Fincher CL, Murray DR, Schaller M. Zoonotic and non-zoonotic diseases in relation to human personality and societal values: support for the parasite-stress model. Evol Psychol. 2010;8(2):147470491000800.
Fiorenza EA, Wendt CA, Dobkowski KA, et al. It’s a wormy world: Meta‐analysis reveals several decades of change in the global abundance of the parasitic nematodes Anisakis spp. and Pseudoterranova spp. in marine fishes and invertebrates. Glob Change Biol. 2020;26(5):2854-2866.
Tagboto S, Townson S. Antiparasitic properties of medicinal plants and other naturally occurring products. In: Advances in Parasitology. Vol 50. Elsevier; 2001:199-295.
Li T, Ito A, Chen X, et al. Usefulness of pumpkin seeds combined with areca nut extract in community-based treatment of human taeniasis in northwest Sichuan Province, China. Acta Tropica. 2012;124(2):152-157.
Ankri S, Mirelman D. Antimicrobial properties of allicin from garlic. Microbes and Infection. 1999;1(2):125-129.
Okeniyi JAO, Ogunlesi TA, Oyelami OA, Adeyemi LA. Effectiveness of dried carica papaya seeds against human intestinal parasitosis: a pilot study. Journal of Medicinal Food. 2007;10(1):194-196.
Mukherjee PK, Nema NK, Maity N, Sarkar BK. Phytochemical and therapeutic potential of cucumber. Fitoterapia. 2013;84:227-236.
Medical Disclaimer: All information, content, and material of this website is for informational purposes only and is not intended to serve as a substitute for the consultation, diagnosis, and/or medical treatment of a qualified physician or healthcare provider.
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Other Articles on Gut Health
Green Tea Fasting
Green tea fasting burns body fat, heals the gut, balances the microbiome, and lowers bodily inflammation. Fasting is the best way to activate autophagy and undergo a cellular deep cleaning, and drinking green tea during a fast ramps up autophagic processes even more. Learn about green tea fasting with this complete guide.
Article by Stefan Burns - Updated July 2022. Join the Wild Free Organic email newsletter!
Fasting and drinking green tea pair together exceptionally well. Fasting (aka not eating food) activates the protective healing state of autophagy throughout the body, increasing cellular breakdown of old and dying cell while simultaneously repairing cellular structures and creating the conditions for the growth of new healthy cells. Activating autophagy is a key step in healing from many illness and diseases.
Meanwhile green tea decreases appetite while increasing fat metabolism. Simultaneously green tea fasting burns body fat, heals the gut, resets the microbiome, and lowers inflammation throughout the body. Drinking green tea while fasting is a very effective way to synergize the health effects of both for maximum healing and restorative potential.
In this article I discuss the health benefits of fasting and green tea independently, the science of how each works, how they can be combined together for maximum effect, and my experience in performing a 48 hour green tea fast.
Together the digestive system and microbiome are the foundation of health from which everything else is dependent on.
The Holistic Gut Health Guide contains all the information you need to identify and understand the gastrointestinal and microbiome problems you may have while also providing you the most effective natural methods you can use to heal your gut. No gut health problems are unsolvable, give yourself every possible advantage along your gut health journey by reading an implementing the advice shared in the Holistic Gut Health Guide.
Some of the information in the Holistic Gut Health Guide isn’t common knowledge but when implemented it is highly effective in healing the gut and shifting the microbiome towards symbiosis. Give yourself every possible advantage along your gut health journey by reading an implementing the advice shared in the Holistic Gut Health Guide.
What is Fasting?
Fasting is abstinence from food and drinks. Most fasting is done wet, whereas dry fasting is done without even drinking water. In the absence of nutrients from food, fasting triggers a large metabolic shift, dramatically increasing fatty acid oxidation from body fat as muscle and liver glycogen becomes depleted, and after 48 to 72 hours ketones are produced to keep the brain running happily. In this catabolic zero-calorie state, fasting activates protective cellular mechanisms which safeguard lean body mass while preferentially burning visceral body fat (1). By mildly stressing the body via nutrient deprivation, fasting slows the process of aging, can heal chronic disease, and heals the digestive system (2) all because of the increased level of autophagy (3).
Autophagy is the cellular process in which unnecessary or dysfunctional cellular components are removed and possibly recycled. Autophagy is always happening throughout the body, but during a fast it ramps up dramatically in scale and scope, akin to a deep spring cleaning. The protective cellular mechanisms of autophagy is one of the main reasons fasting has such powerful therapeutic effects on human metabolism, the immune system, disease, and healthspan.
Fasting can be done for various lengths of time and to different degrees of restriction. Fasting is most commonly practiced intermittently, on alternate days, or over longer durations. It is really important with fasting that adequate water is consumed everyday; 1 gallon a day being recommended. A lot of water that our body uses comes from the food we eat, so with the removal of food, if water intake is kept the same, then dehydration will occur.
While fasting only drink pure spring water or water that is filtered of all contaminates like chlorine and fluoride. Again the goal with fasting is to be extremely discretionary with the chemicals entering into the body, as every chemical has an impact on metabolism and will be used or filtered in some way.
Health Benefits of Green Tea
Green tea is a liquid beverage created from the leaves and leaf buds of Camellia sinensis, a small evergreen tree native to East Asia. Tea leaves can be processed differently to create green, black, yellow, white, oolong, and fermented teas. Green tea is made from tea leaves that haven’t undergone heavy oxidation like with black tea, and because of this the caffeine levels are lower in green tea and the polyphenol count is higher.
Freshly collected green tea leaves
Polyphenols are plant compounds that have many health benefits, and there are thousands of different types of polyphenols. In tea the dominant polyphenols are catechins, the most abundant being epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG). Other beneficial flavonoids such as quercetin are also present in green tea leaves. Green tea antioxidants like EGCG are anti-inflammatory and activate metabolism.
Green Tea Health Benefits:
Green tea can reduce belly fat (4)
Green tea can lower blood pressure (5)
Green tea can help with acne (6)
Green tea is good for skin (7)
Green tea can normalize blood glucose (8)
Acutely experiencing these health benefits from tea drinking is dose dependent, requiring quite a few cups to notice. Over time with consistent green tea consumption as part of a healthy diet, these health effects will holistically manifest.
Besides consistent usage, there are other strategies that can be employed to enjoy the health benefits of green tea more potently. First, using a high quality tea is paramount. Most green tea you buy at the store is heavily oxidized and contaminated with pesticides (11) which negates many of the health benefits you’d drink the tea for. Second, drinking green tea on an empty stomach or while fasting will ensure the green tea EGCG and other catechins won’t be buffered out and can strongly exert their anti-inflammatory effects on the digestive system, liver, kidneys, and throughout the body.
For green tea fasting you’ll want to use a high quality tea free of oxidation and contamination. When fasting and precisely limiting what enters into the body, using a fresh high quality green tea is all the more important. The fresher and more potent the green tea, the stronger the appetite suppression and fat burning effects experienced.
Green Tea Amplifies Fasting
Green tea works synergistically with fasting because it helps reduce appetite, increase fat oxidation, and increases energy expenditure (12). The caffeine, L-theanine, and catechins such as EGCG found in green tea blend to create a unique effect. The caffeine and catechins stimulate the sympathetic nervous system (fight or flight response), which reduces appetite while increasing thermogenesis in the body. Green tea catechins lower ghrelin (13), a hunger hormone while increasing energy expenditure by up to 4% over a 24 hour period (14). Fat oxidation is also measurably increased by pairing caffeine and green tea catechins together (15). Fasting places the body into a catabolic state of autophagy and fat burning, and green tea amplifies this effect while also making the fast easier to adhere to by reducing appetite and hunger.
Fasting is a parasympathic activity which relaxes the body, whereas green tea activates the sympathetic nervous system which is stimulatory. This apparent mismatch is brought into harmony by L-theanine, an amino acid naturally found in green tea. L-theanine noticeably reduces stress and anxiety (16) and increases relaxation via stronger alpha brain wave activity (17, 18). It is for these reasons that green tea fasting is such a powerful therapeutic technique. The L-theanine is also what makes green tea a great meditation and sleep aid.
Green Tea for Gut Health
One of the main reasons to perform a green tea fast is to improve your gut health. Fasting heals the tissues of the gut and resets the immune system located there, and green tea boosts these effects thanks to its high concentrations of polyphenols. Polyphenols strengthen tight junctions (19), diversify the microbiome (20), and function as a digestive aid (21). Green tea polyphenols are responsible for these benefits, and through these cellular effects green tea can reduce bloating, constipation, IBS, leaky gut, and other gut maladies. Drinking a peppermint green tea blend is especially effective in helping to restore normal gut function during or outside of a fast.
Fasting can be used to reset the digestive system and microbiome, and green tea will amplify the effects of this by supporting healthy gut flora like Lactobacillus spp and Bifidobacterium spp while having antimicrobial effects on microorganisms considered harmful (22). A well diversified and balanced microbiome reduces bloating, calms the digestive system, and ensures good motility (aka regular bowel movements), factors which translate to real world benefits such as better energy and more stable emotional well being.
I have a lot of experience with fasting for digestive health and detoxing, and I wanted to see if adding green tea to a longer fast would synergistically aid the fasting process by:
Smoothing out the energy swings of fasting
Act as an appetite suppressant
Exerting anti-inflammatory gut healing and detoxifying effects
At the end of the article I share my experience performing a 2 day green tea fast, but before that let’s learn about the different types of fasting and how to choose a good green tea.
Types of Fasting
Many different fasting protocols exists, each having their own unique benefits. Shorter fasts are easier to complete than longer fast, and because they are shorter in duration their effect on health will be less than that of a longer fast. We’ll start with the easiest type of fast to complete, the 16 hour intermittent fast.
Intermittent Fasting
Intermittent fasting (IF) is a 16:8 protocol where on some schedule, typically everyday, fasting is done for 16 hours followed by an 8 hour window where eating is permitted. Intermittent fasting is a good protocol for improving body composition (23) as it can make sticking with a lower calorie diet easier while simultaneously improving nutrient partitioning. If resistance training, eating in a caloric surplus while intermittently fasting will improve build muscle, keep fat accumulation low, and optimize hormones.
Green tea intermittent fasting is one way to boost the metabolism while simultaneously helping to heal the digestive system. If starting an intermittent fast at 6 pm, the addition of green tea in the morning around 8 am further boosts fat oxidation and keeps appetite low until lunch time.
24 Hour Fasting
A 24 hour fast is eight hours longer than an intermittent fast, and in my experience is best scheduled from dinner to dinner. With the last meal before the fast at 6 PM, by 6 AM the next day the fast is already halfway completed. All the benefits of IF are observed with a 24 hour fast, with the added benefit that the digestive system has more time to heal before the next meal. When food is constantly being consumed, the gut is under stress to digest. Digesting food 24/7 and keeping the immune system on high alert for pathogenic organisms constantly allows for no time to rest and repair the digestive system. A twenty four hour fast is long enough for the digestive system to heal and partially regenerate up to 20% with new epithelial cells.
A 24 hour fast is a short enough time period that anyone can easily survive it with few if any complications, but 24 hours is a long enough period of time without nutrients for microorganisms. When the microbiome needs a quick reset and balance, fasting for 24 hours is an easy way to do so, and drinking green tea throughout makes it even easier.
A 24 hour fast is also a great experiment to perform if wondering how food cravings and physiological hunger differ in their psychological effects. A microbiome used to feeding on quick digesting junk food will release neurotransmitters causing food cravings once it begins to experience starvation. Except for rare situations, the human body easily carries enough bodyfat to stay energized for 24 hours without food, and therefore physiological hunger shouldn’t be experienced during that time window, so a 24 hour fast is a good way to learn how to identify and curb food cravings.
48 Hour Fasting
A 48 hour fast is two 24 hour fasts done back to back. A 48 hour fast isn’t much harder than a 24 hour fast and the reward is worth the extra effort. After about 36 to 48 hours liver glycogen becomes completed depleted and ketosis begins. Ketosis is a metabolic state that occurs in response to low glucose availability, such as during fasting or with a very low carbohydrate diet. During ketosis, ketones are produced from fat and used as an energy source for the brain. A 48 hour fast takes you right to the edge of ketosis and will better adapt the metabolism to the use of both dietary fat and body fat for energy which is highly desirable.
Without any food, from the 24 to 48 hour mark the microbiome will experience a significant die off. Pathogenic and commensal microbes which don’t work synergistically with their human host are most affected, whereas symbiotic microorganisms survive in greater numbers during this period of nutrient depletion. Upon re-feeding with healthy food, the microbiome with bounce back quickly, now containing a greater diversity and percentage of symbiotic microorganisms. 48 hours is also a longer time for the gut to be undisturbed with digestion, and more cellular healing can take place, up to 40%.
72 Hours or Longer Fasting
Longer periods of fasting like a 72 hour fast, seven day fast, and multi-week fasts all have their own unique benefits. A 72 hour fast will take you 1+ days into ketosis and body fat will begin to be used as the primary fuel source of the body.
It’s here that I must mention what may happen once body fat becomes a primary fuel source. One reason many people accumulate excess body fat is because they are ingesting too many environmental toxins from the food they eat, the water they drink, and the air they breathe. The body already being overly stressed from other lifestyle factors decides to delay the processing of these toxins by sequestering them in body fat. Though the toxins accumulated in body fat will slowly cause chronic health problems, their immediate effects aren’t experienced. When body fat begins to be burned due to fasting, if toxins have accumulated in this body fat due to lifestyle and environmental factors, then flu-like symptoms might be experienced as the toxins are processed and expelled from the body.
Because of this, depending on your state of health, fasting for longer than 48 hours can cause you to begin experiencing the effects of eliminating accumulated toxins from your body, leaving you temporarily feeling sick. While feeling sick is never fun, this is fundamentally a good thing because when locked in body fat these toxins can cause chronic health issues over time, and when processed during fasting, autophagy helps to mitigate the acute damage toxins cause during release and expulsion. If toxins have accumulated in the body, there is no easy way around the problem, fasting being the safest way possible to eliminate them from the body. If experiencing any odd flu-like symptoms during a longer fast, heat therapy like sauna usage will help to protect the body from the toxins being expelled from the body and hasten their exit.
A seven day fast will burn a lot of body fat, and if done safely, longer fasts are an excellent way to rapidly experience body recomposition and reduce the health risks from being overweight or obese. With a seven day fast, major organs of the body like the liver will be deep into autophagy cleaning up cellular damage, and the size of these organs will actually reduce. Upon refeeding, cellular proliferation in these tissues skyrockets from the replenishment of growth factors. A 72 hour fast will also trigger stem cell regeneration of an old damaged immune system (24), which has wide implications for the treatment of immune system disorders. With long fasts it is important to be especially mindful of how you feel and implement the necessary recovery practices as needed.
After having gone though a large detoxification process, it is very important to break a fast with high quality food free of chemical contaminants like dangerous pesticides.
How to Break a Fast
The length of the fast determines how mindful you should be of your first meal after the fast. I recommend breaking a fast with a small salad (zero dressing) with a side of lightly roasted squash like zucchini These vegetables will be easy on the stomach and feeds the microbiome in a helpful way. With a 24 hour dinner to dinner fast, after this meal you can have breakfast like normal the next day, or perhaps a small snack of pumpkin seeds or walnuts later in the night.
For a 48 hour fast, break the fast with the same salad and zucchini meal, and after 1-2 hours either have another light meal, having a healthy breakfast the next morning. A 72 hour fast can be broken the same as a 48 hour fast, and fasts longer than 3 days will require 1-3 days of mindful eating to ease the gut back into digestion. After the first refeed meal, drink 24-32 oz of water to flush the digestive system with liquid again and to prevent any possible dehydration post-fast.
As touched on, food quality is paramount, especially after a fast. Use every green tea fast as a catalyst to increase the overall quality of your diet. To reduce your exposure to chemicals and low nutrient quality foods, shop for the following:
Non-gmo and organic. Ideally biodynamically grown
Whole and unprocessed
Grass-fed, pasture raised (for meat and eggs)
Not packaged in plastic
These recommendations hold true for the green tea you’ll use during a green tea fast. Since most store bought green tea is of low quality, you want to nourish your body during a fast with only the best green tea.
Choosing the right Green Tea
The biggest recommendations I can give regarding green tea usage are as follows:
Be mindful of total caffeine intake. While green tea doesn’t contain as much caffeine as coffee (40-60 mg vs 100mg per cup), after a few cups of tea it does begin to add up. Caffeine is a stimulant and exerts changes on adenosine receptors in the brain and is best used responsibly. To learn more about caffeine read my Caffeine Usage and Tolerance Reset Guide.
Pesticide exposure. Tea is a very popular beverage, and most tea is grown the same way much of the world’s food supply is, with mass amounts of chemical pesticides. While green tea polyphenols help heal the gut and diversify the microbiome, pesticides like glyphosate do the opposite, degrading the barriers of the gut and killing the microbiome indiscriminately. It is important for this reason to only use high-quality tea grown without pesticides, which has the added benefit of supporting growers who use regenerative organic farming practices.
Oxidation. Depending on how tea is processed, distributed, and stored, the level of oxidation it has experienced can vary dramatically. Minced tea leaves in breathable tea bags which were exposed to variable temperatures and light end up at the store heavily oxidized. These tea products are also typically the most contaminated with pesticides too as the overall food quality standards followed are poor. Once green tea polyphenols become oxidized, they exert little to zero beneficial effects on the body.
Those usage recommendations narrow the selection of desirable green teas by a lot unfortunately. Most tea products available at a grocery store are of low quality.
Luckily there exist many different tea suppliers online who sell regenerative organic green tea free of pesticide exposure. My favorite supplier is Mountain Rose Herbs. Simply bring water to 170 F (75) and steep the green tea leaves for 5-8 minutes and enjoy a cup of perfection.
When time is short or hot water isn’t available then I recommend the use of cold-brew extracted tea crystals. Pique Tea sells green tea crystals in small convenient packets which easily dissolve into hot or cold water. Pique tea sources from regenerative organic green tea farmers throughout Asia to make their tea crystals.
Pique tea packets make sticking with a fast easier because if low energy, nausea, or a food craving hits, at home or on the go, it is very simple to mix a packet into a cup water and enjoy a flavorful zero-calorie beverage, mitigating the issue due to the unique health benefits of green tea.
Matcha Green Fasting Tea Review: 10/10
The matcha green tea has excellent flavor and can be enjoyed as soon as it is stirred in. The polyphenols in the matcha tea are very high, which is great for healing the digestive system, but big gulps can be slightly nauseating for some, so sip slowly.
Ingredients:
Proprietary green tea blend
Ceremonial grade matcha
Organic peppermint
Details:
Caffeine: 48 - 72 mg
Antioxidants: 294 - 441 mg
L-theanine: 27 - 40 mg
Ginger Green Fasting Tea Review: 10/10
The ginger green tea has a unique pleasant flavor thanks to the ginger and other ingredients. The ginger will soothe an upset stomach. The caffeine and L-theanine found in green tea makes it slightly energizing in a calm focused way.
Ingredients:
Proprietary green tea blend
Ginger, orange peel, lemon peel, licorice root, peppermint
Details:
Caffeine: 33 - 39 mg
Antioxidants: 218 - 327 mg
L-theanine: 15 - 23 mg
Use the coupon code WILDFREEORGANIC for 5% off at Pique Tea.
How to Brew tea
For hot tea, bring water to 170 F and either pour over tea leaves for steeping or stir in tea crystals. An easy way to know your water is at 170 F is when small bubbles begin to form at the bottom of the kettle. At 180 F steam begins to form. Using water hotter than 170 F (75 C) is more likely to make the green tea bitter in flavor. Steep for 5-8 minutes.
My Green Tea Fasting Experience
Doing a green tea fast was surprisingly easy. The first 48 hour fast I did as a vegetarian left me a little light headed at times. At the time I wasn’t eating enough fats from sources like avocado, dairy, and olive oil, and my protein intake was lower.
At the time of this 48 hour green tea fast, I was vegetarian already for 4 months. This time with the addition of green tea to the fast I didn’t run into any of the low blood sugar level problems from before. I made sure the last meal I had before the green tea fast contained plenty of fat and fiber, which certainly was a contributing factor to how easy this two day fast was. The last meal was nutrient dense and digested nicely for a long time. The addition of drinking green tea everyday also boosted my morning and afternoon energy levels by increasing usage of body fat for energy.
When fasting for longer there is sometimes a strong desire to eat food at the end of the first day. With this green tea fast I did I noticed this desire was eliminated. The addition of green tea helped to quell my appetite while increasing fat oxidation. It is my experience that when green tea fasting you are less likely to break a fast due to food cravings than if you had been fasting without green tea consumption.
Green Tea Fasting Journal
I started my fast at 7:30 pm after dinner. The meal you have before a fast is important in determining how your fast will play out, so it is very important to eat a healthy meal of unprocessed foods with plenty of satiating fiber and fat. My dinner was a grain bowl consisting of a bed of brown rice, black beans, quinoa, and tempeh, with roasted butternut squash, avocado, chia seeds, and a Lebanese garlic spread on top. In addition to the grain bowl I also had a small salad of homegrown kale and swiss chard drizzled with honey.
A grain and vegetable bowl is a good last meal to eat before starting a fast
Throughout the 48 hour fast my body was digesting the meal above from start to finish, and with no new food coming in, the digestive system and microbiome is encouraged to extract as much out of the meal as possible. If you were to eat a highly processed meal with acellular carbs before a fast (like spaghetti or bread), the fast will be much more difficult as the food will be completely digested much faster. Processed foods digest much faster and will cause greater swings in energy, which can lead to food cravings and unhealthy eating behaviors.
14 hours into my green tea fast (9:30 am) in the morning of the next day, I experienced a bit of stomach growling but no hunger. I brewed a hot cut of matcha that quieted my stomach down and boosted my energy.
20 hours into my fast (3:30 pm) I had yet to experience any energy swings. I had a cup of the ginger green fasting tea at 2:30 pm and everything remained calm and focused.
25 hours into the fast (8:30 pm) I was getting ready for bed and did some meditation beforehand. It was very easy to slip into a calm deep meditative state, and I attribute this to the green tea fasting.
34.5 hours into the green tea fast (6:00 am) I woke up. L-theanine in green tea has been found to improve sleep quality, and I certainly noticed this as I slept better than normal and woke up refreshed. Once up on day two everything felt good even after not eating for over 34 hours.
37 hours into my fast (8:30 am) I had a cup of passion fruit green tea which was delightful and kept my energy levels stable.
45 hours into my fast (4:30 pm) I went for a 3 mile walk which was of no difficulty. A couple hours earlier my energy had started to dip slightly, which I attribute to transitioning away from glucose metabolism to ketosis. By the end of my walk my normal energy levels had resumed, and while I didn’t have a ketosis test on hand to confirm I was in ketosis, having fasted many times I was confident that I was beginning to transition into ketosis.
48 hours after starting the green tea fast I consumed my refeed meal which was a small salad, butternut squash, and some mushroom pho with rice noodles. Once food hit my palate I became really hungry and after the meal pictured below I also had a few tablespoons of cashew, almond, and walnut nut butter. This fast was the easiest and most successful fast I have done to date, and I attribute this to the addition of high quality green tea.
Here is the meal I broke the 48 hour green tea fast with. Mushroom pho, a mixed green salad, and butternut squash
9.5 hours after breaking the green tea fast I woke up with a slight headache, went back to sleep, and when I woke up again later the headache was still lingering. I attribute the headache to two things. First, I did not drink enough water on day 2, and after breaking my fast with a too salty bowl of mushroom pho (which is what made it sooo good), the salt dehydrated me further. I should have consumed on day two before and after the refeed meal. Second, transitioning from carbs to ketosis to carb-based metabolism all in 12 hours might have caused some energy metabolism difficulties for my brain. If I could go back I would have eliminated the carbohydrate-rich mushroom pho from the refeed meal and saved it for breakfast the next day.
A couple of days after the fast everything was normal but digestion and sleep were much improved. I also had less cravings for heavily processed acellular carbs like gluten-free breads and noodles. Now I’m pretty content munching on nuts, seeds, and dried fruit for snacks rather than day dreaming of less healthy options.
Final Recommendations
Based on my experience with both fasting and green tea fasting, I prefer green tea fasting hands down. Drinking green tea throughout the fast made it much easier and improved my digestion and balanced my microbiome to a greater degree than fasting alone would have.
Fasting to activate autophagy and to heal the digestive system are two of the most powerful ways the body can be radically healed and transformed from a state of disease and suffering to one of radiant health. Healing the gut can take time, but with the right fasting protocol like the FoodFast Method, the process can be increased tremendously. Add in supplements like green tea, elderberry, and piperine (from black pepper) and gut health can be improved even faster.
If suffering from chronic inflammation, a weak immune system, constant digestive upset, skin conditions, brain fog, or are overweight or obese, green tea fasting is the fastest way I know of to radically transform health and heal from these maladies. After having done a 38 hour green tea fast, I can confirm it was an easy enjoyable process that improved my digestion, increased my fat metabolism, and even improved my sleep.
IMPORTANT - Please only attempt a fast if you are ready, physically and mentally, to go through a period of no food consumption. If this will be dangerous to you, please do not attempt this. All information, content, and material of this website is for informational purposes only and are not intended to serve as a substitute for the consultation, diagnosis, and/or medical treatment of a qualified physician or healthcare provider.
If you read all the way here then it’s clear to me that you’re ready to do what it takes to finally restore your digestive system and gut microbiome back to healthy and optimal function.
I wrote the Holistic Gut Health Guide to help you accomplish exactly this! It contains all the information that you need to understand the gastrointestinal system, gut-brain axis, and microbiome in-depth, and the Holistic Gut Health Guide also educates you on the natural methods you can holistically use together like fasting and herbalism to transform your health from the inside out.
I’m so excited to be able to help you along your gut health and overall wellness journey with the Holistic Gut Health Guide! Please contact me with any questions you have and wishing you the best.
References:
Brandhorst S, Choi IY, Wei M, et al. A periodic diet that mimics fasting promotes multi-system regeneration, enhanced cognitive performance, and healthspan. Cell Metabolism. 2015;22(1):86-99.
Rangan P, Choi I, Wei M, et al. Fasting-mimicking diet modulates microbiota and promotes intestinal regeneration to reduce inflammatory bowel disease pathology. Cell Reports. 2019;26(10):2704-2719.e6.
Mattson MP, Longo VD, Harvie M. Impact of intermittent fasting on health and disease processes. Ageing Research Reviews. 2017;39:46-58.
Nagao T, Meguro S, Hase T, et al. A catechin-rich beverage improves obesity and blood glucose control in patients with type 2 diabetes. Obesity (Silver Spring). 2009;17(2):310-317.
Bogdanski P, Suliburska J, Szulinska M, Stepien M, Pupek-Musialik D, Jablecka A. Green tea extract reduces blood pressure, inflammatory biomarkers, and oxidative stress and improves parameters associated with insulin resistance in obese, hypertensive patients. Nutrition Research. 2012;32(6):421-427.
Elsaie ML, Abdelhamid MF, Elsaaiee LT, Emam HM. The efficacy of topical 2% green tea lotion in mild-to-moderate acne vulgaris. J Drugs Dermatol. 2009;8(4):358-364.
Hsu S. Green tea and the skin. Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology. 2005;52(6):1049-1059.
Polychronopoulos E, Zeimbekis A, Kastorini C-M, et al. Effects of black and green tea consumption on blood glucose levels in non-obese elderly men and women from Mediterranean Islands (MEDIS epidemiological study). Eur J Nutr. 2008;47(1):10-16.
Yang TTC, Koo MWL. Chinese green tea lowers cholesterol level through an increase in fecal lipid excretion. Life Sciences. 1999;66(5):411-423.
Maron DJ, Lu GP, Cai NS, et al. Cholesterol-lowering effect of a theaflavin-enriched green tea extract: a randomized controlled trial. Arch Intern Med. 2003;163(12):1448.
Mar 08 MG-G/ M· CN· P, March 8 2014 5:00 AM ET | Last Updated:, 2014. Pesticide traces in some tea exceed allowable limits | CBC News. CBC.
Rains TM, Agarwal S, Maki KC. Antiobesity effects of green tea catechins: a mechanistic review. J Nutr Biochem. 2011;22(1):1-7.
Chen I-J, Liu C-Y, Chiu J-P, Hsu C-H. Therapeutic effect of high-dose green tea extract on weight reduction: A randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled clinical trial. Clin Nutr. 2016;35(3):592-599.
Rudelle S, Ferruzzi MG, Cristiani I, et al. Effect of a thermogenic beverage on 24-hour energy metabolism in humans. Obesity (Silver Spring). 2007;15(2):349-355.
Hursel R, Viechtbauer W, Dulloo AG, et al. The effects of catechin rich teas and caffeine on energy expenditure and fat oxidation: a meta-analysis: Effects of tea and caffeine on thermogenesis. Obesity Reviews. 2011;12(7):e573-e581.
Williams JL, Everett JM, D’Cunha NM, et al. The effects of green tea amino acid l-theanine consumption on the ability to manage stress and anxiety levels: a systematic review. Plant Foods Hum Nutr. 2020;75(1):12-23.
Juneja L. L-theanine—a unique amino acid of green tea and its relaxation effect in humans. Trends in Food Science & Technology. 1999;10(6-7):199-204.
Mason R. 200 mg of zen: l-theanine boosts alpha waves, promotes alert relaxation. Alternative and Complementary Therapies. 2001;7(2):91-95.
Yang G, Bibi S, Du M, Suzuki T, Zhu M-J. Regulation of the intestinal tight junction by natural polyphenols: A mechanistic perspective. Critical Reviews in Food Science and Nutrition. 2017;57(18):3830-3839.
Cardona F, Andrés-Lacueva C, Tulipani S, Tinahones FJ, Queipo-Ortuño MI. Benefits of polyphenols on gut microbiota and implications in human health. The Journal of Nutritional Biochemistry. 2013;24(8):1415-1422.
Williamson G. Possible effects of dietary polyphenols on sugar absorption and digestion. Mol Nutr Food Res. 2013;57(1):48-57.
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Dangers of Pesticides
Herbicides are chemicals used to kill or affect plant growth, and they were first created in the 1940's for use in war. Now in the 21st century herbicides are the most commonly used pesticide, and residues from herbicides like glyphosate and chlorpropham can be found in most foods. 90% of Americans have pesticides or byproducts in their body, and this can cause serious and deadly health effects.
Article by Stefan Burns - Updated November 2021. Join the Wild Free Organic email newsletter!
The human body, the foods we eat, the air we breathe, and the planet we live on are made up of millions of chemicals. Water, with the chemical formula of H2O, is the main chemical that our bodies are comprised of, being necessary for thousands of essential chemical reactions, and without water you die. Still, water intoxication is possible though. With any chemical, the dose determines the poison, as does the length of exposure to it. For some chemicals like water, multiple gallons of water consumed very quickly is required to reach a median lethal dose (LD50), while some chemicals can be fatal at even less than a gram. Other chemicals like pesticides might not kill you directly, but will affect your health in more insidious ways, and 90% of Americans have been found to have pesticides and byproducts in their bodies (1).
Pesticide usage in agriculture is widespread, being used on 90% of agricultural lands in the US. Herbicides are a type of pesticide.
Exposure to chemicals overtime is very important to consider for this reason. A small dose of a chemical like a residual herbicide might acutely cause no apparent harm, but over time and with consistent exposure to many different herbicides, chronic health conditions can arise which severely impact overall health and wellness and ultimately lead to fatal outcomes. Reducing exposure to chemicals that harm human health over long periods of time as much as possible is a very important aspect of a healthy lifestyle. Herbicides are so widespread in their use that limiting exposure to them can be difficult and requires lifestyle modifications. Therefore consciously voting with your dollar and purchasing foods and products that aren’t contaminated with pesticides is important. Once food and product changes have been made, monitoring your chemical exposure doesn’t require any conscious thought more than an periodic check-in.
One class of chemicals that is out of sight and out of mind for most are pesticides. Pesticides are chemicals used to control pests and weeds, and include all of the following: herbicide, insecticides, fungicides, bactericides, rodenticides, and insect/animal repellents. Herbicides like glyphosate and chlorpropham are the most commonly used pesticide in the United States, and they trace their origins back to the military industrial complex of World War 1 and 2.
Increased Usage of Herbicides
Herbicides were first synthesized in the early 1940’s, and originally researched for use during WW2 as a warfare agent. The primary intention of herbicidal warfare was to destroy the plant-based ecosystem of an area. Fiction turned to reality with Vietnam when herbicidal warfare was carried out to thin the thick jungles of Vietnam, and thousands perhaps millions have suffered the effects of this massive herbicidal warfare campaign. Herbicidal warfare has been forbidden since 1978, yet the chemical and agricultural industry increasingly wages herbicidal warfare on the civilian populations of the world through the broad usage of herbicides on agricultural crops. Millions of acres are now heavily contaminated with herbicides that take up to decades to break down.
90% of agricultural cropland is treated with chemicals each year, and an estimated 300 million acres are treated with pesticides each year (also about 90 percent). In the U.S., cropland receives on average about 3 pounds of active ingredient per acre, equating to nearly a billion pounds of pesticides used in total per year. Divide that by the U.S. population and that equals pounds of pesticide active ingredient used for every woman, man, and child (see image 2). Pesticides are commonly used on urban lands too, and at a higher rate of usage (2).
The data above compiled by the Center for Integrated Pest Management only goes up to the year 2000. Since 2000, world pesticide usage has gone up, with some countries decreasing their pesticide usage while others have increased their pesticide usage (3). Pesticide usage in the United States is at the highest its ever been from 2010 onwards.
Mechanisms of Action as Weed Killers
There are many plants labeled as weeds and sprayed with herbicides that are in fact helpful native plants that create beneficial habitat and food for many different insects, birds, and animals. The term weed is incorrectly used very broadly and to the detriment of holistic ecological understanding.
There are many different mechanisms of action that herbicides take to kill plant life. There is significant overlap and interdependence in biology, and it is through the same or similar mechanisms as below that herbicides cause health issues in humans and negatively affect the human microbiome.
ALS Inhibitors: Acetolactate synthase is the first step in the synthesis of the branched-chain amino acids leucine, valine, and isoleucine. ALS inhibiting herbicides starve plants of these amino acids, inhibiting DNA synthesis and causing death. The ALS pathway does not exist in animals, but many organisms in animal microbiomes utilize the ALS pathway.
EPSPS Inhibitors: Enolpyruvylshikimate 3-phosphate synthase enzyme (EPSPS) is used in the synthesis of the amino acids tryptophan, phenylalanine and tyrosine via the shikimate pathway. Glyphosate (Roundup) is a systemic EPSPS inhibitor.
Photosystem I and II Inhibitors: Photosystem inhibitors affect electron flow, ultimately causing oxidation reactions in different cellular structures which can kill a plant.
Synthetic Auxins: Synthetic auxins mimic plant hormones in various ways. Growth of plants can be controlled via their hormone systems, with synthetic auxins exerting their effects by docking on the membrane of cells.
HPPD Inhibitors: 4-hydroxyphenylpyruvate dioxygenase (HPPD) inhibitors affect the breakdown of the amino acid tyrosine, the breakdown products of which are used to make carotenoids. Carotenoids protect chlorophyll from damage by sunlight, and without protection plants that have inhibited carotenoid production turn white as chlorophyll die and then the plant dies.
The general way herbicides function is through affecting biochemical processes involving amino acids, oxidative systems, and hormonal systems of plants. These are very important foundational biologic systems that when disrupted kill plants and other organisms like bacteria. To introduce into your own biochemistry any of these chemicals can affect your health and the health of your microbiome over long periods of time.
Glyphosate (aka Roundup)
Glyphosate is used as a herbicide because it is very effective at killing plants. Glyphosate is an herbicide which disrupts the shikimate pathway, a metabolic pathway used by bacteria, archaea, fungi, algae, some protozoans, and plants. The shikimate pathway consists of seven-steps, and is used by these organisms, but not animals, for the synthesis of folates and certain amino acids. Animals instead must obtain these essential amino acids through their diet, and it is for this reason that agrochemical companies say that glyphosate exposure is okay for humans.
Glycine-Glyphosate Substitution
The interactions of glyphosate in the human body are more complex than claimed by the agrochemical industry. Glyphosate is composed of the amino acid glycine, an important amino acid that is commonly deficient in humans (4), and a phosphonomethyl group that replaces one of the hydrogen atoms. Glycine is a non-essential amino acid, meaning the body can produce it, but its synthesis requires other nutrients, and depending on the biochemical situation, the body might decide to not synthesize glycine. Glycine then could be pulled from connective tissues, where it is the dominant amino acid, and then utilized throughout the body (but to the detriment of joint health), and/or glyphosate could be substituted in. This swap can happen because glyphosate is similar to glycine, and the process is known as glycine-glyphosate substitution (5). Most of the health effects of glycine-glyphosate substitution are still unresearched.
A common glyphosate side effect is poor gut health. Since glyphosate targets the shikimate pathway, it acts as an antibacterial to the microbiome, and this can lead to problems like food allergies and intolerances, IBS, IBD, leaky gut, and malabsorption of food. Glycine can be synthesized internally, but it is easier to acquire via diet by eating the connective tissues of animals or by eating glycine rich foods like pulses (lentils, beans, chickpeas, etc). Glyphosate through its mechanisms disrupts the health of the digestive system, weakening digestive tight junctions, in the process reducing the ability to absorb glycine from dietary sources. Through this insidious effect the body begins to start glycine-glyphosate substitution, and the process gradually worsens while other bodily system that have incorporated glyphosate into their protein structures instead of glycine become newly stressed.
Glycine-glyphosate substitution is bad news because glycine is a very important amino acid throughout the body. Glycine has been shown to improve sleep (6, 7), is an integral component of connective tissues, helps heal injuries (8), and has anti-inflammatory effects (9). Some common glyphosate side effects include poor sleep, digestive problems, brain fog, skin issues, joint problems, thyroid issues, and fatigue.
Glyphosate can be a contributing factor to gluten intolerance. I personally have had gluten intolerance, and it took me many years to heal my gut to perfect health. Take it from me, determining whether gluten or glyphosate is the problem is difficult, so when making dietary modifications it is best to remove both.
The foods which are the most contaminated with glyphosate are GMO products. GMO crops like wheat, soybeans, and corn have been genetically modified to better resist the effects of herbicides like glyphosate. Now with better herbicide resistant GMO crops, the agricultural industry can spray glyphosate and other herbicides in much greater quantities, contaminating the food supply in even greater amounts. When tested non-gmo crops were found to have glyphosate residues at 0.07 mg/kg to 0.09 mg/kg. For a GMO crop, the range was found to be between 3.3 and 5.7 mg/kg (10). This is approximately a 100x difference. Look for the Non-GMO Project verified label on foods, and for your health and the health of the Earth don’t buy GMO foods. Buying only GMO can be difficult, especially if you live in a food dessert.
Finding glyphosate free flour or glyphosate free oats, two commonly contaminated foods, is difficult, though it is becoming easier as more organic and non-gmo products are brought to market. Non-GMO and gluten-free bread products are readily available now in most grocery stores, and these will be much less contaminated, or even free, of glyphosate residues. Finding oatmeal, buckwheat, cereals, and beers without glyphosate is possible when shopping for Non-GMO gluten-free products, of which there are many…and they are very tasty! For the best chance of buying foods without glyphosate, purchase organic, non-gmo, gluten-free products.
If you are unable to buy foods free of glyphosate contamination, focus your diet on whole unprocessed foods and plenty of fruits and vegetables. Glyphosate residues can be washed off on some fruits and vegetables using a dilated mixture of baking soda and water, which is an effective surface pesticide rinse (11). Growing your own fruits and vegetables is the best way to ensure you’re no exposing yourself to the dangerous herbicide glyphosate among many other pesticides.
Chlorpropham and Propham
Propham and chlorpropham are synthetic herbicides and plant growth inhibitors most commonly known for their ability to stop potatoes from sprouting. Chlorpropham applications are also used on spinach, blueberries, garlic, tomatoes, carrots, onions, soybeans, and much more. Chlorpropham’s mode of action is by altering microtubule structure and function in plants resulting in the inhibition of cell division (12). Once potatoes are harvested and ready for storage, chlorpropham dust or propham dust is applied to potatoes via a method known as hot fogging. The potato growing industry will store potatoes for up to 9 months, and during this time chlorpropham will be hot-fogged many times to keep sprout suppression under bay.
During storage, mean concentrations of chlorpropham in tubers decreases with time, with 25% gone in a month and 40% gone in two months. Chlorpropham primarily resides in the peel of potatoes, washing potatoes will remove approximately 40% of the chlorpropham while peeling the potatoes will remove 95% of the herbicide. If the potatoes are boiled or fried, chlorpropham residues can be found in the water and oil used (13).
A naturally grown potato will sprout after some time, like shown here, as it’s still alive and able to perform cellular division.
Through chlorpropham’s growth inhibition characteristics, it has been shown that mice, rats, and beagle dogs feed chlorpropham for short periods of time become anemic, undergo weight fluctuations, and have altered thyroid function, with the hematopoietic system being the main toxicological target found with chlorpropham exposure (14). The hematopoietic system is the bodily system involved in the creation of the cells of blood, with the blood cell genesis sites being bone marrow and the lymph nodes.
Chlorpropham has low mammalian toxicity, but it can bioaccumulate and begin to affect major systems of the body.
The EPA assessed the dietary risk posed by chlorpropham (15), and based on a reference dose not believed to cause adverse effects if consumed daily over 70 years, they found chlorpropham to be safe. 42% of the U.S. population is exposed to that much chlorpropham daily, and while the short chlorpropham studies lasting no greater than 24 months showed very troubling health concerns for the animals involved, 70 years of chronic exposure has been signed off by the EPA as OKAY. The fact that chlorpropham is used in great enough concentrations to cause a physiological effect in potatoes, inhibiting their natural life cycle and stopping sprouting, is reason to believe that chlorpropham is used at great enough concentrations to cause long term health effects in humans with regular ingestion.
Through these mechanisms and how often exposure occurs, chlorpropham and propham can be classified as endocrine disruptors. Just as these herbicides affect cellular growth and reproduction (mitosis), low doses over time can threaten thyroid, lymph node, and hematopoietic health. Thyroid conditions affect ~20% of the U.S. population (16), and this percentage is increasing. There are a lot of diseases of the hematopoietic system (17), and some of them could be caused or affected by chronic herbicide exposure.
How to Avoid Herbicides
There are four steps that can be taken to limit your exposure to herbicides. Each step will reduce your exposure, and if all three steps are followed then your herbicide exposure risk will be close to zero.
Wash Fruits and Vegetables: Washing and/or soaking fruits and vegetables with a 1% baking soda and water mixture can remove pesticide residues. Some pesticides that only coat the outside of produce will break down or bind to the baking soda and be rinsed away, whereas this method is less effective with pesticides that penetrate deep into fruits and vegetables. To create the pesticide rinse, mix 3 tablespoons of baking soda into a gallon of water.
Buy Non-GMO Food: With the advent of gene editing technology, genetically modified organisms have been created and are now abundantly in the food supply. Through selective breeding has influenced plant and animal genetics for thousands of years, direct genetic modification can insert genetic code from a other organisms such as a worm into the DNA of a plant. The long term health effects of consuming genetically modified organisms is unknown, and the larger concern comes from how GMO crops are managed compared to non-GMO crops.
Buy Organic Products: The organic certification is regulated by the United States Department of Agriculture (18), and while it is a step in the right direction, it has many loopholes. It only takes 36 months to transition from regular production to being organic certified by the USDA. Since hazardous chemicals can contaminate soil and water for years, there is still risk of herbicide contamination with organic products. Additionally, animal manures from conventional feedlot and confinement systems are allowed in organic production, and so is manure from animals that have been fed genetically engineered feeds (aka highly herbicide contaminated feeds).
With that said, organic farms use techniques such as composting, soil building, chemical free pest management, crop rotation, and many other holistic agricultural techniques. The variability within the organic standard is wide ranging. There can be an organic farm which uses no chemicals or contaminated materials, and there are organic farms which skirt the edge of the regulations. It’s the same product same quality fallacy. As an informed purchaser it’s your responsibility to research the companies you purchase food and products from, and to only support those who practice ecologically safe and sustainable farming practices.Shop at Local Farmers Markets: Sourcing your food from local farmers markets, or growing it yourself, is the final and best way you can distance yourself from herbicides and other chemicals. If you grow your own food, you can complete control from start to finish, and there is no reason to use chemicals when environmentally friendly methods of soil building, weed management, and pest management exist and are easy to apply at a small scale.
If you don’t have space for a garden, or during the seasons where growing without a greenhouse is difficult, shopping at a local farmers market is an excellent solution to the problem of where to acquire high quality contamination free fruits, vegetables, and animal products. When shopping at a farmers market, you can speak with the grower and find out how they grow their food. Additionally, produce at farmers markets is typically less expensive than found in a grocery store, and every dollar spent goes directly to a member of the local community.
Engage with the community, save money, and buy interesting and unique foods at your local farmers market.
There are also micronutrients which can internally help protect you from pesticides. Boron protects against the oxidative stress from pesticides (19), as do powerful antioxidants like anthocyanins found in elderberries.
Your Health is Your Responsibility
Agroindustrial chemical companies will argue that herbicides and other pesticides are not harmful to human or animal health at the limits required by law, and while a lot of research has been done, it has not been conducted across the right time scales or with the right combinations of pesticides. Chemical producers have betrayed the trust of the public many times through faulty science, redacted data, chemical pollution, cover-ups, lobbying, and millions have died from the chemicals produced by these large multinational corporations formed during WW1 and WW2.
Your health is your responsibility, and when there are food alternatives not contaminated by hundreds of pesticides and herbicides which are easily accessible at a local farmers market, the right choice is easy to make. The risk of eating conventional produced grains, meat, and produce is simply too great, and the only short term reward from purchasing food from the agroindustrial complex is a few dollars saved. The long term effects could be chronic health conditions that untreated could lead to death.
Find a farmers market near you, support your local community farmers, and thrive.
References:
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Arnold L. Aspelin. Pesticide Usage in the United States: Trends During the 20th Century. CIPM Technical Bulletin 105
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Adeva-Andany, M., Souto-Adeva, G., Ameneiros-Rodríguez, E., Fernández-Fernández, C., Donapetry-García, C., & Domínguez-Montero, A. (2018). Insulin resistance and glycine metabolism in humans. Amino Acids, 50(1), 11-27.
Brewster, D. (1991). Metabolism of glyphosate in sprague-dawley rats: Tissue distribution, identification, and quantitation of glyphosate-derived materials following a single oral dose*1. Fundamental and Applied Toxicology, 17(1), 43-51.
Yamadera, W., Inagawa, K., Chiba, S., Bannai, M., Takahashi, M., & Nakayama, K. (2007). Glycine ingestion improves subjective sleep quality in human volunteers, correlating with polysomnographic changes: Effects of glycine on polysomnography. Sleep and Biological Rhythms, 5(2), 126-131.
Bannai, M., & Kawai, N. (n.d.). New therapeutic strategy for amino acid medicine: Glycine improves the quality of sleep. Journal of Pharmacological Sciences, 118(2), 145-148.
Zhang, Z., Zhao, M., Wang, J., Ding, Y., Dai, X., & Li, Y. (2011). Oral administration of skin gelatin isolated from chum salmon (oncorhynchus keta) enhances wound healing in diabetic rats. Marine Drugs, 9(5), 696-711.
Zhong, Z., Wheeler, M. D., Li, X., Froh, M., Schemmer, P., Yin, M., Bunzendaul, H., Bradford, B., & Lemasters, J. J. (2003). L-glycine: A novel antiinflammatory, immunomodulatory, and cytoprotective agent. Current Opinion in Clinical Nutrition and Metabolic Care, 6(2), 229-240.
Glyphosate-tested. (n.d.). Healthy Traditions.
Yang, T., Doherty, J., Zhao, B., Kinchla, A. J., Clark, J. M., & He, L. (2017). Effectiveness of commercial and homemade washing agents in removing pesticide residues on and in apples. Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry, 65(44), 9744-9752.
Paul, V., Ezekiel, R., & Pandey, R. (2016). Sprout suppression on potato: Need to look beyond cipc for more effective and safer alternatives. Journal of Food Science and Technology, 53(1), 1-18.
Lentza-Rizos, C., & Balokas, A. (2001). Residue levels of chlorpropham in individual tubers and composite samples of postharvest-treated potatoes. Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry, 49(2), 710-714.
J. van Engelen. Pesticide residues in food 2000 : CHLORPROPHAM. Centre for Substances and Risk Assessment, National Institute of Public Health and the Environment, Bilthoven, Netherlands.
Chlorpropham. EPA R.E.D Facts. October 1996
The Endocrine Society. Endocrine Facts and Figures: Thyroid. First Edition. 2015.
Michael T. Busch, Amy L. Dunn. Diseases of the Hematopoietic System. Musculoskeletal Key. July 2016.
Agricultural Marketing Service. Organic Certification and Accreditation. USDA
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Can I add psyllium husks to a fast?
Will fasting help with Eczema?
What to eat before and after a fast during a IBD colitis flareup?
In this Q&A I provide my best guidance to these questions and provide some other useful advice on fasting for gut health.