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Articles Posted in the Questions & Answers Category

Sore Throat

What are some natural cures for sore or Strep Throat?

Suffering from a sore throat the last few days? Find out how to prevent and protect yourself with Dr. Berka, NMD.

Posted in Featured, Questions & Answers

The SCOBY is the mother ship of bacteria & yeast.

How many times can I use a Kombucha Mother?

The Kombucha Mother, also referred to as a SCOBY (Symbiotic Culture of Bacteria and Yeast) is the mother ship that transports the bacteria and yeast from batch to batch of Kombucha tea. But how many times can it be used? Does it ever “die?” Typically a culture can be used for up to 10 brewing [...]

Posted in Questions & Answers

Three Types of Guts

What are Enterotypes?

“Hey baby, what’s your enterotype?” may become a pick up line in the future. “Huh”, you might be thinking, “what the heck is an enterotype?” First, let’s take a moment to consider the brain & the gut. Each is formed by the same type of tissue when the organs are developing in the fetus. In [...]

Posted in Questions & Answers

Drinking too much Kombucha may mean frequent trips to the bathroom.

Is it possible to drink too much Kombucha?

Dana asked, “I can’t seem to find a definitive answer or even the answer to what happens if you do, but is it possible to drink too much KT? In a month I’ve worked up to drinking probably 40 oz/day and I feel great! I could drink more! Some days I know when to back [...]

Posted in Questions & Answers

Tea is thousands of years old and was discovered by Shen Nong.

Why do I have to use tea for Kombucha? Can I use decaf tea?

Kelly Tillotson recently asked, “can you only make kombucha from black tea {white & green} or can you make it from non-caffienated herbals like rooibos?” Just as grapes are the base for wine, tea is the base for Kombucha. But what is tea? We often call peppermint and chamomile tea, but that is incorrect. Tea [...]

Posted in Questions & Answers

Sandor Katz calls the fridge a "fermentation slowing device"

Can I refrigerate the Kombucha culture when not in use?

Recently Sarina Smith  asked, “Can I refrigerate the kombucha culture when not in use? like in between brew.” This is an excellent question as many people have been told to store their cultures in the fridge between uses. While fridges are useful for storing other items, Kombucha cultures are simply not one of them. Their [...]

Posted in Questions & Answers

Raw Kombucha Scoby

What is a Kombucha SCOBY? How do I get one?

Kombucha is fermented tea, but how does it get fermented in the first place? Like all fermentation, it requires the presence of sugar, yeast and/or bacteria.

Posted in Questions & Answers

healthy kombucha in sun

Why Do I Need Sugar to Brew Kombucha?

I thought Kombucha was supposed to curb my sugar cravings, but when I look at the recipe, it calls for quite a bit of sugar. Why do I need sugar to make Kombucha? Isn’t it supposed to be low sugar?

Posted in Questions & Answers

Chocolate

Which is better – dark or milk chocolate?

Dr. Berka tackles one of the most pressing issues of our time – which is healthier, dark or milk chocolate? Okay, so it’s not the most pressing, but we’re still interested to find out which will come out on top (and why!)!

Posted in Questions & Answers

Vitamins

Are there negative effects to taking vitamins with 1000% or more of our Recommended Daily Intake?

Dr. Berka answers a common question of many who take supplements: are there negative effects to getting 1000% or more of your RDI of certain vitamins?

Posted in Questions & Answers