I am in love with this thread. This is pretty much the thread i have fumbled to start so I am glad as to witness its genesis here! alas!
I am simultaneously amazed/at the direction of this board is growing towards being more comprehensively integrated regarding its systems of health, facilitating better life for both via natural and practical medicine. Perhaps I am just shooting for the stars which is something I have a tendency to do.
Kefir has been a cure all for our people for a millennia.
Traditional Chinese medicine has known this truth (the stomach is the center of health/second brain) since Emperor Shennong was imbued with his wisdom.
Shennong, also known as the "Divine Farmer," is a legendary figure in Chinese mythology who is credited with inventing agriculture and herbal medicine. According to legend, Shennong tasted hundreds of herbs and plants to determine their medicinal properties and effects on the human body.
When Shennong consumed herbs, spices, and plants, both beneficial and toxic, his reactions would vary depending on the specific substance he consumed. If he consumed a beneficial herb or plant, he would experience its therapeutic effects, such as pain relief, fever reduction, or improved digestion. On the other hand, if he consumed a toxic plant or herb, he would experience adverse effects, such as nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, or even death.
It's worth noting that the legend of Shennong is meant to be symbolic rather than factual, and many of the plants and herbs he is said to have consumed would likely have been poisonous in large doses. In reality, it's important to exercise caution when consuming herbs and plants and to consult with a qualified healthcare practitioner before using them for medicinal purposes.
Kefir is an interesting species because it combines both yeast and bacteria.
In recent years, there has been a strong focus on beneficial foods with probiotic microorganisms and functional organic substances. In this context, there is an increasing interest in the commercial use of kefir, since it can be marketed as a natural beverage that has health promoting bacteria. There are numerous commercially available kefir based-products. Kefir may act as a matrix in the effective delivery of probiotic microorganisms in different types of products. Also, the presence of kefir’s exopolysaccharides, known as kefiran, which has biological activity, certainly adds value to products. Kefiran can also be used separately in other food products and as a coating film for various food and pharmaceutical products. This article aims to update the information about kefir and its microbiological composition, biological activity of the kefir’s microflora and the importance of kefiran as a beneficial health substance.
Kefir is an acidic-alcoholic fermented milk product with little acidic taste and creamy consistency that was originated in the Balkans, in Eastern Europe, and in the Caucasus (
Fontán et al., 2006;
Serafini et al., 2014). Kefir can be produced by fermenting milk with commercial freeze-dried kefir starter cultures, traditional kefir grains, and the product that remains after the removal of kefir grains (
Bensmira et al., 2010). Kefir grains are a kind of yogurt starter, which are white to yellow – white, gelatinous, and variable in size (varying from 0.3–3.5 cm in diameter) and are composed by a microbial symbiotic mixture of lactic acid bacteria (108 CFU/g), yeast (106–107 CFU/g), and acetic acid bacteria (105CFU/g) that stick to a polysaccharide matrix (
Garrote et al., 2010;
Chen et al., 2015). After successive fermentations, kefir grains can break up to new generation grains, which have the same characteristics as the old ones (
Gao et al., 2012).
(may we thank our slav ancestors
@OuchThatHurts @luki7788)