Fermented botanicals make more sense!

Fermentation can be used to increase the nutritional value of various foods such as vegetables & fruit, berries, tea and medicinal herbs.

During fermentation, these foods undergo chemical changes that break down complex organic compounds into simpler, more bioavailable forms that are easier for the body to digest and absorb.

Black garlic is much more stable For example, fermentation converts garlic’s unstable compound allicin into bioavailable S-allyl cysteine (SAC). The health benefit of fermented garlic is much greater than fresh garlic because of the stable compounds that are formed. These compounds in black garlic are effectively absorbed while many of the unstable compounds in fresh garlic are destroyed in the digestive tract.

Therefore, a much lower dose is needed than with fresh garlic.

When vegetables are fermented, naturally occurring bacteria break down sugars and other complex organic compounds, producing lactic and other organic acids. These organic acids help to preserve vegetables and give them a tangy, sour flavor such as the beloved choucroute. But there is more...

Fermented vegetables also contain microfibers. Microfibers are a catalyst for the transcriptional activity of colon epithelial cells and microorganisms.

As a result only 0.5 to 1.5 gram per day can be sufficient to transform the gut flora.

When apples and berries are fermented in a targeted way, specialized bacteria break down sugars and other complex organic compounds, producing lactic acid, other organic acids and a lot of interesting compounds. This process helps preserve the fruit and also produces small phenols as antioxidants, and microfibers. These can be fastly converted into SCFAs (short-chain fatty acids) in the colon. SCFAs are important for digestion because they feed the cells of the colon and promote the growth of beneficial bacteria and stimulate transcriptional activity for the making of enzymes.

Only a small amount (1.0 to 1.5 gram) is needed for a spectacular effect on the microbiome. When fermented in the traditional way, apples become cider or berries become fruit wine. This is not what we are looking for.

Medicinal herbs can be fermented to produce bioactive and easily absorbed aglycones and small very active phenols. These compounds can help to enhance the medicinal properties of the herbs and ensure that they are more easily absorbed by the body. However, uncontrolled fermentation of medicinal herbs can cause aglycones to disappear completely, reducing their medicinal properties.

Therefore, targeted fermentation is of utmost importance to achieve your goal. And this is to realize the necessary conversions of active ingredients to give botanicals their effectiveness.

Jiaogulan is a good example. Eating the plant may upset your stomach. However, it is called the immortality herb for people who are used to making tea from it. The jiaogulan plant has the largest variety of saponins (more than 130 different molecules). Saponins can be quite large molecules due to sugar chains that shield the active site. If ingested in excessive amounts, or in cases of leaky gut, they can block the kidneys.

Fermentation converts the saponins of jiaogulan into small molecules (aglycones), making the plant a truly powerful tonic for the body. You get the highest amount of different saponins that are broadly bioactive and stripped of their sugar chains, preventing kidney damage. Totally unlike the raw plant.

Fresh jiaogulan usually has limited benefit for western people with disturbed microbiome. Daily dosage of 5-10 grams of non-fermented jiaogulan tea does not lead to predictable absorption or beneficial effect.

150 to 200 mg of fermented jiaogulan per day is sufficient for people because aglycones of saponins that are small bioactive molecules are absorbed directly through the small intestine. Thus, no more necessary conversions through the microbiome are required.

Fermentation is a natural process that can be used to increase the nutritional value and health benefits of various foods such as vegetables, fruits, teas and medicinal herbs. Only small amounts of fermented product are needed. It is important to carefully control the fermentation process in a targeted way to prevent the production of toxic products and ensure that the beneficial components are preserved and enhanced.

A much lower daily dose is therefore required because active components are hardly present in non-fermented botanicals.