Ancient Wines: Thyme, Artemesia, and Their Use in Wine

The authors of this fun-to-read study ('fun' used with reservation) are using archaeological evidence to understand ancient people's botanical medicines. 

The purpose is to discover effective plant compounds that fight against cancer.  

Their approach: Analyze the botanical residue in ancient Egyptian and Chinese wine vessels.  Thyme and the herbs in the Artemisia family are identified as herbs present in the wine that possess some anti-cancer effects.


The authors write:

"Our ancestors might well have discovered

empirically some of the most potent and medicinally effective

plants in their environments, especially in periods of

experimentation as epitomized by the Neolithic Revolutions

beginning 10,000 years ago, after the end of the last Ice

Age. Plants, including herbs, tree resins, and other organics

were ideally dissolved in and dispensed by ancient fermented

beverages, such as wine and beer...By analyzing organic residues inside ancient containers, key natural products and organic compounds of potential medicinal value can be directly detected"

Well, maybe it's more fun to drink the medicine than study it.

Fermented Korean Herbal Medicine

Yet another study that shows lactic acid fermentation can enhance the effectiveness of medicinal herbs.  

The herb in question is Hwangryun-haedok-tang, a Korean traditional herbal medicine used to "treat inflammatory-related diseases, including dermatitis, hepatitis, and gastritis."  

From reading the study it appears to be a multi-herb mixture that includes coptis japonica, Scutellaria baicalensis (skullcap), chinese philodendron, and Scutellaria baicalensis (fruit) 

The authors state:"Fermentation increases the production of active components in medicinal herbs, which beneficially influences health through health-promoting and disease preventing effects....

"Bacteria fermentation not only generates the bioactive components of flavonoid but also changes its structure. Bacterial fermentation de-glycosylates, sulfates, or methylates flavonoids, which influences the absorption rate and metabolism in the liver [25]. The structure change of flavonoid by bacteria fermentation increases the absorption rate and the amounts absorbed, which might elevate the bioactivity and bioavailability of active components [26,27] and might contribute to the beneficial effect on bone [28]."

"This study demonstrated that lactic bacterial fermentation fortifies the inhibitory effect of HRT on osteoclastogenesis and bone loss. These results suggest that fermented HRT might have the beneficial potential on osteoporosis by inhibiting osteoclastogenesis."

Fermented Angelica (Dong Quai Root)

A Korean study demonstrated an increase in antioxidants by 20-50% when Angelica Senensis root was fermented by lactic acid bacteria cultures.

http://www.fasebj.org/cgi/content/meeting_abstract/24/1_MeetingAbstracts/830.2

4 Ways Fermented Foods Can Positively Impact Your Health

This is a Presentation I will be giving in my upcoming fermentation class. Thanks to Sandor Katz and his book The Art of Fermentation for helping to clarify some of this knowledge for me.  Learn on!

Fermenting Turmeric Pt. 2

Curcumin, the yellow pigment of turmeric, has been shown to be effective against a whole slew of inflammation related diseases including cancer and Alzheimer's.  That much is clear.  But the question remains:  How should one consume curcumin, and in what form and manner, in order to reap the most benefits?  Many supplements exist, promising the most bio-available curcumin. They are full of curcumin extract in different concentrations.

Curcumin is recognized as the principle bio-active component of turmeric.  However, this not the entire story.  Curcumin is transformed through digestion into different forms known as metabolites.  It is the metabolites that are easily absorbed by the body, not the whole curcumin molecule.  Some of the known metabolites of Curcumin are curcumin glucuronides and sulfates.

The question then becomes are the metabolites of curcumin effective as an anti-inflammatory and canncer preventing agent?

The answer might just be yes according to these studies, which show the effectiveness of curcumin metabolites, especially tetrahydrocurcuminoid:

http://jn.nutrition.org/content/131/8/2090.short

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22156377

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22212488

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17569222


It is through microorganisms and enzymes in the human gut that curcumin is transformed.  In 2011, Japanese researchers isolated a microorganism and enzyme responsible for curcumin's transformation into the potent and easily absorbed metabolites. They identified a type of E. Coli as the responsible agent.  I wouldn't assume it is the sole transformative agent, but it's what they found.

In summary, curcumin is transformed into potent metabolites through enzymes and microbes in our digestive system.  So it is possible to "ferment" curcumin in vitro- outside the body, and perhaps in a mason jar, as the Japanese study displayed.  I wonder if any of the common microbes used in food processing like lactobacillus, aspergillus, and s. cerevisiae are capable of performing the transformation?

Before I end, it is important to acknowledge the risks of taking concentrated supplements- which curcumin is.  This well researched letter addresses the dark side of curcumin.  I tend to believe that natural medicine in  food and plant form is better than the extract form.  However, if you can't consume enough of the foods, then yes to the extracts with care.  But turmeric is widely available, so how best to prepare it?  Cooking in oil is suggested because curcumin is oil-soluble.  Curry's are prepared this way.  Daily consumption of low doses might be the way to go.  But what about fermenting turmeric to eat in food form?  That's what these posts are about.

Aloha.

Fermented Turmeric Tea

I love Turmeric.  Not only because the color is like liquid sunshine, but because of all great health benefits such as prevention of certain types of cancers and inflammation diseases.  My girlfriend will only drink it once in a while, and reluctantly at that, because she wants to keep her teeth white- liquid sunshine can stain white teeth.  She's a good sport, sampling many concoctions that I make. I drink it when I remember, and I don't think it really stains my teeth.  Those that work with turmeric know that it's yellowing potential is huge when working with it, but it will quickly fade over the next day.

Fermented turmeric tea aka fermented ukon is a common drink in Okinawa. Why ferment Turmeric? Because the Okinawans do, and they live for a long, long time. But really,  it makes a milder tasting turmeric.  I've tested this my self.  A Japanese friend of mine was kind enough to fulfill my request for Japanese fermented turmeric tea when she visited recently.  The tea comes in a granular form, in a paper tea bag.  Directions say to boil the tea for 4-5 minutes then drink.  The writing on the box says that fermentation reduces the bitterness of turmeric.  Swanson claims that fermenting turmeric also ensures high concentration of curcuminoids, the property of turmeric believed to be so beneficial. Can you send me your studies that confirm that, Swanson?  

It was nice to try the Japanese brand tea, but since we have so much fresh turmeric in Hawaii, I wanted to make my own fermented version at home.

Fermented turmeric tea

I've made my own fermented turmeric following this process. 

1. Ferment slices of fresh turmeric in a sugar water using a lactic acid bacteria starter culture.

2. Slice .5 lb fresh turmeric.

3. Add to quart size mason Jar with 3 cups purified water and about .5 cup sugar

4.  Add starter lactic acid bacteria starter culture in the form of ginger bug, water kefir, or something else.

Turmeric fermenting in a lactic acid bacteria brew

5. Stir regularly for the first few days, cover from bugs, and ferment until it stops bubbling.

6. Dry the pieces of turmeric in a low oven or dehydrator. 

BTW in case you are new to fermentation, the bacteria consume the sugars in the water, as well as in the turmeric, and quite possibly increase the bio availability of beneficial compounds in the turmeric.

The resulting turmeric is sweet smelling and lighter in color than the fresh turmeric and presumably better for you.

Dried, fermented turmeric.  Mine in the front, Japanese brand in the back.

Other ways to incorporate fermented turmeric in your diet:

 Add powdered or fresh turmeric to live kim chi or sauerkraut.  Possibly add a few slices to a bottle of kombucha and leave on the counter for a day or two, at which time the bacteria, acids, and enzymes can perform their work.  What about adding the powder to sourdough pancakes?  Or perhaps mixing a few tbs of powder into your miso?  These are some ways to ferment turmeric.  Not saying they will taste super great, but they will most likely be super great for you.   

Fermenting Turmeric Pt. 1

Turmeric

Do you recognize the plant in the picture?  It is fresh, ripe, juicy, turmeric. We are lucky in Hawaii to have fresh organic turmeric available most of the year.  Turmeric (curcuma longa) is a plant in the ginger family native to SE Asia.  Recently, it has received significant media coverage for it's ability to reduce inflammation.  Actually curcumin, a natural phenol responsible for the yellow color of the plant, is believed to be the principal agent in subduing inflammation.   Here is an exhaustive list of studies on the effects of turmeric and curcumin.

Curcumin is known to be soluble in oil, as well as alcohol (not necessarily combined together, but let me know if you experiment).  According to the FAO, it is insoluble in water, as well as acidic conditions.  The bio availability of straight turmeric (curcumin) is relatively low, thus the formulation and marketing of various concentrated curcuminoid supplements. Unless you eat foods like Indian currys made with a judicious amount of turmeric powder everyday, it is not likely you will receive adequate benefit from the turmeric diet.  In other words, eating or drinking it once a week will likely be as futile as boiling a pot of water with a lighter.

Regarding fermentation

Many plant based ferments are acidic in nature; a result of employing lactic acid bacteria.  The fermentation process can make certain nutrients and compounds more bio available, especially in the case of grains. But what about in the case of turmeric?   If one were to ferment fresh or powdered turmeric with lactic acid bacteria then they might ask this question:  Would fermenting turmeric increase the bio-availability of curcumin?  

  In fact, I experimented with this myself using fresh organic turmeric finely diced, water, and sugar.  My starter culture was a ginger bug- a bubbly concentrate of sugar, water, ginger, turmeric, and indigenous LAB bacteria.  Within the first week of fermentation the pH dropped below 4.  After another two weeks, an aroma of alcohol developed.  As you can see in the picture (week 3) the water menstrum has become yellow.  Yet, a majority of the pigment remained in the actual turmeric pieces, a sign to me that the water-based LAB extraction technique produced less than stellar results curcuminoid-wise.  Yet does this mean that fermentation does not enhance turmeric?  I'm not going to claim yay or nay on the issue.

Searching the Internet, I have found nothing reliable that conclusively states the benefits or downsides of fermenting turmeric.  However, an article published in the journal Clinical Cancer Research postulates that the beneficial effects of curcumin may be a result of the "bio-active degradation"  it undergoes in the digestive system.  In other words, perhaps the benefits of turmeric are from the by-products of  curcumin (and whatever the heck else)  as it is transformed in the body through the bacterial and enzymatic processes of digestion. If that is so,  perhaps fermentation outside the body mimics that process enough to create those beneficial compounds, cited as ferulic acid and vanillin in the study.  These beneficial compounds overcome the water solubility problem of curcumin.  They also confer beneficial effects, such as anti-cancer properties.  Is it possible that fermenting turmeric creates beneficial compounds?  It seems likely.  Though, because I am a very AMATEUR researcher, this article is really just an interesting thought.  Nevertheless, I am intrigued by the idea, and would like to know about any other research being done that negates or confirms anything in this article.  It is interesting that in Japan, fermented turmeric somewhat common as a supplement and tea.  In fact, I have some in my cabinet right now.  It was a gift from a Japanese friend.  

In Part 2, I will explore some of the fermented turmeric products on the market as well as some home-made recipes.