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Cultured Cabbage — A Healing Modality
"As knowledge increases, wonder deepens."Charles Morgan
Captain Cook was one of the first people to make cultured sauerkraut a healing modality. When he took his first vessel and crew on a long voyage in 1768, a violent storm arose. The waves tossed the ship about violently, and many crewmen were injured. To save the men from gangrene, the ship's doctor made poultices of the cultured cabbage on board to apply to their wounds.
Vitamin C and Kraut
Cook was one of the first ship captains to recognize that a lack of vitamin C in a sailor's diet (due mostly to a lack of fresh fruit and vegetables) caused scurvy, a terrible disease that killed millions of sailors in those times. Captain Cook always sailed with barrels of fermented cabbage (7,860 pounds of sauerkraut, to be exact) which he insisted the sailors eat. Scurvy was never a problem on his ships because cultured cabbage contained lots of vitamin C. This is good news for you, too. We all need lots of vitamin C on a regular basis, and fermented cabbage is a fantastic way to get it.
Cultured Cabbage is a Super Food!
Cabbage has about 30 mg of vitamin C per cup, but guess what happens to cabbage when you ferment it? Cornell University found that fermented sauerkraut can have as much as 600 to 700 mg per cup! You also get the boost of probiotics that gives cultured kraut super powers! 
Vitamin C has become one of the most important nutrients for me. I have found it is hugely important for the adrenals. The body rapidly uses up available vitamin C during infection or stress. My life has more demands on me than ever, and extra vitamin C keeps my adrenals functioning properly. I just can't think of a better way to get your vitamin C than in this powerful food.
Your Body Is Designed To Fight — For Your Wellness
Good bacteria act as microscopic bouncers for the bowels, letting in desirable nutrients and slamming the door on dangerous viruses and killer bugs. Without bacteria, you couldn’t digest any food. But digestion is only part of what these high achievers accomplish. They also help power 60-70 percent of the body’s immune system. The bottom line is that we would be dead without bacteria and their special abilities to keep us healthy every day. Your trillions of good bacteria that comprise your body spend their days destroying some of their harmful cousins that are bad bacteria. They also pick through undigested foods and micromanage calories and make some vitamins and essential nutrients for you, but that's not all they do.
Killer T Cells
These good bacteria in the gut influence the strength of the immune system by increasing the number of T cells. There are two kinds of T cells: killers and helpers. Killer T cells find and destroy infected cells that have been turned into viruses making communities. Helper T cells don’t fight invaders; instead, they are like a military intelligence system. When a helper T cell sends out a chemical message, its matched killer T cell is alerted that a virus is present and seeks to destroy it. Having lots and lots of good bacteria in the gut increases T cell production and keeps communication among all the cells functioning at optimum levels. Signals from these beneficial microbes are essential to keeping the immune system strong so it can seek and destroy a virus or infection. Many people have been on antibiotics which kill the good and bad bacteria, and they have never built up a community of good bacteria in their bodies to fight these pathogens.
GI Distress
I use cultured vegetables for any kind of GI distress. [1] Cultured vegetables are extremely effective when dealing with a stomach ailment. The stories I have witnessed are nothing short of miraculous. On several occasions, I have used cultured vegetables and their juice to get rid of food poisoning and a nasty stomach virus. It was like injecting some kind of magic tonic that worked so quickly I was shocked. When my children came down with the stomach flu, I gave them small sips of the juice from cultured veggies and watched as the vomiting and diarrhea and stomach cramps subsided. I have personally seen it knock out food poisoning within a few hours. The special bacteria in cultured veggies called Lactobacillus plantarum binds to the mucosal lining of the gut preventing the adhesion and translocation of pathogens. It steals the nutrients that pathogens need to survive, and the pathogens then die and pass out of the body. This reduces pathogen growth that can also lead to reducing any circulating endotoxins. Having too many endotoxins can cause the immune system to weaken, which can cause infections and inflammation.
Kraut Recipes For Wellness
When you have an imbalance of unfriendly bacteria versus good bacteria, you struggle along. You crave the wrong kinds of food and your bacteria do this because those types of bacteria want to stay alive, too. You’re more vulnerable to yeast infections, colds, flu, acne, and many other health problems. You can feel exhausted, not really living like you should, and just “getting by” in life instead of truly living. Friendly bacteria can fix all this. They act like a SWAT team that can take over your microbiome, getting rid of the unhealthy microbes and dominating with strong healthy ones that fix not just your gut but your mood as well. Remember, 80% of serotonin is made in your gut! Fermented foods rebuild, and prebiotics nourish, friendly bacteria and they’re an unbeatable and powerful combination. When you feel good, you want to do good and these recipes are a great way to begin changing the world inside of you.
Here are some of my favorite kraut recipes
Listen To My Podcast
Cultured Cabbage is a Super Food! It can help keep your immune system running strong and load you with lots of vitamin C. I have a lot to tell you about what this fermented food can do for you. You won't want to miss the many benefits of the superfood. Tune in to learn more!
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