Tag Archives: gut problems

Questions & Answers

Is Cooking With Alcohol Bad For The Gut?

Does cooking with alcohol harm the gut?

There’s no doubt about it; alcohol does have a negative effect on the gut. There can be positives to alcohol as well, but it has a lot to do with the amount you consume.

People who drink large quantities of alcohol daily are going to destroy their health.
What about people who are sensible and have small quantities of alcohol now and then? They aren’t likely going to damage their health.

Research tells us that when you cook alcohol for twenty to thirty minutes, up to 60% of the alcohol will evaporate away. If you cook the food for 1 ½ to 2 hours, only about 5% of the original alcohol remains.

I occasionally will make a lovely beef casserole that includes some red wine. I will use a cup of red wine and cook the dish for four or five hours. By the time the stew is ready to eat, there is less than 2% of the alcohol left. That’s a risk I’m willing to take for a delicious meal.

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I haven’t experienced any adverse effects on my gut health from my very moderate use of alcohol.
I have seen some research that neutral spirits like vodka and gin might be a little less damaging to the gut when compared to non-neutral spirits like brandy and whiskey. If the alcohol is transparent and white, it’s a neutral spirit.

But vodka and gin will still have negative effects on your liver, especially if you’re drinking every day and eating a poor diet. You need to replace the nutrients that are lost through the alcohol detoxification process.

If you want a substitute for wine or brandy, you could always try fruit juice. The sugar is still high, but at least there is no alcohol. I would use fruit juice sparingly due to the fructose content. You don’t want to overload your kidneys, liver, or digestive system with alcohol or sugar.

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Questions & Answers

Pau D’Arco And The Gut

Taheebo or Pau D’Arco comes from a treat found in various parts of the rain forest in South and Central America.

Some groups of indigenous peoples in South America have been using Pau D’Arco fo hundreds if not thousand-plus years. The inner bark of this tree has been used to treat many different diseases, including cancer. It was also used for snake bites, fever, constipation, dysentery, gut cleansing, skin problems, and vaginal yeast infections.

In order for Pau D’Arco to be effective, it needs to have a lapachol content of between two and four percent.

You may read that Pau D’Arco is toxic. But I don’t believe that. I think the studies that showed toxicity were using megadoses. I do believe that there is a lot of poor quality supplements out there. That’s why you need to do the footwork to find the real deal. It will be difficult, but worth the effort.

Pau D’Arco is a fantastic herb for treating yeast and fungus. Once you make a batch, you can store it for weeks and weeks. It lasts a long time because it’s a natural product that seems impervious to getting bacteria or any other infection.

Further readings:

The Pau D’Arco should have a nice cinnamony color and a characteristic taste. It’s the inner bark that you want, and it will cost a pretty penny. Once you have acquired good quality Pau D’Arco, put about two or three tablespoons in four cups of plain, filtered, pure water. Don’t use tap water and don’t use an aluminum pan. Use a proper stainless steel, iron, or glass saucepan to heat the mixture. Bring it to a boil and then simmer for about twenty minutes.

Once you’ve finished simmering, top it up with water to bring it back up to its original level. When it’s cool, strain the liquid through a piece of cheesecloth. Store in the refrigerator.

You need about one quarter to one cup per day. For cancer, one cup is indicated. But for digestive problems, a quarter to half a cup per day is fine. If the taste is too strong, feel free to add some water to your daily dose.

Lapacho contains phenolic compounds that have been shown to be very potent against many strains of Candida. It’s also really good for vaginal yeast infections.

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