We ferment human microbes

I stopped in a local beer brewing store in suburban Chicago, looking for vented caps (or what they apparently call “airlocks” in beer brewing), the sort of caps that release gas in one direction but block air from entering. Some of the juices we ferment with Saccharomyces boulardii and Bacillus subtilis yield such vigorous volumes of carbon dioxide (CO₂) that, unless the cap is screwed on loosely, so much pressure can build up that the container explodes. So vent caps or airlocks help vent the gas and prevent excessive pressure buildup.

I ended up having a nice conversation with the owner and staff at the shop as they described some of the fermenting products and devices they stocked for beer and wine making, yogurt and kefir fermentation, and cheeses. For instance, they use Saccharomyces cerevisiae to make beer and wine, sometimes add Lactobacillus brevis to increase the sourness of some beers, Lactobacillus bulgaricus and Streptococcus thermophilus to make conventional yogurt, as well as a variety of starters to make cheese, kombucha, and kefirs. I told them that we, too, ferment microbes, but not the same species that they use for their purposes.

So I told them that we use human microbes for fermentation. They were surprised at this, completely unaware that you can take microbes from human secretions—stool, urine, sputum, vaginal secretions, breastmilk, etc.—and ferment them. In conventional settings such as hospitals, we culture such secretions to detect the presence of pathogens such as Escherichia coli or Streptococcus pneumoniae that cause urinary tract infections or pneumonia. But, if you have been following my conversations, such as those in my book Super Gut, you know that we ferment microbial species, mostly sourced from humans, to obtain effects such as:

• Reduced abdominal symptoms of bloating, discomfort, diarrhea
• Improved digestion
• Reduced skin wrinkles, skin moisture
• Restoration of youthful musculature
• Increased libido, increased testosterone in males
• Safer pregnancy, reduced premature labor, enhanced breastfeeding, enhanced maternal-infant bonding
• Enhance social behavior—empathy, generosity, reduced social anxiety, increased acceptance of other people’s opinions
• Reduced aggression, hatred, anger
• Reduced anxiety, depression
• Reduced incidence of autoimmune diseases
• Reduced cancers—especially colorectal, pancreatic, biliary duct, gastric
• Reduced vaginal infections, reduced urinary tract infections, reduced urge and stress incontinence

That’s only a partial list. Are you beginning to appreciate the enormity of what we are accomplishing here by cultivating human microbes?

The original IHB post is currently found on the: ⎆Infinite Health Blog, but accessing it there can require an unnecessary separate blog membership. The copy of it above is complete, and has been re-curated and enhanced for the Inner Circle membership.