L-glutamine is an amino acid that is used by the body for protein synthesis, regulation of acid-base balance in the kidneys, cellular energy, nitrogen donation, and is also a nontoxic transporter of ammonia in blood circulation. The greatest consumer of L-glutamine in the human body is the intestinal cells and is why it is an important supplement for gut healing. L-glutamine helps maintain the gut barrier and helps increase the integrity of the mucosal barrier. L-glutamine has been shown to help reduce hospital recovery time after surgery because glutamine might improve white blood cell activity at the site of injury, thus increasing healing. 1
Cabbage is naturally high in L-glutamine. 2 Cabbage juice has been studied for ulcers as far back as the 1940’s! 3 The following recipes are for a fresh cabbage juice and a probiotic cabbage juice that is full of one of my favorite probiotics Lactobacillus plantarum. 4
Lactobacillus plantarum – A type of Lactobacillus that is found in the human large intestine. It is used in the production of sauerkraut, kimchi, pickles, and sourdough bread. Plantarum is an excellent probiotic and has been shown beneficial in the treatment of IBS. 5 It also can reform the gastrointestinal mucous barrier; plantarum can also inhibit opportunistic bacteria by making bactericide peptides. It has shown the potential to help prevent food allergies, especially to soybeans. Finally, plantarum can help stimulate the immune system by producing the amino acid L-Lysine in the intestine. 6
How to Make Fresh Homemade Cabbage Juice – Full of Natural L-Glutamine
- Boil the water in a small pot for thirty minutes if you are using tap water. Boiling will rid the water of most elements, but you can also use filtered water that you do not have to boil as well.
- Wash and chop up the cabbage.
- Put the chopped cabbage and the water into a blender. Use a large blender so that the blender is only about 2/3 full if possible. Do not fill the blender completely because the cabbage and the water will not if you do!
- Blend the cabbage and water together at low speed. Stop when the water is green-tinted, with noticeable chunks of cabbage still floating around, and it should only take one or two minutes. The reason you spend most of the blending time at low speed is prevented oxidization of the cabbage phytochemicals.
- Then blend the mixture on high for about ten seconds. Do not blend the mixture for much longer than that on high speed. You do not want to create a paste or a puree.
- Place a mesh strainer over a clean, empty jar (boil the jar first to sanitize the jar). Use a strainer, to separate, as much of the cabbage liquid from the solid cabbage parts as possible. Make sure that the strainer you use is also smaller than the mouth of the jar to avoid any spillage.
- Pour the leftover solid-liquid through the strainer and into the second jar. Strain the liquid slowly to avoid accidentally spilling the juice or causing the strainer to become clogged with pulp.
- Pour the extra juice from the second jar into the first jar.
- Cap the jar. Store your cabbage juice in the refrigerator until ready to use and serve it chilled.
- Pour four oz in a glass mixed with four oz of filtered water and drink twice daily on an empty stomach for maximum effect and enjoy!
Fermented Cabbage Juice – Probiotic Goodness!
Only drink the fermented cabbage juice for one week every two months for great probiotic health! One batch should keep in the refrigerator for two months.
- Boil the water in a small pot for thirty minutes if you are using tap water. Boiling will rid the water of most elements, but you can also use filtered water that you do not have to boil as well.
- Wash (only in filtered water) and chop up the cabbage.
- Put the chopped cabbage and the water into a blender. Use a large blender so that the blender is only about 2/3 full if possible. Do not fill the blender completely because the cabbage and the water will not blend if you do!
- Blend the cabbage and water together at low speed. Stop when the water is green-tinted, with noticeable chunks of cabbage still floating around and it should only take one or two minutes. The reason you spend most of the blending time at low speed is prevented oxidization of the cabbage phytochemicals.
- Then blend the mixture on high for about ten seconds. Do not blend the mixture for much longer than that on high speed. You do not want to create a paste or a puree.
- Pour the mixture into one quart sterilized jar. Also, add one tsp. of Real Salt, or toxin free sea salt to the mixture in the jar. Make sure that there is at least one full inch (2.5 centimeters) between the surface level of the cabbage mixture and the rim of the jar. The liquid will likely expand as it ferments, so give the liquid extra room.
- Tightly seal the jar with plastic wrap. If the jar you use has a lid, that will also work well. For an even tighter seal, stretch plastic wrap over the mouth of the jar and screw the cap onto the jar over the wrap. Shake the jar to mix the salt with the cabbage juice.
- Allow the cabbage mixture to sit undisturbed at room temperature. Avoid allowing the temperature to drop much below 68 degrees Fahrenheit or to rise above 78 degrees Fahrenheit. Keep the jar out of the sun as much as possible. In a dark cabinet away from the stove would be best if all possible.
- Let the cabbage mixture sit for at least six weeks. The juice is fermenting, growing cultures that will help your digestive health.
- Place a mesh strainer over a clean, empty jar (boil the jar first to sanitize the jar). Use a strainer, to separate, as much of the cabbage liquid from the solid cabbage parts as possible. Make sure that the strainer you use is also smaller than the mouth of the jar to avoid any spillage.
- Pour the left over solid-liquid through the strainer and into the second jar. Strain the liquid slowly to avoid accidentally spilling the juice or causing the strainer to become clogged with pulp.
- Pour the extra juice from the second jar into the first jar.
- Cap the jar. Store your cabbage juice in the refrigerator until ready to use and serve it chilled.
- Repeat this process when your original supply gets low, reserving 1/2 cup of your original batch of cabbage juice. This new 1/2 cup should be added to your new batch prior to the fermentation process.
- Allow your new batch to sit at room temperature for twenty-four hours before straining. By adding cultured juice from a previous batch, you sped up the time it took for your new batch to ferment.
- Balch, Phyllis. Prescription for Nutritional Healing, Avery Publishing, 2010. ↩
- http://umm.edu/health/medical/altmed/supplement/glutamine ↩
- https://goo.gl/8DTgd9 ↩
- http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16125381 ↩
- http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/11711768 ↩
- http://www.probiotic.org/lactobacillus-plantarum.htm ↩
Hey John, I have a question
When taking l-glutamine, having some digestive discomfort is fine as long as you don’t feel anxious right? actually, the discomfort goes away very quickly for me, and should l-glutamine taken with food or an empty stomach?
and is there any difference between taking capsules and powder mixed in the water?
Seems like different locations would have different local bacteria and yeast that might colonize the fermenting juice. How do you know that specific species will appear? I’m guessing the temperature range helps limit which, but I’m just surprised we don’t need to inoculate it with a known strain or something (like a “mother” that we transfer).
Is Napa cabbage also a good source of glutamine? We make and eat a lot of kimchi.
Yes, http://www.jenniferweinbergmd.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/06/Napa-Fact-Sheet.pdf
I see other blogs that give your exact process but they only leave it on the counter for 3 days to ferment….what do you think about that? Yours calls for 6 weeks.
I recommend a six week fermentation to reduce histamine. In addition, are the recipes that you are referring to have way too much salt and require you to drink the mixture to the point you get chronic diarrhea? If so do not fall for bad advice.
Sorry, I just saw the salt part…
You don’t use salt when fermenting the juice?
There isn’t any “evidence” (studies) per say and the chance of it causing SIBO would not happen in everyone. But in some people if you ingest a lot of probiotics or eat probiotic food consistently and they propagate enough the bacteria will move into the small intestine and cause SIBO. Most people shouldn’t take probiotics or eat probiotic laden food frequently. Err on the side of caution.
You don’t want to take too many probiotic supplements or eat fermented foods too often because you may develop SIBO.
I think I had Sibo and I’m so glad I just read this article. I felt hungry all the time like the good bacteria in my gut wasn’t getting enough food. I thought it was a parasite or something but the stool test was negative. I was eating a lot of sauerkraut and kefir all the time. I took flagyl for one week and I think my gut is in balance, but I feel like I have an ulcerated gut lining. I’m going to take l glutamine and eat more cabbage. My question is: does L glutamine work better with food or an empty stomach for healing ulcers?
Why do you say to only drink the sauerkraut juice one week every two months?
You don’t want to introduce to many bacteria into the colon which might cause SIBO.
I’ve never heard this concern with sauerkraut—do you have evidence of this and is it exclusive to the juice or sauerkraut as a food, too?