Brewer’s yeast as an anti-aging and healing substance

Brewer’s yeast, the dried and powdered form of yeast cells, has been used externally and internally for at least 5,000 years to achieve its remarkable effects as a remedy, supplier of vital substances, elixir of beauty and fountain of youth at the same time. The natural healing product and beauty product, which is offered today in the form of capsules, tablets, flakes, powder and numerous cosmetics, has not only been recommended by doctors, nutritionists and naturopaths since modern times, says qualified nutritionist Bettina Geier from the Society for Nutritional Medicine in Aachen. In view of its variety of uses and the effects that have been known for thousands of years, brewer’s yeast does not have the popularity status that the all-rounder deserves.

Brewer’s yeast positive for skin and hair

Brewer’s yeast consists of unicellular spherical yeast fungi belonging to the species Saccharomyces cerevisiae. The microorganisms multiply during the fermentation process after the mixing of water, hops and  barley  during beer production. The multifunctional brewer’s yeast, which is painstakingly isolated during the beer brewing process, is a real treasure trove of B vitamins, essential  amino acids  and various minerals and trace elements.

This combination has positive effects on the appearance of skin, hair and nails, on the functioning of the nervous system, on organs and muscle tissue and on the immune  system . As a natural remedy with no side effects, brewer’s yeast also has a large number of other medical uses.

Breweries as best pharmacies

Records by Paracelsus, Hippocrates, Sebastian  Kneipp  and Hildegard von Bingen give significant evidence that the small power plants yeast cells were regarded as one of the most important medicines for centuries. The statement of a doctor from the 18th century “breweries are the best pharmacies” was also the motto at the time. But much earlier, as early as the 16th century BC, brewer’s yeast on papyrus was praised as an “anti-aging agent”.

However, since the microorganisms can only be recognized by humans at a magnification of 800x, it was only around 3,500 years later that brewer’s yeast could be unequivocally proven when Louis Pasteur invented the microscope, and its diverse range of effects could subsequently be researched more closely.

The hour of birth of the first beer is estimated to be between 4,000 and 5,000 BC. The ancient Egyptians are said to have developed a sourdough from flatbread leftovers and, mixed with water, developed the first beer. Other recipes come from the Sumerians at around the same time, who noticed that bread dough that came into contact with wild yeasts in the air began to ferment.

Medicinal remedy

The traditions of the healing effects of beer are as old as the art of brewing itself. In Mesopotamia and in ancient Egypt, the “sludge of beer”, the settled yeast, was used as a medicinal remedy. It was already known back then that brewer’s yeast   had very good effects on many skin diseases . The use of brewer’s yeast in folk medicine has been documented since the 19th century.

The yeast mud was known as a remedy for skin diseases such as acne, eczema,  boils , blemished skin, skin fungal infections and poorly healing wounds and was applied externally to the affected skin areas.  Brewer’s yeast taken as a dietary supplement provides relief for various diseases that do not only affect the skin and are due to malnutrition with certain B vitamins  . Brewer’s yeast has been used for this purpose in South America for 100 years.

Brewer’s yeast as an anti-aging insider tip

Mankind drank beer in its unfiltered form for thousands of years and thus automatically supplied the body with the valuable components of brewer’s yeast. In order to preserve the beer and to be able to transport it over long distances without sacrificing quality, the yeast contained in the beer was filtered out around fifty years ago. Paradoxically, the health promoter became a scrap product that was thrown away.

But the modern era also has its good sides: Because of the variety of brewer’s yeast products on offer, you don’t have to do without their ingredients. In some cases, depending on the intended use, the brewer’s yeast is also enriched with certain substances, such as the beauty vitamin  biotin , which is already naturally contained in the brewer’s yeast. As a result, the native active forces obtain a further increase.

The growing range of nutritional brewer’s yeast offers a recommendable alternative to the brewer’s yeast previously contained in beer, in order to naturally maintain health and youthful freshness, according to Bettina Geier. In any case, brewer’s yeast remains an anti-aging insider tip that should not be underestimated and has existed for thousands of years, concludes the nutritionist.