Jilly Juice is a quack pseudomedicine in the form of a fermented drink that is falsely claimed by its proponents to be able to cure an assortment of conditions, including cancer and autism spectrum disorders, as well as regenerate missing limbs, reverse the effects of aging, and "cure" homosexuality. No studies have proven any of these claims, nor has the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved the recipe. The juice, composed of water, salt, and fermented cabbage or kale, is falsely claimed to expunge Candida (a yeast) and parasitic worms. Scientific evidence has shown that this treatment is not only ineffective, but is also toxic with potentially deadly adverse effects.
Jilly Juice was conceived by Jillian Mai Thi Epperly, who has no medical or scientific background. She has garnered media scrutiny for her baseless claims that Jilly Juice can help treat medical conditions, and petitions and other efforts have been made to ban the product and its promotion from social media. Followers of Epperly have been dubbed members of a "poop cult", and by 2017, had formed a now-defunct Facebook group made up of over 58,000 members. In 2018, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) warned Epperly that it is against the law to advertise a product's health benefits without proper scientific support.
Overview
Jilly Juice consists solely of water, salt, and room temperature fermented cabbage or kale. According to proponents, the recipe for Jilly Juice includes two cups of water, a tablespoon of pink or sea salt, and two cups of cabbage or kale. The recipe calls for the ingredients to then be thoroughly puréed in a blender, poured into a glass jar, covered with cheesecloth, and left to ferment at room temperature for three days. Jillian Mai Thi Epperly, the creator of Jilly Juice, has claimed that salt is a "positive element" for the immune system, and that cabbage contains important probiotics and nutrients. She has recommended that individuals start consuming two cups of Jilly Juice per day, and then gradually increase consumption of it to up to 16 cups a day.
Proponents of Jilly Juice have claimed that a variety of illnesses and conditions are the result of Candida, a yeast which they claim attracts parasites in one's body. According to Epperly, an abundance of Candida in the body can cause harmful bacteria to multiply, create holes in the intestine, and allow toxins from food to enter one's bloodstream—she refers to this process as "leaky gut syndrome", or increased intestinal permeability. Epperly recommends a restricted diet supplemented by consuming large quantities of Jilly Juice, which supposedly removes Candida and parasites from one's body by inducing diarrhea (these bouts of diarrhea have been referred to by Jilly Juice advocates as "waterfalls").
Along with supposedly expunging Candida and parasites from one's body, Jilly Juice has been claimed to be able to "cure" autism, cancer, and psoriasis, as well as regenerate missing limbs, impede or reverse the effects of aging, and "cure" homosexuality.
Efficacy and toxicity
Drinking Jilly Juice is wholly ineffective in treating any ailment, and can cause extreme dehydration and potentially fatal hypernatremia (salt intoxication). Joseph A. Schwarcz, director of McGill University's Office for Science and Society, has noted that the drink's dangerously high salt concentration can lead to hypertension. Poor fermentation of the drink could also lead to ill effects. David Seres, director of medical nutrition at Columbia University Medical Center, has called the claims of Jilly Juice proponents "absolutely dangerous nonsense".
In 2018, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) warned Epperly about claims made regarding Jilly Juice in a letter that stated: "It is against the law to make health claims, whether directly or indirectly, through advertising or other means, without adequate scientific support at the time the claims are made, or to exaggerate the benefits of products or services you are promoting".
History
Origins
Jillian Mai Thi Epperly, the creator of Jilly Juice, was born in Vietnam. She moved to the United States in May 1975 before the age of two, and was adopted by American parents. Her father worked in biotechnology, which she claims helped her to realize that the pharmaceutical industry is working with doctors to keep consumers addicted to medication. She met her husband online, then moved to Ohio to live with him. She developed premenstrual dysphoric disorder (PMDD), and after being exposed to various conspiracy theories such as the anti-vaccination movement and the chemtrail conspiracy theory, she sought out alternative medicine to treat her PMDD.