Jilly Juice is aquack medicine[1] in the form of afermented drink that is falsely claimed by proponents to be able to cure an assortment of health conditions, includingcancer andautism spectrum disorders, as well asregenerate missing limbs, reverse or slow down the effects of aging, and to "cure homosexuality".[2][3] No studies have proven any of these statements, nor has theFood and Drug Administration (FDA) approved the recipe. The juice, composed ofwater,salt, andfermentedcabbage orkale, is falselyclaimed to expungeCandida (a yeast) and parasitic worms.Scientific evidence has shown that this treatment is not only ineffective, but is also toxic with potentially deadlyadverse effects.[a]
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-defunctFacebook group made up of over 58,000 members.[2] In 2018, theFederal Trade Commission (FTC) warned Epperly that it is against the law to advertise a product's health benefits without proper scientific support.[3][7]
Jilly Juice consists solely of water, salt, and room temperature fermented cabbage or kale.[2][6] According to proponents, the recipe for Jilly Juice includes two cups of water, a tablespoon ofpink or sea salt, and two cups of cabbage or kale.[2] The recipe calls for the ingredients to then be thoroughly puréed in a blender, poured into a glass jar, covered withcheesecloth, and left to ferment at room temperature for three days.[2] Jillian Mai Thi Epperly, the creator of Jilly Juice, has claimed that salt is a "positive element" for theimmune system, and that cabbage contains importantprobiotics and nutrients.[8] 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.[2][6][9]
Proponents of Jilly Juice have claimed that a variety of illnesses and conditions are the result ofCandida, ayeast which they claim attracts parasites in one's body.[2][7] According to Epperly, an abundance ofCandida in the body can cause harmful bacteria to multiply, create holes in theintestine, and allow toxins from food to enter one's bloodstream—she refers to this process as "leaky gut syndrome",[9] or increased intestinal permeability.[10][11] Epperly recommends a restricted diet supplemented by consuming large quantities of Jilly Juice, which supposedly removesCandida and parasites from one's body by inducingdiarrhea (these bouts of diarrhea have been referred to by Jilly Juice advocates as "waterfalls").[2][7]
Along with supposedly expungingCandida and parasites from one's body, Jilly Juice has been claimed to be able to "cure"autism,[6]cancer,[8] andpsoriasis,[3] as well asregenerate missing limbs,[3][8] impede or reverse the effects ofaging,[2] and "cure"homosexuality.[3][6]
Drinking Jilly Juice is wholly ineffective in treating any ailment, and can cause extremedehydration and potentially fatalhypernatremia (salt intoxication).[2][4]Joseph A. Schwarcz, director ofMcGill University'sOffice for Science and Society, has noted that the drink's dangerously high salt concentration can lead tohypertension.[5] Poor fermentation of the drink could also lead to ill effects.[2] David Seres, director of medical nutrition atColumbia University Medical Center, has called the claims of Jilly Juice proponents "absolutely dangerous nonsense".[2][6]
In 2018, theFederal 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".[7]
Jillian Mai Thi Epperly, the creator of Jilly Juice, was born inVietnam.[2] She moved to the United States in May 1975 before the age of two, where she was adopted by American parents.[9] Her father worked inbiotechnology, which she claims helped her to realize that thepharmaceutical industry is working with doctors tokeep consumers addicted to medication.[2] She met her husband online and moved to Ohio to live with him.[2] She developedpremenstrual dysphoric disorder (PMDD), and after being exposed to variousconspiracy theories such as theanti-vaccination movement and thechemtrail conspiracy theory, she sought outalternative medicine to treat her PMDD.[2]
Epperly claimed that in her online research of various diseases, she discovered thatCandida or other fungi were "always a factor". She therefore concluded thatCandida was responsible for a large number of diseases.[2] Epperly began trying recipes forkombucha andpickles before deciding on fermented cabbage with a significant salt content.[2] The result was a room temperature brew of water, salt, and fermented cabbage or kale. Epperly claims this mixture can treat a number of illnesses and conditions and has marketed it as "Jilly Juice".[2]
Epperly began making Jilly Juice with cabbage and kale in October 2016, and by January 2017, she was posting videos related to the drink on her personalFacebook page.[2] The videos garnered a following, leading to the creation of a Facebook group known as "Exposing the Lies Candida: Weaponized Fungus Mainstreaming Mutancy".[2] Over the next few months, the group grew to include thousands of members.[2] In the Facebook group, members would often post images of their bowel movements, comments about supposed parasites visible in said bowel movements, and videos of themselves drinking Jilly Juice, preparing Jilly Juice as anenema, or giving Jilly Juice orally to young children and infants.[2]
In February 2017, after receiving backlash from groups opposed to the promotion and consumption of Jilly Juice, Epperly launched a website, Jillyjuice.com, and removed the Facebook group from public view.[2] At its peak, the Facebook group had amassed over 58,000 members.[2][8] Content on Jillyjuice.com, which includes private forums, can be accessed by paying $30 annually or $5 monthly.[2][6] Epperly has also provided private phone consultations for $70 an hour.[2][6]
In May 2018, Epperly appeared on the American talk showDr. Phil.[12] The show's host,Phil McGraw, called Epperly's claims regarding Jilly Juice "outrageous."[3]
In the summer of 2017, Bruce Wilmot, who was diagnosed withmetastaticpancreatic cancer, began taking Jilly Juice.[8] Wilmot's daughter Taylor described him as "emaciated", and stated that he "was drinking so much of it, he was basically starving himself. It was all coming out as diarrhea."[2]
On July 20, 2017, about a month after he began drinking Jilly Juice, Bruce Wilmot died.[2][8] Epperly responded to his death in a video by saying that Wilmot did not consume enough Jilly Juice, stating that he "really should have kept going", and that his medications, his consumption ofpineapple juice, or the medical industry may have contributed to his death.[2][8] Epperly later wrote that she "can't be held accountable" for deaths resulting from her product, and that "correlation does not mean causation."[8]
After Epperly's Facebook group grew in popularity, several other Facebook groups were created which opposed her and her followers' claims regarding Jilly Juice. A movement of Jilly Juice opponents, which has been described as "anti-juice", "anti-Jillian", and "anti-Epperly", has itself accrued thousands of adherents.[2] Petitions onChange.org calling for Epperly and Jilly Juice to be banned from social media have also been created,[2] and anti-Epperly advocates have reported her false health claims to the FDA, the FTC, the State Medical Board of Ohio, and theOhio Attorney General's Office.[7][6]
