About Lewtress 

Rob and Cathay In a rain forest rich in herbs and fungi

Rob and Cathay founded Lewtress Natural Health in 1994 after a friend recommended that they should find a Kombucha Culture to make a tonic for Cathay’s father who was diagnosed with a carcinoma. Before allowing her father to drink Kombucha, she asked her fathers cancer specialist, who happened to be Polish, if it would be of any benefit to him. Yes was the immediate answer. He not only knew about the tonic but expounded its benefits and history and its uses to this day as a daily health tonic used in Poland.

Cathay Wootres and Rob Lewis

Certified Iridologists and Naturopaths.
C.I.B.T.A.C. C.I.D.E.S.C.O. A.E.T. B.A.B.T.A.C
British Association of Complementary Therapies

Cathay Wootres was born in the U.S.A. and her American father bought her up on Indian folklore Medicine and where possible in her childhood, avoided antibiotics and expounded the use of healthy food and lifestyle. Her Maternal Grandmother who lived with them was Greek and taught the family the healthy Mediterranean way with plenty of olive oil, fresh vegetables and red wine. Cathay’s family moved to Australia where she went to school and grew up with the Aboriginal folklore and bushman knowledge of survival with the use of plant medicine in the outback and of course the dreamtime and walkabout stories. After Australia they moved to Papua New Guinea where again traditional folklore and knowledge of the fruit and herbs were used for medicines.

In 1980 they ended up moving to the U.K. where Cathay trained at Champneys – the United Kingdom’s first health farm – founded by Naturopath Stanley Lief in 1925 bringing the pioneering concept of treating the whole person; mind, body and soul in to public awareness.

Specialising in Aromatherapy and therapeutic massage rehabilitation, Cathay then moved to Jordan. Here she had the extraordinary experience and privilege to work with members of the Royal Family who encouraged her to learn more complimentary therapies thereby adding to her already vast knowledge and experience.

The Bedouin Arabs of Jordan use many herbs and spices for health in everyday foods such as kakadai, sumach, yoghurt, hummus and spinach, which are all considered to be nutritious digestives.

In 1989 Cathay returned to the U.K on holiday and had the unfortunate experience of contracting salmonella poisoning, which in turn resulted in M.E. Her first hand experience of trying to regain her health and the inability of the Medical Profession to help, gave her a personal insight into the lack of knowledge into this condition, which in the 21st century is now re-named Chronic Fatigue.

Having tried a multitude of complimentary therapies to try to help, including medical herbalism, reflexology and others, she found that the condition seemed to have a rebellious nature and just when a treatment seemed to be working her body would react violently to it. In the end she stopped all treatments to enable her to function at least to the level of opening a clinic and seeing a couple of clients a day, considering that to be her own physiotherapy for mind and body.

Cathay has always believed in trying out everything she recommends, so she built herself up to drinking at least half a litre of Kombucha a day. She found the de-toxing gentle but effective and slowly started to regain stamina. Although her memory wasn’t still up to the ability it was before Chronic Fatigue, (a common symptom) she found that with continued use of Kombucha memory function soon improved and things went ahead from there.

The Clinic then started to sell Kombucha for various health conditions with feedback always first hand and accurate. With the Clinic’s hands on treatment, it has always been very evident just how effective Kombucha tonics can be.

With Chronic Fatigue comes a multitude of food intolerances, chemical intolerances and deficiency (vitamin/mineral) symptoms. To help understand this Cathay qualified as an allergy and food intolerance tester in 1998.

The knowledge gained from using various Kombucha products for de-sensitisation led on to the development of a complete range of herbal supplements, all based on live Bio-active Kombucha culture extract. Apart from being unique, these Kombucha based herbal supplements are far more absorbable and readily utilised by the body than herbs in other forms, e.g. tablets and capsules which have to be digested. The digestion process destroys up 60% of the herbal benefit. This is why we have stuck to the production of herbs in liquid form. The only downside to liquid herbs is the taste, most people say that the benefits far outweigh any taste issues. Generally herbs are very strong but maximum benefits are only gained from being able to taste the herb. See our 'Bio Active Herbal Supplements' on the menu on the left.

Rob Lewis, the alchemist of the two, grew up in the countryside of West Wales on a virtually self sufficient organic farm which his parents ran as close to nature as possible. He learned from a young age that nature knew best. He first trained as a herbalist using natures plants to maintain health, gaining a background in Homeopathy he moved in to the science of Iridology (body system analysis through the iris) practising at an intermediate level. He also had the useful experience of a paediatrician from a local hospital interested in his work, who referred two children with chronic constipation and digestive problems to him. Using Kombucha therapy and plant medicine and under the watchful eye of the consultant, these childrens health conditions improved, re-emphasizing the power of natural medicine. Using Kombucha based preparations as the foremost basis of health treatment, they have proven themselves to be capable of helping regain health countless times ever since.

Rob’s advanced and unique fermentation process has produced a Kombucha tonic that naturally contains the major detoxifying element glucuronic acid sought after, in vain, by all commercial Kombucha manufacturers. This detoxifying element has been the subject of a study by the Kombucha research group in America which conducted a study to find this important element. It found that out of the nineteen manufacturers, bottled and capsulated tested, none of them were proven to contain glucuronic acid. Rob’s Kombucha tonic has undergone two independent tests, one by a British laboratory and the other by the Kombucha research Lab in Utah, both confirmed glucuronic acid present in Lewtress products.

This is why Lewtress Kombucha tonics are so effective. To help back this up Trading Standards have repeatedly tested our products with their ‘on the shelf test’ proving that Lewtress Kombucha tonics are natural, live palatable drinks and remain this way, without the use of any additives, colourings, stabilisers, preservatives or heat treatment/pasteurisation processes of any kind, unlike most other commercially produced Kombucha products on the market throughout the World today, Rob is still the only producer in the UK and beyond to have achieved this. In addition, research showed that the Lewtress recommended serving of Kombucha tonic was half that normally suggested by others. 

The second phase of Lewtress began in 1998 when after extensive research Rob found that some herbs and their beneficial effects were enhanced by the Kombucha fermentation process. Lewtress have an extensive range of bio active herbal supplements, with new formulations being added to the list every year. Click on  product menu to view our range of bio active herbal supplements. Rob and Cathay are Certified advanced Iridologists and Naturopathic practitioners, able to offer a broad spectrum of knowledge and expertise in natural health, and as a team continue to research and keep up with ever changing 21st Century health problems. 

Cathay has also suggested a course of Kombucha tonic to clients planning pregnancy, this has resulted in great success on many occasions. Cathay’s staff at the clinic alone, have produced between the three of them six healthy babies. 

Rob and Cathay began selling the products through Cathay’s Natural Health Clinic and had wonderful feedback. Reports of the benefits of their Kombucha products soon spread, and they have now expanded production to a purpose built unit in West Wales. Here, the Kombucha cultures benefit from fresh air and sea breezes, elements Rob and Cathay believe to be essential to the growth of their cultures.

Their Kombucha products help sustain a healthy lifestyle and can quickly and effectively help any problems that arise, from simply maintaining your health to chronic conditions.

Always remember that natural supplements support the body and maintain health, treating the cause, not the symptoms. Drugs, on the other hand, are designed to treat the symptoms and not the cause.

Rob Lewis and Cathay Wootres established Lewtress in 1994 as a family run business and in 2003, due to steady growth and success, enlisted a full time production manager, web master and part time book- keeper. Lewtress still prides itself in offering a personal and friendly service second to none.

Welcome to the natural world of Kombucha based supplements

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Lewtress Natural Health Ltd is Registered in the United Kingdom No. 05173690