Ralph Montago

Apparently I have never made traditional Polish beet kvass because I have never made it with a slice of dried rye bread.
I assume they used the bread to introduce micro-organisms, and maybe provide easily digestible surgars like you said. But beets have plenty of simple sugars in them anyway. So, I honestly don't know.

Anyway, you can do with out. I make beet kvass all the time, it nearly always turns out delicious, and I never use the bread. Just chop beets, and some salt, add some water, and wait a few days.

Motherwort (Leonurus cardiaca) has been traditionally used to treat arrhythmia among other things. I have only used it as a sedative/anti-anxiety so I couldn't tell you how well it regulates a heartbeat, but in your case it is worth researching.
I couple of good places to start:
http://www.herbs2000.com/herbs/herbs_motherwort.htm

http://www.health-care-tips.org/herbal-medicines/motherwort.htm

I don't think that is motor oil. I believe that oily substance to be metabolites from chemotrophic iron eating bacteria and the orange sludge on the bottom to be a combination of the bacteria itself and the iron oxide it is feeding on. These guys are quite common in healthy wetlands where their are anaerobic niches for them to collect, like in still or slow moving water, or in heavy muck.