"Is Kombucha tea the answer to all
your health problems? "
Called the 'miracle cure-all',
Kombucha has been made at home for health and vitality by many generations
right around the world.
Kombucha tea is a powerful health
drink, which is reported to be the answer to many health problems.
Pronounced [Com-boo-cha], It is made and drunk right around the world. It has
been a 'secret formula' for those 'in the know' and a lifesaver for many a
poor person in the less blessed nations.
Kombucha works with your body to boost its natural, inbuilt ability to fight
sickness and disease as well as bring a healthy balance back to your
metabolism and organs.
Because it has been around for so long, many researchers, chemists and others
from the medical profession have spent time investigating the sometimes quite
astonishing results from this natural remedy. Even the FDA (food and drug
administration) have researched Kombucha, such has been the interest in it.
You have probably heard people say that "anything that is good for you
tastes bad." Well, Kombucha doesn't fit into that category.
It is a very pleasant tasting drink, so much so, that many people use it as a
drink for guests and special occasions.
Sparkling and a pleasant taste, you can even change the flavour to suit
yourself.
Kombucha is made at home and really is pretty simple to make. It also doesn't
take up much of your time. I have yet to find anyone who cannot make it.
- Could you have better health?
- Need a stronger immune system?
- Want rid of sickness in your body?
- Want to ensure you stay healthy?
- Could do with more energy and vitality?
- Want better skin?
- Have you 'tummy' problems?
No matter
how bad your situation is, you should consider if this inexpensive, easy to
make health drink is for you.
You will be able to find in shops, Kombucha made by commercial producers - be
careful! Many manufactures of the shop bought Kombucha have to preserve the
drink to keep its shelf life - often this involves pasteurisation, which
kills a lot of the health giving elements you want to keep.
Like pre-packed frozen dinner, shop-bought Kombucha isn't as good for you as
the one you make yourself. 
This site should tell you all you need to know about making and drinking
Kombucha.
Kombucha is
a pleasant tasting, powerfully effective health drink / food supplement which
you can make at home for next to nothing.
The taste can vary depending on how you make it but the basic recipe, which
most people use, will produce a slightly sparkling drink that tastes like an
apple cider or dry white wine.
Though there is alcohol in it, it is normally so low that commercial
producers can sell Kombucha as "non-alcoholic". You can expect less
than 1% by volume alcohol content.
Sugar is used as part of the recipe but it is not used as a sweetener. The
sugar is broken down and converted into different components of the finished
drink.
It has been drunk for many generations. In fact, it has been around so long
that we are unable to tell where it was originally discovered or when.
Kombucha is a fermented drink made from sweet tea and a Kombucha mushroom or
Kombucha culture as it should more properly be called.
The culture is live and is a co-dependant blend of healthy bacteria, yeasts
and other micro-organisms.
Though, it may appear complicated at first, Kombucha is actually very easy to
make.
This website contains all the information you need to start making Kombucha
in your own home and answers many of the questions that you may have.
We should clear up the confusion and difference between Kombucha Tea and the
Kombucha Culture before going much further.
Kombucha tea
Kombucha, or Kombucha tea is the actual health drink, which we make from
sweet tea and a Kombucha culture. It is known by a number of different names
around the world including - Cainii Kvass, Kombuchakvass, Tea wine and
Teekvass.
Kombucha culture
The Kombucha culture is the live substance which is put into the sweet tea to
ferment and convert it into Kombucha tea. The culture is probably best known
as a Kombucha mushroom, though this is an incorrect definition.
The Kombucha culture has been known as a mushroom, a lichen and many other
things but the best and most accurate definition we have today is a
"symbiotic culture of bacteria and yeast".
This is just a scientific term for a co-dependant live mix of bacteria and
yeast. That definition sounds a little complicated, though it is where we get
the more friendly term "SCOBY" from.
The culture has been given many names, G?nther W. Frank, in his book -
"Kombucha, Health beverage and natural remedy from the Far East"
lists 70 different names for the culture including - Combucha, Brinum-Ssene
(Latin for miracle fungus), Champignon miracle and tea fungus.
Actions
Kombucha drinkers around the world have reported a massive list of ailments
and sicknesses which have responded positively to drinking Kombucha on a
regular basis. This is how the name "Miracle Fungus" or
"Cure-all" has been birthed.
The secret of Kombucha is not that it 'cures' a multitude of illnesses but,
that it boosts your body's own system to fight those sicknesses.
It does have various components, which on their own fight problems, but its
probioitic properties are what make Kombucha tea so extraordinary.
Kombucha tea is probiotic, detoxifying and energising. It helps build up
immune systems, fights yeast infections and helps joint problems. In fact the
producer of Kombucha Kit ™ (UK and Ireland) 'guarantees' that you will feel better from
drinking Kombucha made with the kit. If you don't feel better after drinking
Kombucha made with a Kombucha Kit ™
you can have a full refund.
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Components within
Kombucha tea
Research has been carried out for many years into what exactly is in this
drink. Based on research old and new, I can tell you of some of the known
active components in Kombucha Tea.
Lactic Acid: Found in Kombucha in its most potent form L-lactic(+).
Lactic acid is essential for the digestive system. Interestingly, it is not
found in the tissues of people with cancer, and its lack has been
established as indicating susceptibility to cancer.
Acetic Acid: Its main function is to inhibit harmful bacteria.
Acetic acid is used as a preservative because of this action. It is also
what gives Kombucha that 'kick' to its smell and taste.
Malic Acid: Is also used in the body's detoxification process.
Oxalic Acid: Encourages the cellular production of energy and is a
natural preservative.
Gluconic Acid: Is effective against many yeast infections such as candidiasis
and thrush.
Butyric Acid: Is produced by the yeasts and when working with
gluconic acid, helps combat yeast infections such as candida.
Nucleic Acids: Work with the body aiding healthy cell regeneration.
Amino Acids: A group of acids which are the building blocks of
protein. Your muscular system is made of proteins. As a group they have
many benefits including building cells and repairing tissue, they also form
antibodies to combat invading bacteria & viruses.
Enzymes: Are proteins that act as catalysts, speeding the rate at
which biochemical reactions proceed. Therefore they boost the actions of
other health giving components within the Kombucha and your body.
Kombucha also contains vitamin groups B and C, beneficial yeasts and
bacteria.
But then, as one Kombucha drinker so beautifully put it:
"Its overall effect - an
extended feeling of well-being - cannot be fully explained by the
individual ingredients alone. Kombucha is certainly more than the sum of
its parts".
Why do people drink
Kombucha tea?
Many people who regularly drink
Kombucha tea have found tremendous relief from a very wide range of
diseases and ailments.
Some of the reported benefits really are quite staggering. This is because
of Kombucha's ability to work 'with' your body and boost your own natural
defence system.
Some of the conditions that people have found relief from are:
- Various symptoms of Cancer
- Low 'T' cell count
- Arthritis
- Candida
- Chronic Fatigue Syndrome
- ME
- Blood Pressure Problems
- Obesity
- Psoriasis
- Eczema
- PMS
- Poor digestion
- Erratic bowel movements
- Migraine relief
- Poor skin tone
As you can see the list is wide and
varied.
It is extraordinary how people talk about this amazing yet very pleasant
drink.
I suppose that when you find relief from these sorts of problems you are
going to be very happy, but when you find out how cheap and easy it is too,
well…
Wouldn't you like to claim your health back too and do all those
things you enjoyed but couldn't do anymore?
Keep well and increase your energy levels.
Of course, many people who drink Kombucha are not sick at all but they want
to stay that way.
If you are generally healthy and drink Kombucha then you will probably
notice an increase in energy levels and more concentration. I am not talking
about the sort of energy that you can get from some of the modern fizzy red
'buzz' drink.
Kombucha can actually help your body to extract more energy from the food
you eat.
Better mood
One of the other great effects that Kombucha drinkers have found is that
they very often are in a better 'mood'. This increase in the feeling of
well being is much welcomed by everyone.
Probiotic effects
We have all heard how taking too many antibiotics is bad for your immune
system - it actually lowers your resistance to disease.
Kombucha is probiotic, this means that it actually strengthens your
immune system and your ability to fight sickness before it can take hold.
Probiotics can also help your immune system fight sickness that is already
present in your body. And there is no damage to your system
Detoxification
With modern living comes poor diet and an increase in harmful substances in
our bodies.
You might have heard about people going on a "de-tox" diet.
This is when they eat food which will drive out impurities from their
bodies.
A great idea but, how many people do it regularly?
Kombucha is a powerful detoxifier so, regular drinking of it keeps your
body continually detoxifying.
Of course this doesn't mean that you can just eat what you want and not
worry about what goes in your body. But it does mean that you rid more
impurities out of your system, giving your body a 'fighting chance'.
Many times you just feel 'sluggish' or 'just not right' it is because of
the toxins in your body - get rid of them and improve your health.
Reaches the parts other supplements cannot
reach
Due to the nature of Kombucha, many people find that they can get relief
from a very wide and varied range of sicknesses that they couldn't achieve
with anything else.
Kombucha brings a balance to many aspects of your body, and therefore
creates a beneficial environment for the natural healing process.
Kombucha is very cheap to make.
You would think that because it is so beneficial, Kombucha would be
expensive, but no.
Once you have the equipment and utensils you need, it costs very little.
If fact you can probably make three months supply for the price of a bottle
of cough mixture!
Kombucha takes very little time to make.
Pressed for time? Don't worry, it takes about 15 minutes per week to have a
personal supply of Kombucha! Discover how to make Kombucha.
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Kombucha is so easy to make, it is
hard to believe…
You can make your very
own Kombucha tea at home with very little money, time or effort. It is simple
to make and very rewarding.
Without modern equipment or facilities people have been able to make this
enriching brew for generations, so you should have no problem 
You can do it by following
this simple method, easy, easy, easy…
You will need:
- A suitable brewing container, about 5 litre / 1 gallon
capacity (see information on brewing containers)
- A piece of muslin, kitchen towel or some other piece
of clean porous material. A size that will cover the top of the brewing
container with some overlap.
- A large elastic band to hold the material on the
container.
- A thermometer (optional)
- 4 litres (plus a glass) of water (boiled and cooled or
filtered)
- Tea (6 teaspoons loose or 6 tea bags), black, green or a
mixture of both.
- 320g refined white sugar (ordinary household sugar).
- A healthy Kombucha culture (information on where to get
a culture here)
- 400ml of ready brewed Kombucha or 60ml (4 tablespoons)
distilled vinegar (white, apple, cider or white wine vinegar). If you
are using vinegar, it must be distilled - not live, brewed or fermented.
- Suitable bottles (4 litres worth) (see information on bottles)
- A kitchen measuring jug
Note: Cleanliness is very important -
hands, equipment etc. And the first thing you should do is to clean everything
that you are going to use.
Make your nutrient
(sweet tea) solution:
This is the liquid
that feeds the culture and is turned into the finished Kombucha tea.
To make the nutrient, take approx. 1 litre of water.
The water should either be
filtered or
should already have been boiled for at least 5 minutes.
Bring the water to the boil in a kettle, stainless steel or heat-resistant
glass household cooking pot.
After boiling, add the sugar and tea, stir it till the sugar dissolves, then
leave off the boil to infuse for about 15 minutes.
Put the other 3 litres, and the extra glass of cool water into your brewing
container.
When the 15 minutes are up, strain out the loose tea (if used) or remove the
tea bags; then add the sweet tea to the rest of the water in the brewing
container.
The 4 litres of nutrient needs to be between 20°C - 30°C, this is where the
thermometer comes in useful. You might be able to judge this yourself, it's
about room temperature. Just make sure that it's not too hot, otherwise you
could kill your new culture very quickly.
Adding the culture:
Once at the right temperature, pop the
culture in the liquid. It may float or sink, it doesn't matter which, it will
work just the same. Then add the 400ml of finished Kombucha or 60ml of
distilled vinegar if you don't have any Kombucha tea.
Time to brew:
That's it.
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Just cover the top of the container
with your muslin or kitchen towel and use the elastic band to hold it in
place. The brew needs air but definitely not insects, plant or mould spores
Move the container to a suitable location. Somewhere that it can be left
undisturbed for about a week. It should be at a constant(ish) temperature
20°C - 30°C,
away from tobacco smoke, strong smells and not in the kitchen if there is a
lot of grease in the air from frying food.
You could possibly use your living room (providing no-one smokes) or an
airing cupboard. If you do put your brew into a cupboard please bear in
mind a couple of things:
- It needs to be left undisturbed the whole
time so, don't put it on top of your stack of towels or bed linen.
- The culture needs air, so leave the door
ajar.
5 days later…
After 5 days, it is time to taste!
By now, you should have a new baby culture forming on top of your brew and
the tea might be nearly be ready. Exciting!
If you take take a good deep sniff in your brewing container it will
probably smell like pure vinegar, so be careful it might bring tears to
your eyes
Press down lightly on the newly formed culture with the back of a spoon so
that you can get a sample of the tea. Or slide a plastic straw carefully
down the side of he new culture and sample a little (be careful about back
flow).
Taste it…
What you are looking for is a slightly sharp (acidic), not sweet taste. If
it is not quite there yet then put the cover back on and leave it for
another day before tasting again.
The length of brewing time can vary quite a lot but, it is normally between
5 days to 2 weeks though, it can take longer under certain circumstances.
I know it is difficult to tell what the right taste is when you first begin
but you will get the hang of it quickly.
Once you have the right taste, it is time to bottle your lovely, healthy
Kombucha tea.
Bottling:
Get yourself some suitable clean bottles.
With clean hands, take the two cultures out (the new 'baby' and the
original 'mother') and place them on a clean plate.
Pour some of your Kombucha tea into a kitchen jug and then, using the jug,
pour it into the waiting bottles - right to the brim, no air gaps. Pour a
little on your resting cultures whilst you do this - it helps keep them
free from airborne nasties.
Put the top on and stick a label on the bottle with the date.
Continue with the rest of the tea.
Remember to save some tea for your next batch - about 10%.
There you go! Your prepared, brewed and bottled home made Kombucha tea.
You want to keep these bottles at room temperature for at least 5 days. The
reason for this is twofold:
- It allows a build up of CO2 (gas) that
makes the drink fizzy.
- It allows the tea to mature and develop a
more mellow taste.
After 5 days you can move your bottles
to the fridge or somewhere else cool / cold, then drink your cold, fizzy
Kombucha
Continuing to brew…
The best way to look after your culture and maintain a constant supply of
Kombucha Tea is to make your new batch immediately you have bottled the
previous one.
I normally get my new nutrient solution ready, so that as soon as the
previous batch is bottled, I can put the culture straight into a new
solution of sweet tea.
That's it! Now you now know how to brew your own Kombucha tea.
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Further studies if interested:
Kimboucha Tea Fermantation: http://www.kombuchatea.co.uk/kombucha-fermentation.asp
Getting a Kombucha culture
& equipment
If you would like to start making your
own Kombucha then you will need a Kombucha Culture, a brewing container and a
few other bits and pieces (see the recipe
for a list). http://www.kombuchatea.co.uk/where-can-i-get-kombucha.asp
HARTSON DOWD
hsdowd@telus.net
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