Today we will observe what exactly Kombucha is, where it’s from, and what the heck is in this stuff once fully prepared.
>>HOW DID THIS wondrous UGLY LOOKING THING COME TO BE?<<
Explanation Time – An old country doctor from the Alexandrov district near Moscow noticed his peasant patients had no cancer . The doctor, wondering about this, started looking around… and discovered this: That to save money on tea the muzhiks of that neighbourhood brewed not tea, but chaga, otherwise known as the birch-tree mushroom. …
Actually, it’s not even a birch-tree mushroom, but a birch-tree cancer … a sort of ugly growth on old birch trees… It is dome-shaped, black on the outside and dark brown inside.” It occurred to doctor Maslennikov that this tea made from the birch tree mushroom could be the magic remedy the Russian peasants, without realizing it, had been using to cure themselves of cancer for hundreds of years.
“So it started in Russia, great let’s move on”… well not so fast!
It turns out that Kombucha (well not what we know about kombuchatoday anyway) is not the chaga tea that we have all known to love.. but the idea of fermentation of this is similiar.
Often it is said, that the Kombucha fungus had already been used 2000 years ago in China. It is also said to have existed for a long time now in Japan and Korea. In particular in China it was the Grandmother who kept a jar of it on hand at all times and was responsible for the readying of the magical fermented elixir
When a young lady in the household got married and moved out to live with her hubby (remember there were nucleus families back then where everyone lived together till they got married, and even then they might have continued to live together… side note: don’t tell my mom about that or she’ll expect the same of me!)-
The Kombucha culture was passed down to the granddaughter to provide health and longevity to her family. Sort of like a family heir loom. Ha can you believe getting that as an alternative of a diamond ring?!
>>SO WHAT THE HECK IS IN THIS STUFF ANYWAY?<<
Below is a complete breakdown of what is found in Kombucha tea and a quick associated beneficial function of that ingredient. K ombucha Benefits will be discussed in depth in another article. Remember this is the finished product of the kombucha tea that has been fermented with a kombucha culture for about 10 days, and not just the kombucha culture itself.
This is a truer representation, as usually it is the kombucha tea that is consumed by the individual and not the SCOBY (though some do ingest the SCOBY, it is rare and requires a special technique that will be explained in a follow up Advanced article)
LACTIC ACID: Found in Kombucha in its most potent form L-lactic(+). Lactic acid is essential for the digestive system.
ACETIC ACID: Its main function is to inhibit adverse 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 Candida and thrush.
BUTYRIC ACID: Is produced by the yeasts and when working with gluconic acid, might help combat yeast infections such as Candida.
NUCLEIC ACID: Work with the body aiding healthy cell regeneration.
AMINO ACID: A group of acids which are the building blocks of protein. Your muscular system is made of proteins.
ENZYMES: Are proteins that act as catalysts, speeding the rate at which biochemical reactions endure.
Kombucha also contains Vitamin Groups B and C, Beneficial Yeasts and LIVING Bacteria (you know like the stuff in yogurt).
So there you have it. There still needs more studies on the Kombucha Benefits, but there has already been numerous studies done on the minerals, acids and enzymes that are in kombucha. Plus it is vegan if you do not pasteurize it. The best way to ensure this is to make it yourself.
More info on kombucha and kombucha home recipes can be found at http://GetKombucha.com.