If it weren’t for discovering the fermented tea known as Kombucha, at times I wonder where my health would currently stand. I truly do wonder how many times I would have to stop by the pharmacy if it weren’t for discovering Kombucha through my father. This is an old folk remedy/tonic that has roots tracing back to Siberia in Russia. It is generally used to upgrade the immune system and kick start the digestive system with an abundance of healthy live enzymes.

This probiotic drink is often drank in order to help nail down all the chaos and flu like organisms within the body and prevent all the unhealthy candida-like infections from growing inside your gut or intestines. By including a strong probiotic beverage in your daily life, you can help prevent many health problems from occurring further down the line. The key role of Kombucha is detoxification and rejuvinating a body in a state of ill health. If you are truly sick inside your body, it will take a long time for Kombucha to make a big difference in your health. Personally I had to drink it daily for about 16 months before I saw major changes with my state of vitality and overall health. As a result of following through, I did not get sick and I did not have to resort to antibiotics or fight off cold’s or flu’s. I remember at the same time many other people around me in my environment were getting struck by illness left and right, while I remained immune.

Kombucha contains a floating culture on top of the beverage that goes through a process of fermentation. This culture, is known as a symbiotic culture of bacteria and yeast. It contains many important trace minerals, vitamins, acids, and bacterium’s from the fermentation process. The kombucha is a living organism so it includes a long list of bacteria’s and acids. Some of these bacteria’s and acids included inside the drink include:

Bacterium gluconicum

Bacterium xylinum

Acetobacter xylinum

Acetobacter xylinoides

Acetobacter Ketogenum

Saccharomycodes ludwigii

Saccharomycodes apiculatus

Schizosaccharomyces pombe

Zygosaccharomyes

Saccharomyces cerevisiae

Acetic acid

Acetoacetic acid

Benzoic acid

propenyl ester

Benzonitrile

Butanoic acid

Caffeine

Citric acid

Cyanocobalamin

Decanoic acid

Ethyl Acetate

Fructose

d-Gluconic acid

Glucose

Hexanoic acid

Itaconic acid

2-Keto-gluconic acid

5-Keto-gluconic acid

2-Keto-3-deoxy-gluconic Lactic acid

Niacinamide

Nicotinic acid

Pantothenic acid

Phenethyl Alcohol

Phenol, 4-ethyl

6-Phospho gluconate

Propionic acid

Octanoic acid

Oxalic acid

Riboflavin

d-Saccharic acid

(Glucaric acid)

Succinic acid

Thiamin

plus 40 other acid esters in trace amount.

It also contains a good amount of water-soluble vitamins and minerals…

Vitamins and Minerals included are the following:  B1(thiamine) B2 (riboflavin), B3 (niacin), B5  (Pantothenic acid), B6 (pyridoxine ), B15 (pangamic acid),  Biotin (Folic Acid), Choline,  Inositol,  PABA (para-amino benzoic acid) ,  RNA (ribonucleic acid). Acetamidophenol, Acetic acid, Acetoacetic, acid, Benzoic acid, 2-amino-, 3-phenyl-2-propenyl ester Benzonitrile, 4-hydroxy-2(4H)-Benzofuranone, 5,6,7,7 a-tetrahydro-4,4,7 a-trimethyl-2,6-Bis(t-butyl) -4-(dimethylbenzyl) phenol Butanoic acid, 3-methyl 1-Butanol, 3-methyl- 2-t-Butyl-4-(dimethylbenzyl) phenol, Caffeine, Citric acid, Cyanocobalamin (B-12), Decanoic acid, D-Ribo-hexos, 2,6-dideoxy-3-0-methyl-, 2,3-Dihydro-1-methylindene, 2,5 Diketo-gluconic acid, thyl Acetate Fructose, d-Gluconic acid, Glucose, Hexanoic acid, (1H)Imidazo[2,1-f]purine-2,4(3H,8H)-dione, 8-ethyl-1-methyl-7-phenyl-  Itaconic acid,  2-Keto-gluconic acid, 5-Keto-gluconic acid, 2-Keto -3-deoxy-gluconic acid, Lactic acid, 5-Methoxy-1- (3-methoxy-4-methylphenyl) -1,3,3,6- tetramethylindan, Malic Acid,  Niacinamide. 

These vitamins and minerals that are included all play a strong role in the immune boosting abilities of kombucha. All the enzymes help support the intestinal flora in order to balance the endocrine system. This supports and helps the body’s ability to heal itself. This drink is a popular detox formula due to the antioxidants and polyphenols that are present inside.

Some of the noted health improvements that people have noticed from consuming the beverage includes the following:

• Correcting digestive problems (from A to Z, including obesity and lack of appetite).
• Helping maintain a correct PH-balance in the body.
• Correcting High blood-pressure.
• Aiding with Rheumatisms and arthritis.
• Correcting Mycoses, primarily candida albicans.
• Less Migraines, stress (work-related and other), chronic fatigue syndrome, insomnia.
• Alleviating issues with Psoriasis, eczema, acne, allergies, abscesses, ulcers, hair-loss.

In Michael Roussin’s “Analyses of Kombucha Ferments,” he reports most ferments contain an analgesic, an anti-arthritic compound, an anti-spasmodic compound, hematinic and counteractions for hepatotoxins, some anti-fungal, and several anti-microbial / anti-bacterial compounds in the beverage. With such great benefits from this beverage there isn’t too much reason to avoid this drink tonic!

With that said, I must warn you that if you decide to make the beverage yourself at home versus buying branded Kombucha from your local health foods store, you must also be aware of what you’re doing. This is a fermented beverage and if you do not use proper sanitation and tools for preparation, you can make your beverage go bad and mess up your scoby or worse yet, get sick from not following proper directions with the fermentation process. Make sure to take proper care of your scoby if you decide to make this tonic yourself where ever you currently reside. Good luck and give Kombucha a try at the store or with your own home brew!

Order some GT’s Kombucha here!

OR

Order yourself a SCOBY right here!

Works Cited

Kasper, Ed. “Analysis  of Kombucha Ferment.” Analysis  of Kombucha Ferment. Happy Herbalist, 2007. Web. 06 Sept. 2015.

“The Benefits of Kombucha.” Ingredients and Benefits. Joomlashack, n.d. Web. 06 Sept. 2015. https://www.crudessence.com/en/services/ingredients-and-benefits

Young, Molly. “KOMBUCHA: ANTIOXIDANT MOONSHINE.” More Intelligent Life. The Economist Newspaper, 2012. Web. 06 Sept. 2015.