Want to live forever? Drink kombucha!

Kombucha is an ancient fermented beverage known around the world for its healing properties. The recorded history of the drink dates back to 250BC China, where the Chinese called it the "Immortal Health Elixir," because they believed kombucha balanced the Middle Qi (spleen and stomach) and aided in digestion, allowing the body to focus on healing. Kombucha contains many different cultures along with several organic acids, active enzymes, amino acids, anti-oxidants, and polyphenols.

People testify to a wide variety of physical health benefits from drinking kombucha. Many claim that kombucha detoxifies the body, making it unlikely for disease causing bacteria and viruses to find a suitable growth environment. In small doses, kombucha can benefit children with ADD and constipation. It is a potent immune system booster, and can be an important part of treatment for acne, aging skin, AIDS, hardening of the arteries, arthritis, asthma, bronchitis, cancer, candidiasis, chronic fatigue, constipation, diabetes, diarrhea and other digestive disorders, eyesight, headaches, hemorrhoids, hypoglycemia, menopoausal problems, mulitple sclerosis, psoriasis and other skin problems, weight problems, curbing alcohol and food cravings, stress and insomnia, and more.

Brewing kombucha requires a culture, sometimes mistakenly referred to as a mushroom, which is a symbiotic, probiotic colony of yeast and bacteria (the friendly type). Kombucha is made by combining the culture with a mixture of black or green tea and sugar. The ingredients are allowed to ferment, usually from 7-10 days. After fermentation the tea can be consumed, with a portion of it being reserved to inoculate the next batch of kombucha. Each time the kombucha culture goes through the fermentation process, it creates one new "mushroom" layer, or SCOBY (Symbiotic Colony of Bacteria and Yeast), which will form atop of the original. After several layers have built up, the layers can be divided and propagated into new SCOBY's. In this way, the culture has survived for centuries, being passed from one family, and one generation, to the next.

Where do you find a SCOBY? Google it, and you'll come up with more than a few sources. I've got one source listed below. A friend recently mentioned one way she produced a SCOBY for free using a commercial brand of kombucha, found at any health food store. She poured a bottle of commercial kombucha into a mason jar, covered it with a clean cloth, and kept it in a dark area. After about 8 days, a SCOBY had formed, which of course she then used to start her own batches of kombucha.

Kombucha tastes somewhat like a sparkling apple cider with a tang of vinegar, depending on how long it ferments. Because the sugar in kombucha is used up during the fermentation process, it's a great substitute for juice when in need of something cool, sweet, and refreshing.


Related posts/links:
Simple recipe for brewing kombucha
Kombucha brewing guide (buy a SCOBY too)
Interesting kombucha info
More facts on kombucha
Kombucha troubleshooting
Health Checklist