Kombucha Facts About Its Health Benefits You Probably Didn't Know

Kombucha tea is an acidic, fermented drink that is made from tea, sugar, bacteria, and yeast.

Kombucha is said to have originated 2000 years ago in China. It has become quite popular now due to its health benefits.

Also known as Russian tea, Kargasok tea, or Manchurian tea, Kombucha is a beloved beverage. especially among people who are dedicated to maintaining a natural, organic, and healthy diet.

Nowadays, more and more people are moving towards a healthier lifestyle where they no longer drink fruit juices bought from markets due to the added preservatives and sugar content these juices contain. Kombucha is a worthy alternative, as it is a completely natural drink that can also be fermented at home using the right ingredients.

However, consuming an excess of Kombucha tea can also be harmful to you.

It's always a good idea to consult your doctor before incorporating Kombucha into your diet. The drink itself is easy to obtain, as there are a number of Kombucha brands in the market that sell it in packaged form.

Keep scrolling to find out more about interesting Kombucha facts!

Invention Of Kombucha

Kombucha has a long and complex history as it was originally created in the Manchurian region of China. From there, the drink traveled to the western part of the world through trade merchants who realized that it had several beneficial effects.

According to some sources, the name of the drink comes from a Korean doctor named Dr. Kombu. Kombu brought the drink to Japan to heal Emperor Inkyo. From there, the drink reached European nations, including Russia and Germany, where it was a success.

In the '60s, the drink became popular in Switzerland as the Swiss realized it had many positive qualities.

Consequently, Kombucha slowly captured the domestic market in the United States of America from the '90s onwards, and it was hailed as a wonderful health drink that helped to boost immunity. Several brands like GT's or Synergy Raw also sprang up as a result of the rise in Kombucha sales.

Health Benefits Of Kombucha

Kombucha has recently become quite popular among people who are interested in holistic wellness. Holistic wellness advocates for a clean and healthy lifestyle in all aspects, including diet. Therefore, there is an strong focus on using natural and organic ingredients for beverages, and this has a number of health benefits.

The most important health benefit of Kombucha has to be that it contains probiotic bacteria that can improve your gut health. Drinking Kombucha helps with digestion, reduces inflammation, and can even help with weight loss.

Kombucha made from green tea would also provide the added benefits of drinking green tea, such as improving cholesterol levels, checking body fat, and helping to burn calories faster.

Kombucha has antioxidant elements that help to flush out toxins from the liver.

Even though Kombucha is made from healthy bacteria, it also has strong antimicrobial properties that fight off undesirable bacteria in our bodies.

Some studies claim that along with controlling heart disease and blood pressure, Kombucha can also fight cancerous cells in our bodies and improve kidney function.

Regular consumption of Kombucha can also help with reducing risks to heart disease as well as Type-2 diabetes.

However, one has to be careful about the content of the Kombucha they are drinking, since contaminated or over-fermented Kombucha might end up severely affecting the body and increasing the likelihood of infection. You should also be conscious of any allergic reactions you might have after drinking the tea.

If you face an allergic reaction, you must immediately consult a doctor.

Many scientists are also on the fence about how advantageous this drink actually is, and whether it can provide proven probiotic benefits to the body. Therefore, there are quite a few trials and experiments being conducted by scientists to understand the exact benefits of Kombucha.

Ingredients Of Kombucha

While one can easily buy Kombucha tea from stores or order it online, some people prefer to make the tea at home. Homemade Kombucha fermentation can be quite easy if you have the required ingredients, and are willing to put in time and effort to make this drink from the comfort of your kitchen.

In order to make Kombucha at home, you have to first cultivate a SCOBY, or a symbiotic colony of bacteria and yeast. To make a SCOBY, you will need:

seven cups of water

some loose black tea or green tea

white sugar

unpasteurized and unflavored store-bought Kombucha

After mixing these ingredients, pour the blend into a large ceramic container. Then, the container has to be sealed using rubber bands or napkins so that it is completely airtight. Ideally, this container should be stored in the dark at room temperature. The SCOBY will be ready after one to four weeks.

After preparing the SCOBY, you can make the fermented tea easily, and consume it. If you want to add flavors to the tea, then the drink has to go through a second round of fermentation.

Types Of Kombucha

A Kombucha tea usually tastes a little acidic due to the fermentation process.

It also has a fizz that sometimes tastes like apple cider or even vinegar, depending upon the intensity of the drink and how long it has been fermented.

While the taste of pure Kombucha tea might not be suitable for everyone, people often modify their Kombucha recipes for better-tasting results. In order to make the tea tastier, you can run it through the process of a second fermentation, which adds a different flavor profile to it.

If you prefer to consume Kombucha tea once it has acquired a new and more delicious flavor, you should definitely experiment with different types of Kombucha tea, such as pumpkin Kombucha or blueberry Kombucha tea.

In order to add flavors to the tea, you have to ferment it a second time. The tea has to be sealed in an airtight fermentation-grade bottle to make it fizzier. After that, you can add extra sugar to the drink to create a carbonation effect.

After turning the tea into a carbonated beverage, you can add different types of natural extracts or organic flavors to bring a unique flavor to the tea.

Lemon ginger Kombucha is one of the most popular flavors, because of its sweet, citrusy, tangy taste. It is also quite easy to make. You only have to add lemon and ginger extracts to the Kombucha made with green tea, and let the mixture ferment for 3-10 days.

If you have a sweet tooth, give peach pie Kombucha a try. To make this, add the pulp of peaches, along with maple syrup and a small amount of vanilla syrup, to your tea. However, this drink will not be suitable for you if you want to cut sugar out of your diet.

If you're a big fan of apple cider, you can add some of it to your Kombucha tea along with a dash of cinnamon. The result will be a delicious drink with several health benefits.

If you don't have too many flavors or spices at hand, you can try making a blueberry or strawberry Kombucha. For this, you just need to cut the fruits into pieces and mash up them thoroughly.

Then, add the fruits to the fermented tea and leave the mixture to soak for a few days. Before drinking the flavored Kombucha, filter out the fruit pulp using a sieve so you're left with only the tea.

FAQs

Which type of Kombucha is the healthiest?

While there are a number of brands of bottled Kombucha, most people consider Synergy Raw Kombucha and Health-Ade Kombucha to be the best and the healthiest.

How often should you consume Kombucha?

Most doctors and healthcare professionals recommend that people should be drinking Kombucha one to three times a day at most.

How long does it take for the Kombucha to start having some positive effects?

Most people see positive health effects from drinking Kombucha after approximately two weeks. However, it is down to how your body processes the drink, and different people may benefit from the advantages at different stages.

Is it bad to drink Kombucha every day?

While it is not bad to drink Kombucha every day, you must be cautious regarding how much you are consuming and should not drink more than one full glass per day.

Is Kombucha really good for you?

Kombucha can be an excellent health drink if you need some probiotic supplements in your regular diet.

Why is Kombucha bad for you?

If you consume too much Kombucha tea without proper restrictions, you may end up incurring several negative side effects. These adverse effects would include infection, liver toxicity, digestive upsets, and an increase in calorie consumption due to added sugar content.