Health Benefits of Kombucha

Kombucha tasting at Wild Culture in Iowa City

Kombucha is a fermented tea that is rich in probiotics, antioxidants, B vitamins, enzymes, and acids. This beverage has been around for thousands of years and it was thought to have originated in China or Japan. This popular drink is made through a process of fermentation. This past summer I actually experimented with making my own kombucha and I found that it is surprisingly easy to make. You first have to obtain a SCOBY, a symbiotic culture of bacteria and yeast, from an online source or from someone you know who brews their own kombucha. Other than the SCOBY, kombucha only requires three additional ingredients: sugar, tea, and filtered water. You first start by brewing a concentrated mixture of tea, black or green tea, and sugar. Once the tea has steeped enough, allow the mixture to cool and separate out the tea bags before adding the SCOBY. Allow the mixture to ferment for a few weeks or until the mixture reaches your desired taste preference. During fermentation, the SCOBY grows creating a film either at the top or bottom of the jar. The fermentation process produces acetic acid (vinegar), trace levels of alcohol, and gases that create a slightly carbonated final product. Kombucha contains trace amounts of alcohol between 0.5-3% at most. During the process, probiotic bacteria are also produced which have many health benefits. Probiotics can provide your gut with healthy bacteria which are needed to improve digestion and reduce inflammation. Kombucha also contains antioxidants from the tea which fight free radicals. Free radicals damage cells in the body and DNA. The antioxidants can also help reduce inflammation which is the root cause of most chronic diseases. The acetic (vinegar), glucuronic, and D-saccharic acids in kombucha also have benefits like killing the harmful bacteria in your body and keeping the helpful probiotic bacteria. This includes helping stop candida, a fungal infection caused by yeast from taking over the gut. Kombucha provides the gut with good bacteria that help repopulate the gut with beneficial bacteria. It also contains many B vitamins, especially B12 which are known to increase energy levels and contribute to mental health.

I recommend making your own kombucha rather than buying it in the store. Here is a link to make your own komucha. Kombucha sold in stores costs nearly $2-5 dollars for a 16 ounce bottle whereas home brewed kombucha costs just cents to make. Additionally, most commercially sold kombucha is pasteurized meaning that the beneficial bacteria is killed before it lands on the shelves in the supermarket. Again, this is why you are better off making your own kombucha to get the benefits of the helpful bacteria.