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Thread: Kombucha

  1. #1
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    Default Kombucha

    Anyone familiar with Kombucha Tea? A friend has given me a bottle of this tea to try and said I can have a starter culture to make my own - is it safe to drink?
    Dublin, Ireland
    (www.happobiken.com)

  2. #2
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    The kombucha with whch I am familiar is a powder, made primarily from konbu, which you dissolve in hot water to make a drink that tastes like dashi (Japanese soup stock) made from konbu (kelp), more like clear soup than tea.

    If you like dashi, it is quite tasty.

    I don't understand you comments about starter culture at all. Perhaps you are talking about something else entirely.
    Earl Hartman

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    http://www.kombu.de/suche2.htm

    I was puzzled too, so went looking. Here is part of what I found on the above link. Totally different from what I know to be kombucha.

    What is Kombucha?
    Kombucha is a popular health promoting beverage and natural folk remedy made by fermenting tea. The Kombucha culture looks like a white rubbery pancake. It is a symbiotic culture of yeast and other microorganisms. The culture is placed in sweetened black or green tea and turns the tea into a sea of health giving acids and nutrients. The Kombucha culture feeds on the sugar and, in exchange, produces other valuable substances which change into the drink: glucuronic acid, glucon acid, lactic acid, vitamins, amino acids, antibiotic substances, and other products. The Kombucha culture is, therefore, a real tiny biochemical factory.

  4. #4
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    Yes it's the fermented drink that I'm talking about. Apparently it's made using a mixture of green and black tea, water, suger and a cultured kombucha 'mushroom', cooked up and left to ferment for a week or two. It's not literally Kombu Cha.

    Anyway - anyone know if it's toxic? I seem to know a fair few people who drink it and swear by it for lots of reasons - mainly a subtantial increase in energy levels.
    Dublin, Ireland
    (www.happobiken.com)

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    Neil, do you have any idea why this drink is called "kombucha"?
    Earl Hartman

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    Even though this wasn't addressed to me, I believe the reason it's called kombuca is because it was popularised by a guy called Kombu.
    Dublin, Ireland
    (www.happobiken.com)

  7. #7
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    Sorry Alex, that’s not right.

    The name Kombucha in this case comes from the mushroom where it’s obtained. It is really not a mushroom but is called one because of its appearance.

    No site seems to have an exact history, like many dubious martial arts masters claim for their arts, “It’s origins are lost in the mists of time.” This phrase or something similar is used quite a bit on the sites for kombucha. From what I find, there is absolutely no proof this stuff works, but is billed as a wonder cure all for everything from fatigue problems to even cancer and immune system support for HIV patients. Pregnant women are advised not to drink kombucha.

    The culture or mushroom sac used in Kombucha tea consists of several species of yeast and bacteria including Saccharomycodes ludwigii, Schizosaccharomyces pombe, Bacterium xylinum, Bacterium gluconicum, Bacterium xylinoides, Bacterium katogenum, Pichia fermentans, and Torula sp. After the tea is made, it becomes highly acidic and contains alcohol, ethyl acetate, acetic acid, and lactate.

    Don’t make kombucha in any ceramic, painted or lead crystal containers. Since the tea is highly acidic it could leach toxins from these materials into the brew. Acidosis is a problem for some people who drink kombucha. The American Cancer Society and FDA advise caution with the stuff. Two women using kombucha from the same parent mushroom culture had serious medical complications in 1995. No proven link to the kombucha, but enough to send up warning flags about the source of the kombucha colony used.

    YMMV, I’d prefer to stick to using some of the Chinese herbals that are known to have few or no side effects, like Shou Wu Chi or astragalus.

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    Default Yikes!

    Reminds me of the episode of the X-Files where Mulder & Skully are being eaten alive by the fungus colony.

    Mushrooms act to boost the immune system by being ever so slightly toxic, thereby creating an immune response such as elevating T-cell counts and creating anti-bodies. It's sort of a homeopathic action/reaction chain.

    If what you're taking is a culture of fungi and bacteria that are REALLY toxic, well, it's like saying "If one shot of Bourbon makes me feel good, then 50 shots will make me feel GREAT!!!"

    For the immune boosting effect of mushrooms, you don't have to look any further than Shiitake, Reishi, or Astragalus. And Shiitakes taste great!

    If you're looking for an energy boost, I would suggest taking B vitamins regularly. A fun and tasty energy booster that I like is called Emergen-C, a drink powder that loaded with high doses of C & B, along with some minerals.
    John Connolly

    Yamamoto Ha Fluffy Aiki Bunny Ryu

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