Kombucha (kombucha), also known as a tea mushroom, a Japanese mushroom or a kombucha mushroom, is a colony of bacteria and a special yeast culture on the basis of which a kombucha drink is prepared. Its healing properties have been used by natural medicine for over two thousand years, but to date, no scientific studies have been carried out to confirm the exceptional effect of the drink. However, many side effects have been reported. So what are the real properties of kombucha?

Kombucha - what is it?

Kombucha( kombucza ), colloquiallytea mushroom,Japanese mushroomor - wrongly -Tibetan mushroom , is a colony of bacteria and a special yeast culture that belongs to the SCOBY (Symbiotic Cultures of Bacteria and Yeasts), i.e. to the group of symbiotic cultures of yeast and bacteria. So kombucha is colloquially called a tea mushroom or a Japanese mushroom, but it is not really a mushroom.

What does kombucha look like?

What does kombucha look like?It has the form of a jelly-like mass in the shape of a cake. When added to sweetened tea, it initiates the fermentation process, resulting in the production ofkombucha drink .

Kombucha - photos:

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Kombucha drink - he alth benefits

They appreciated the he alth properties of kombucha in antiquity. No wonder - kombucha drink contains numerous organic acids, including

  • acetic, lactic and gluconic acids
  • B vitamins
  • ascorbic acid (vitamin C)
  • minerals such as zinc (the most zinc), magnesium, calcium, iron and copper

You can also find alcohol, caffeine, sugar and other substances in the composition of the kombucha drink.

Kombucha drinkis advertised as the elixir of life, universal healing agent, panacea for almost all diseases. It is recommended, among others to:

  • slimming
  • insomnia
  • memory loss
  • lack of appetite
  • hypertension
  • lowering cholesterol
  • premenstrual syndrome
  • chronic fatigue syndrome
  • immune boost
  • regulating the digestive system
  • improvement of the functions of the liver, kidneys and bladder
  • cleansing the body of toxins
  • arthritis
  • rheumatism
  • diabetes
  • AIDS
  • cancer

How much truth is there? Scientists are studying kombucha

Unfortunately, there are not many scientists who have undertaken research into the he alth effects of kombucha. This narrow group includesresearchers from the Department of Bromatology, Department of Toxicology and Bromatology, Medical University of Lodz .

According to scientists, kombucha drink has several basic properties:

  • balances metabolism
  • affects blood purification and the acidity of the body
  • raises energy levels
  • supports the detoxification and digestive processes of the body

Therefore, they argue that it can be treated as a natural dietary supplement.

Scientists from India have also undertaken research on the properties of kombucha drink. In 2003,researchers at the Defense Institute of Physiology and Allied Sciences in Delhiadministered fermented tea to rats that had previously received doses of lead acetate. It found that it boosted the rodent's immune system, which had been weakened by oxidative stress (resulting from lead acetate poisoning), and reduced the number of DNA damage. The results therefore suggest that the kombucha drink may have powerful antioxidant and immunomodulatory properties.

In turn, otherIndian scientists , whose research results were published in 2010in the journal "Food & Function" , argue, that kombucha drink may help heal stomach ulcers. The researchers gave mice suffering from peptic ulcer disease a kombucza drink that was fermented for 4 days. In the end, it turned out that the drink prepared in this way was as effective as omeprazole - a drug used in peptic ulcer disease.

However, these areonly laboratory studiesinvolving animals and only suggest that the kombucha drink may have medicinal properties.

There is no scientific evidenceunequivocally confirming thatkombucha drink has healing properties . It can only be used as a dietary supplement, although caution should be exercised in this case ashas been reported to have many side effectsafter drinking it.

Kombucha drink - side effects

Excess kombucha can be harmful. As reported bythe U.S. Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) , in May 1995, two women who drank more than 4 ounces of kombucha for two months each day (approx. 118 ml) , were hospitalized with severelactic acidosis .

One of them died of cardiac arrest two days after being admitted to the hospital. Although a direct link between fermented tea and acidosis has not been proven, experts at the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) have warned consumers to be careful when preparing and drinking kombucha.

Another case oflife-threatening lactic acidosis after consuming a kombucha drink was reported in 2009. As you can learn from the websiteof the American Cancer Society , a 22-year-old man has been admitted to Cedars-Sinai Hospital in Los Angeles due to difficulty breathing, fever, confusion, and high levels of lactic acid in his blood . These symptoms appeared within 12 hours of drinking the drink. The patient recovered, and his doctor believed that fermented tea was the contributing factor to lactic acidosis.

In addition, there are reports in the medical literature of other side effects such as nausea, vomiting and headaches that have occurred in people who drink more than 4 ounces (approx. 118 ml) of kombucha a day. Some people also developed allergic reactions and liver damage, resulting in jaundice.

Accordingly, experts at the American Cancer Societyadvise against drinking kombucha in excessive amounts. It is also inadvisable to consume it for a long time.

Kombucha drink - contraindications

The recipe for a kombucha drink is not complicated. However, it is not a drink for everyone.

You should not drink kombucha:

  • People with a weakened immune system.Kombucha strengthens immunity in he althy people. "Immunocompromised patients should not consume a kombucha drink produced in an uncontrolled environment," argue Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center (USA) specialists. When producing it in inappropriate conditions (especially at home, where it is difficult to maintain sterility)the drink may be contaminatedwith pathogenic fungi, e.g. of the typeAspergillus (aspergilloma), which produce toxins that can be particularly dangerous for people witha weakened immune system. Therefore, people with HIV, AIDS, cancer, undergoing chemotherapy, autoimmune diseases, as well as the elderly and others with weakened immunity are not recommended to drink kombucha.
  • Children.Kombucha drink should not be given to children, not only because of their undeveloped immune system. During kombucha brewing, the sugar is fermented and alcohol is formed, the content of which can be as high as 2%.
  • People struggling withCandida Albicans.Some sources say that kombucha may help treat yeast infection, even though it contains yeast itself. Apparently, the yeast contained in kombucha ( Schizosaccharomyces ) does not have contention that causes disease, on the contrary, it can help destroy other yeasts. Unfortunately,does not have any scientific evidenceconfirming thatkombucha supports the treatment of ringworm . On the other hand, cases of fungal infections have been reported after drinking kombucha (it was probably contaminated with pathogenic fungi). Therefore,people struggling with candidiasis should not reach for it .
  • Diabetics.Some people argue that the kombucha drink can be consumed by diabetics because the fermentation process converts sugar into other substances such as organic acids, enzymes, vitamins and minerals. Yes, it is transformed, but only about 95 percent. Therefore, the drink from kobucha contains sugar, albeit in small amounts. In addition,diabetics should not drink itdue to the alcohol content, which may, among others, interfere with injected insulin and diabetes medications.
  • People struggling with certain intestinal ailments.Kombucha drink is not recommended for diarrhea due to the caffeine content, which can exacerbate its course. For the same reason, fermented tea should also not be consumed by people with irritable bowel syndrome.
  • People with oxalate urolithiasis.Kombucha drink may contain oxalic acid, which leads to the build-up of oxalate stones in the urinary tract.

Category:

Alternative medicine