Kombucha is a culture of bacteria and yeast used to make fermented tea with reported health benefits, but with no scientific basis. Its origins are unclear, but its first recorded use was in China in 221 BC. It can be made at home and has a slightly carbonated, acidic taste. Its reputation as a miracle substance may be due to inadequate access to nutritional foods at the time of its discovery in Asia.
The kombucha mushroom, also known as the Manchurian mushroom, is a culture of bacteria and yeast that is used to prepare a fermented tea. It is not a real fungus, since it does not produce spores. Its name is derived from its fungal appearance. While its exact origins remain a mystery, kombucha can generally be traced back to Asia. The tea produced from this culture is believed to have several beneficial health properties, including fighting cancer, Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS), and diabetes; improve sexual and digestive health; vision improvement; and slowing down the aging process.
While it is not known exactly where and when the kombucha mushroom was discovered, its first actual recorded use took place in China in 221 B.C. C., during the Tsin dynasty. However, the name kombucha is believed to have been conceived in Japan by a Korean physician in AD 415. This doctor, while allegedly using kombucha tea to treat the Japanese emperor Inyko, combined his name, which was Kombu or Kambu, with “cha,” which translates to “tea.”
Scientists describe kombucha as a symbiotic culture of bacteria and yeast (SCOBY). Several different species of yeast and bacteria make up this culture. There are no natural kombucha colonies in the world, therefore its survival depends solely on cultivation by humans.
Kombucha can be made at home, as long as the proper culture is obtained initially. The kombucha culture is first mixed with steeped tea and a large amount of sugar. This mixture is shaken and begins a fermentation process without refrigeration of approximately five days. A new culture grows on top of the kombucha mushroom-shaped jar. After most of the liquid is separated, the culture and the remaining liquid can be reused to grow more crops and make more tea.
The tea that is produced from the kombucha mushroom comes from cooling the liquid that separates after cultivation. At this point, the liquid is stored under refrigeration for an additional five days before consumption. The resulting tea is slightly carbonated, acidic, and contains a negligible percentage of alcohol. Many describe it as tasting like cider or wine, often with a strong, vinous aroma.
Most of the health benefits associated with the kombucha mushroom, such as its cancer-fighting and AIDS-fighting qualities, have no real scientific basis. However, it has been reported to contain a small amount of B vitamins and certain essential amino acids. Due to these few proven health properties, there is a theory that the kombucha mushroom earned its reputation as a miracle substance due to inadequate access to nutritional foods at the time of its discovery in Asia. As fruits and vegetables were only seasonally available at the time due to lack of refrigeration and canning, kombucha tea may have provided some of the unavailable nutrients.
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