Kombucha

Scientific Name(S): Yeast/bacteria fungal symbiot

Common Name(S): Kombucha tea, kombucha mushroom, Manchurian tea, Combucha tea, Spumonto, Tschambucco, Teekwass, Kwassan, Kargasok tea, "Fungus" Japonicus, Manchurian ''fungus, " Dr. Sklenar's kombucha mushroom infusion, Champagne of life, T'Chai from the sea

Kombucha is a pleasant tasting, powerfully effective health drink / food supplement which you can make at home for next to nothing.

The taste can vary depending on how you make it but the basic recipe, which most people use, will produce a slightly sparkling drink that tastes like an apple cider or dry white wine.

Botany: Kombucha is not a fungus or a mushroom, but rather a gray, pancake-shaped patty that grows up to six inches in diameter. The patty is placed in a mixture of black tea and sugar to ferment. Technically, the fermentation becomes a mixture of yeast and bacteria (ie, Bacterium xylinum, Bacterium gluconicum, Acetobacter ketogenum and Pichia fermentans).

History: Kombucha tea has grown rapidly in popularity over the past year and has been touted as a miracle cure for a wide variety of illnesses, ranging from memory loss to premenstrual syndrome.

The name kombucha is derived from the Japanese in that it is brewed in a seaweed (kombu) tea (cha). In Western countries, the product is typically propagated in black tea. Users float growing spores on the surface of brewed, sweetened black tea. The mycelium double in mass approximately every week. The mass is then divided and the new portion is propagated on a new tea media. In this manner, kombucha mycelium can be propagated at a rapid rate for commercial distribution. Units of the fungus can sell for $50 each.

As the growth matures, it ferments the beverage slightly. This fermented tea is drunk for its purported medicinal properties. Drinking fermented teas has long been popular in Eastern countries, and the use of this particular mycelial growth may date back several centuries. Despite extravagant claims for its pharmacologic activity, some experts believe that the tea fulfills the FDA criteria identifying a fraudulent product, including: reference to non-US medical studies, an appeal to a person's vanity, ancient origins and alleged cures for a wide variety of ailments. Some of these claims include curing cancer, rheumatism, aging and intestinal disorders.

Uses of Kombucha

There is no good evidence to support the pharmacologic claims for kombucha but some clamis to help with:

• AIDS
• Cancer
• Prostrate/bladder disorders
• Dysentery in Infants
• Constipation
• Psoriasis
• Multiple sclerosis
• Stronger fingernails
• Arthritis
• Edemas
• Diabetes
• Hypoglycemia
• Vision acuity
• Chronic colds

Side Effects of Kombucha

The fermented tea associated with kombucha has been suspected as fatal in one user.

Toxicology: Cases of nausea and allergic responses have been reported. No kombucha-related deaths have occurred, although lowa health officials have reported the first suspected death linked to the tea. Regulatory agencies are investigating the possibility that kombucha may be a source of bacterial pathogens. In one case, an 83-year-old person with multiple health problems drank 0.5 cup of a kombucha mixture for a 3-week period. Upon examination, laboratory results indicated AST/MLT greater than 2000 lU/L, lactate dehydrogenase peaking at 4000 lU/L and a prothrombin time over 25 seconds. The APAP (acetaminophen) level was "trace."

Summary: Kombucha is a popular natural product that is used to ferment tea. However, it is not approved by the FDA for medical purposes. Kombucha tea is covered widely in the popular press. The fermented liquid is purported to have a wide variety of medicinal properties, but there is no good evidence supporting any clinically relevant pharmacologic activity. No significant adverse events have been associated with drinking the fungal tea, although one suspected death linked to it has been reported.