Invest In Your Health:
Kombucha
Most Americans have never heard of kombucha (pronounced kom-BOO-cha) but this beverage has been around for hundreds of years. Kombucha is a healthy, sparkling beverage that resembles apple cider and is created by adding a SCOBY to a sweetened tea mixture and then allowed to ferment for 5-10 days. People all over the world report a wide variety of benefits from drinking kombucha from easing their arthritis to ending a round with cancer.
The origins of the culture are somewhat uncertain but it seems to have come from the east. It has been found in Russia, China, Japan, and India. The earliest mention of kombucha that I’ve seen is 220 B.C. from China. Some people refer to a kombucha mushroom but it really isn’t a mushroom at all it is a Symbiotic Colony of Bacteria and Yeast (a.k.a. SCOBY).
Here is a partial list of benefits people have experienced from drinking kombucha on a regular basis:
Although this list is impressive most articles I have read have stated that they believe that kombucha does not cure what ails you but instead helps your body to repair itself. It fuels your cells with important vitamins, minerals and enzymes that enable your body to fight off the bad stuff. Kombucha also helps your body to detoxify your system preventing toxins from staying in your body.
Making Kombucha is a rather simple task. You make a sugar infused tea. (We use a combination of black and green teas.) Then you add a SCOBY to the tea in a glass jar; cover it with cheese cloth secured with a rubber band. Let it sit for 5-10 days at room temperature without being disturbed. Bottle the kombucha for 5 days. Then enjoy!
(See below for websites with complete instructions.)
You can obtain a Kombucha SCOBY from many different sources. The best way is to find a friend who will share with you. The SCOBYs multiple rather quickly and a regular brewer of kombucha should have extras to share. The Kombucha group on yahoo has several people who will send you a SCOBY for the cost of shipping. There are also several sources from which you can buy a Kombucha SCOBY. See the FAQ website below for those sources.
Kombucha is a wonderful replacement for carbonated beverages. It is bubbly and yet it contains so many wonderful nutrients unlike pop which depletes your body of vital nutrients. I encourage you to look into making kombucha for your family. We certainly enjoy it.
RECOMMENDED RESOURCES:
How To Make Kombucha Manual: http://users.bestweb.net/~om/kmi/manual.html
Yahoo Group about Kombucha (This group is also a good source to get your first SCOBY.): http://health.groups.yahoo.com/group/original_kombucha
Kombucha FAQ: http://w3.trib.com/~kombu/FAQ/
Copyright 2006 Binary Kingdom Enterprises