What are the benefits of Kombucha and how to prepare it at home?

Dear reader, we present to you our beauty columnist Inessa Tsarkova!

Inessa is an active nutritionist, gastroenterologist, therapist, naturopath and aromatherapist, health coach, integrative medicine doctor with a holistic approach. And now he will share with us his knowledge in the field of both physical and mental health, nutrition and much more.

Surely many of you remember from your childhood a three-liter jar with a strange jellyfish, which stood in your grandmother’s kitchen, covered with a piece of gauze. Where did it come from and how did it reach us?

Inessa Tsarkova

How did “kombucha” come about?

Perhaps there is no product more mysterious and controversial than the drink called “kombucha”. Although its history of use dates back two thousand years, it has still not been possible to find a place in nature where it can grow in its natural environment.

The fact is that it cannot form in ordinary water. Its formation requires special conditions. According to one version, it appeared in a reservoir with special algae that turn water into a broth reminiscent of a sugary tea solution. Although this type of algae has not been discovered so far. According to another version, it was created in fermented wine or juice (since ancient times in Mexico it was grown in special reservoirs with the addition of figs).

There is an assumption that this miraculous drink comes from ancient China and appeared there during the Qin dynasty (about two hundred years BC). Moreover, only kings and high-ranking people could use it. According to another version, it appeared on the island of Ceylon, from there it migrated to India, then to China, from there it spread to Japan and Korea, and then through Eastern Siberia it reached European countries, including Russia. Despite its unusual appearance, it has become a favorite drink in every country and is endowed with healing properties. This drink has many names: “sea mushroom”, “Japanese sponge” or “kombuha”, “kombucha”. In our country, it is traditionally called “kombucha” or “tea kvass”.

The first mentions of it were found in documents dating back to the 3rd century AD. According to an ancient legend, a monk predicted to the Japanese emperor, who was suffering from a serious stomach ailment, that he would be cured with the help of a miraculous drink. Moreover, it will gain its healing properties when an ant enters the emperor’s tea and carries medicine to its paws. However, you do not need to drink this tea immediately, but after waiting a few days, a jellyfish will appear on its surface.

Since ancient times, people have consumed this fragrant, sweet fizzy drink and noticed its positive effects on their health. Nowadays, the popularity of “kombucha” is gaining momentum again, although its properties and therapeutic effects on the body have not yet been sufficiently researched.

Most of the scientific research on the study of “Kombucha” has been conducted in our country. The work of Soviet scientists GA on this subject is well known. Shakaryan and LT Danielyan, who studied the drink in the late 40s. And in the early 50s, the influence of “kombucha” on the development of acute and chronic diseases was reported by the Soviet doctor, psychotherapist and researcher KM Dubrovsky. It was he who managed to isolate and study in detail the properties of meducin (a natural antibiotic), which later became part of the medicine, which the scientist called “MM” (medusomycete). As a result of the research, the use of “kombucha” and preparations based on it were practically allowed.

What is “Kombucha” and what are its benefits to our health?

To date, scientists have been able to find that the structure of this strange jellyfish (or scientifically medosomycete) consists of two groups of microorganisms – yeast and bacteria, which convert a sweet tea solution into a highly fermented carbonated drink. First, the sugar in the solution is processed by yeast fungi (and their composition is very variable and can reach up to ten different genera), converted into alcohols, and then special acetic acid bacteria ferment them in the presence of oxygen, making them organic. acids. Moreover, this friendly company lives in a slippery “zooglist mat” or biofilm that is exactly like jellyfish in appearance.

When studying the chemical composition of Kombucha liquid, substances with a strong antimicrobial effect were detected – organic acids (mostly gluconic and acetic) and the natural antibiotic meducin. Thanks to medusin and these organic acids, kombucha solution has a pronounced bactericidal and bacteriostatic effect against a wide range of pathogenic microbes. However, unlike antibiotics, they do not inhibit the beneficial intestinal microflora, on the contrary, they create a suitable environment for them to live and reproduce.

— Gluconic acid It is an acidity regulator and can also dissolve mineral deposits and restore electrolyte balance as a biologically neutral carrier of potassium, calcium, iron, zinc and copper electrolytes. It can also stimulate metabolism and improve the flow of processes in the body.

— Lactic acidIn addition to its antiseptic properties, which are part of the kombucha solution, it also has a beneficial effect on the microflora.

— oxalic acid It promotes the absorption of calcium, which activates intestinal motility and improves its functioning.

— Hydroxysuccinic acid It helps renew the energy in the body. It is an intermediate product of the Krebs cycle, as a result of which the ATP molecule is formed in our cells – the main “fuel” for all life processes.

Dear readers, you may remember from my previous articles that refined carbohydrates and excessive animal proteins, which are not digested due to modern unhealthy nutrition, stick to the villi in the intestinal wall, triggering fermentation and decay processes, and provide an environment for pathogenic microbes and parasites. This disrupts intestinal function and triggers inflammatory processes. Organic acids, which act as drain cleaners, can dissolve these deposits and neutralize pathogenic bacterial species on them. Once the cause (infection) is eliminated, the inflammation also disappears. Natural cellular regeneration is initiated and the cellular barrier that protects our internal environment from the penetration of pathogenic agents and foreign proteins is repaired.

That is why in folk medicine a solution of “kombucha” was used internally for various infectious and inflammatory processes (primarily in the gastrointestinal tract), and was also used for rinsing and washing purulent wounds and in the treatment of burns. Being natural antiseptics, organic acids can help prevent the development of fungal diseases by fighting not only bacteria but also the harmful growth of fungi of the genus Candida.

In addition to organic acids, the “kombucha” solution contains many other useful substances: amino acids, which serve as materials for the construction of our proteins, polyphenols (there are especially a lot of them in the “kombucha” solution infused with green tea), which perform a protective function and have a beneficial effect on immunity as well as vitamins (C, PP, D).

This drink is especially rich in B vitamins, which are so lacking in modern humans and are vital for normal metabolism and functioning of the nervous system. Each performs many other functions:

– in case of famine thiamine (or vitamin B1) the body cannot adequately convert proteins, fats and carbohydrates. Its deficiency also negatively affects the functioning of the heart, muscles and brain;

— riboflavinor vitamin B2 is important for maintaining the well-being of beneficial microflora. Its deficiency can lead to chronic skin diseases (eczema and neurodermatitis);

– Another important B vitamin found in large amounts in Kombucha is niacinor nicotinic acid. Actively participates in carbohydrate metabolism and also promotes vasodilation (helps reduce high blood pressure) and rapid tissue regeneration;

– no less important for the health of the body and vitamin B6 (or pyridoxine) is found in the “kombucha” solution. It actively helps mucous membranes recover and maintain the required level of glucose in cells, prevents sharp fluctuations in blood and prevents the release of adrenaline from the adrenaline glands during cellular starvation.

Indian scientists discovered it during experiments on rodents hepatoprotective effect Kombucha solution (that is, it protects our liver). By drinking this drink regularly, you can not only slow down the destruction of liver cells, but also help them recover and improve their function. Also, in experiments on rodents, scientists revealed the positive effect of this drink on the course of atherosclerosis by normalizing the ratio of “good” and “harmful” cholesterol.

All these amazing effects of drinking Kombucha are associated with a large number of special substances that can work wonders, namely natural enzymes. Enzymes (or they are also called enzymes) are the main participants in all life processes. It is their quantitative and qualitative combination that determines our health, the uninterrupted functioning of the body and its high resistance to external factors. It is fermented products (including “kombucha”) that best cope with maintaining order in the microbial kingdom, neutralizing the effects of harmful factors, activating the excretory and immune systems.

Most of the vitamins and microelements our body takes are for the construction of enzyme molecules. The body itself can produce a certain amount of enzymes. But most of these have to come from outside, through raw foods and fermented foods, and are also produced by our friendly microflora.

Especially if the reserves in the body are insufficient, the need for enzyme renewal increases. For example, prolonged stress, the presence of chronic diseases, a decrease in the functional capacity of the liver, dysbiosis, chronic deficiencies of microelements and vitamins, or a decrease in energy production, which we feel as weakness and fatigue. Important enzymes such as protease, catalase, amylase and others were found in the composition of Kombucha liquid. Thus, “kombucha” can be a great home assistant to maintain and improve health.

But it is worth noting that all these healing properties are fully inherent only in the drink prepared at home. With industrial production and subsequent preservation, all its wonderful properties are reduced to practically zero.

How to make Kombucha at home?

To prepare Kombucha you will need:

— “kombucha” (you can buy it at the market or borrow it from friends);

– sugar solution with any tea (black, green, hibiscus, herbal).

Cooking instructions

1. Brew 2-3 tablespoons of leaf tea in three liters of boiled hot water and add 8-12 tablespoons of sugar. Do not worry about the large amount of sugar, it will be processed by bacteria during the fermentation process and converted into useful substances.

2. Cool the fresh solution to room temperature, filter and add to the jar with mushrooms with a small amount of the previous solution (about 150–200 g).

3. Cover the jar with a breathable cloth to ensure oxygen access.

4. Leave Kombucha at room temperature for 5-7 days.

5. Pour the finished drink into a clean jar and put it in the refrigerator.

How to drink correctly “kombucha»?

You can drink it immediately or let it brew. After two days in the refrigerator, the drink will become a little more fizzy and will serve as an excellent alternative to other (not so healthy) drinks.

For prevention, it is enough to take 150 ml once a day (preferably in the morning on an empty stomach). And for treatment it is better to drink it three times a day before each meal. Kombucha solution can be diluted with water or drunk in its pure form. The important thing is that your body likes it. To do this, you need to listen to his reaction to the drink.

It’s also easy to share with your friends and family (by simply detaching the layer of the mother mushroom and replanting it in another container), helping them have a great helper in taking careful care of their health.