Kombucha , known as Kombu in our country, is a symbiotic culture of fungi and bacteria. Kombucha tea is prepared by fermenting kombucha tea with black tea revised with sugar for 7-10 days. The tea we obtain has a slightly carbonated and acidic structure. Kombu tea is a food rich in sugar, caffeine and B vitamins; it is stated to be very healthy in terms of health due to its ingredients.
What is Kombucha?
Kombucha (Kombu Tea) is a fermented tea made from yeast and bacteria. It has been known as a health elixir for 2000 years through the Chinese. The ingredients of Kombucha tea consist of a tea mushroom called Kombucha. Kombucha tea is made from an organism called kombucha mushroom. This mushroom is shaped like a flat disk and its membrane resembles gelatin. This fungus, which has a detox effect, matures in a nutritious liquid consisting of tea and sugar and reproduces frequently.
What are the Benefits of Kombucha?
Some of the numerous benefitsof kombucha are as follows:
- Thanks to the probiotics it contains, it regulates the intestines and helps to remove toxins from the body.
- It regulates intestinal health and also the digestive system.
- It is a very powerful source of antioxidants due to the polyphenols it contains.
- Since it accelerates fat burning, it helps to eliminate excess weight faster.
- Thanks to green tea, it is very useful in balancing cholesterol and blood sugar.
- It helps to repair heart health.
- It is a very useful food for liver health.
- Renews the gallbladder.
- It has anti-carcinogenic properties.
- It is very effective in edema removal.
- It energizes and copes with chronic fatigue.
- Fights against depression.
- It acts as a treatment for skin diseases.
- It repairs the body against inflammation in various parts of the body and helps to repair inflamed areas more quickly.
- It balances the person's body weight and is useful in eliminating body fat.
- It eliminates the feeling of thirst and increases strength during exercise.
- It helps fight against various infections.
- It awakens sexual desire.
- It stabilizes menopausal discomfort.
- Cleanses the blood.
- Regulates the nervous system.
- It helps those who have blood pressure problems by balancing blood circulation, especially balances high blood pressure.
- Eliminates the problem of constipation (constipation).
- Relieves bronchitis, cough and phlegm in the lungs.
- Helps relieve muscle pain.
- Helps to relieve insomnia.
- Helps hair growth and prevents baldness.
- Supports eye health.
- When you apply it to your skin instead of drinking it, it prevents your skin from aging, moisturizes your skin and has an anti-wrinkle effect.
Who Can Drink Kombucha (Kombucha Tea)?
Adult individuals with a healthy body and children over the age of 3 can drink Kombucha tea comfortably. However, in the following cases, we recommend that you consult your doctor before consuming it:
- Have a chronic illness or disease,
- Pregnant or nursing mothers,
- Children under 3 years of age,
- In patients undergoing chemotherapy
When should kombucha (kombucha tea) not be used?
Immunosuppressive condition: If your immune system has been weakened by various diseases or medications, kombucha drinks can lead to infection.
If you are taking medications that are sensitive to stomach PH levels: Kombucha may lower the absorption of these medicines into the bloodstream.
The amounts of Kombucha (Kombucha Tea) according to age are listed below:
200 ml (1 cup) for ages 18 and over
150 ml (3/4 cup) for the 15-17 age range
100 ml (1/2 cup) for the 10-14 age range
75 ml (1 tea glass) for 5-9 year olds
50 ml (½ tea glass) for 3-4 year olds
20 ml (1/3 tea glass) for 1-2 year olds
Where to Find Kombucha (Kombucha Tea) Mushrooms?
After completing the brewing process, it is necessary to separate the Kombucha tea from the Scoby. You should do this using a coffee filter or a plastic strainer. Never use metal. Metal is harmful for the Kombucha culture. Store the strained Kombucha culture with a cup of tea. The kombucha mushroom will now always be with you and you will need to repeat this process at regular intervals to keep it alive.
How should Kombucha (Kombucha Tea) be used / How should Kombucha (Kombucha Tea) be consumed?
Kombucha is a healthy and beneficial drink option and can be used at any time of the day. To further increase probiotic intake, it will be more beneficial if you drink it on an empty stomach in the morning. However, it can also be used as a healthy drink alternative that you can drink throughout the day. In order to observe its benefits in the best way, consuming it regularly is one of the most important factors.
Although Kombucha is delicious cold on its own, you can add it to frozen drinks, mix it with different fruit juices or use it with various cocktails to discover new flavors and include more in your diet. As long as you do not heat it, you can add Kombucha to the foods you want because it is beneficial and you can create alcoholic or non-alcoholic cocktails.
How to Make Kombucha (Kombucha Tea) and What Are Its Ingredients?
- 5000 ml water
- Kombucha yeast
- 300 grams of granulated sugar
- 5 liter jar
- Cotton pouch for dry tea
- Glass pipette, glass rod or wooden spoon for stirring
- 10- 11 black tea bags or 30 grams of black tea (preferably green tea)
First of all, we sterilize our 5 liter glass jar with hot water. Then we put 300 grams of sugar into this glass jar, 100 grams per 1 liter, and add 1 liter of boiling water. We dissolve the sugar in the mixture with a stick or spoon. We cover 5 tablespoons of black tea or green tea that we put in our cotton pouch with a cloth. This tea rests for 15-20 minutes. After the time is up, we squeeze out the pouch and add 2 liters of cold water to this brewed tea. Then we mix the kombucha we made beforehand with 200 ml water glass into this warm tea. Then we put our kombucha so that the shiny part of our kombucha mother remains on top and cover the mouth with a cloth. It needs to be left to ferment for 15 days at room temperature of 23 degrees in a place out of direct sunlight. After fermenting for 15 days, it will be much healthier and more beneficial to consume.
How to Store Kombucha (Kombucha Tea) / What are Kombucha Storage Conditions and Shelf Life?
We recommend that you keep your kombucha in an area where it is cold and out of the sun. You should consume the kombucha within 5 days after opening. If it will be kept for more than 2-3 weeks, you should open the lids of the jars from time to time and remove the excess air.
Since it is a fermented food, the life of Kombucha is quite long. For this reason, we recommend the expiration date of Kombucha to be 5-6 months after the bottling date.
Why Does Kombucha (Kombucha Tea) Mold?
The pH of the environment in which the Kombucha culture multiplies for the first time is very important. You should make sure that there is enough acid in the breeding environment of the starter culture to fight mold. Because the sugar and other sweeteners you put in the brewed tea that Scoby feeds on are also food for mold spores. Until the kombucha yeast converts enough sugar into acid, mold can grow in your tea.
So how do you get the right balance of acidity and make it beneficial? First of all, you should pay attention to the ratios in the recommended recipe for kombucha to benefit. Another important issue is the quality of the water you use. Tap water contains chlorine and is not beneficial. Chlorine both disrupts the culture and changes the acidity. So when making Kombu tea, you must use purified or bottled chlorine-free water. And of course the right temperature is very important. Remember, kombu mushroom grows best between 24 - 32 degrees and its benefits increase in this environment.
Caution.
There is no precise information about use in children, nursing mothers or pregnant women, it is left to personal preference. Kombucha is beneficial under normal conditions, but we strongly recommend that you consult your doctor in these cases. In cases of severe lowering of the immune system, such as during chemotherapy treatment, we strongly recommend that you consult your doctor.