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What is Kombucha Tea?
Kombucha is tea which is fermented that has been consumed for thousands of years. It is also known as the Immortal Health Elixir by the ancient Chinese. It has been around for more than 2,000 years and originated in the Far East. It has health benefits the same as tea and also which are extending to your heart, your brain, and your gut. It is rich in beneficial probiotics.
Kombucha is basically fermented beverage consisting of black or green tea and sugar which is used as a functional, probiotic food. It is made from sweetened tea and a specific culture known as a scoby. Scoby in kombucha stands for symbiotic culture of bacteria and yeasts. The bacteria and yeasts in it convert the sugar into ethanol and acetic acid which gives it a sour taste. I
Due to the fermentation process involved in creating kombucha, it has a large number of healthy bacteria known as probiotics. These bacteria support your immune system, as they absorb nutrients and fight infection and illness. After fermentation, kombucha becomes carbonated and contains vinegar, B vitamins, enzymes, probiotics and has high acid concentration.
Kombucha is typically classified as a “functional beverage” with health benefits. It has become popular with health-conscious consumers looking for an alternative to processed fizzy drinks that are often packed with sugar or artificial sweeteners. Let’s take a closer look at the amazing health benefits of this beverage.
Health Benefits of Kombucha Tea:
1. Detoxifies the body
Kombucha is believed to aid in natural detoxification with enzymes and bacterial acids. One of the kombucha’s health benefits is its ability to detox the body. It is rich in enzymes and bacterial acids your body produces and uses it to detox our system, thus reducing our pancreatic load and easing the burden on our liver.
Kombucha contains substantial amounts of glucuronic acid which are well known as a detoxicant. In our body, it combines with toxins like pharmaceuticals and environmental pollutants. It converts them into compounds that are soluble and the body can excrete.
Drinking kombucha can also help in preventing tissues from absorbing industrial toxins in the environment. The gluconic acid may boost the efficiency of the liver’s detoxifying tracts and it can also help prevent cancer.
2. Kombucha Is a Rich Source of Probiotics
Kombucha is made by adding specific strains of bacteria, yeast, and sugar to black or green tea, then allowing it to ferment for a week or more. During this process, bacteria and yeast form a mushroom-like film on the surface of the liquid which is also the reason why kombucha is also known as “mushroom tea”.
This blob is a living symbiotic colony of bacteria and yeast, or a SCOBY, and can be used to ferment new kombucha. The fermentation process produces acetic acid and several other acidic compounds and gases that make it carbonated.
A large amount of probiotic bacteria is also produced during fermentation. Probiotics provide your gut with healthy bacteria. These bacteria can improve many aspects of health, including digestion, inflammation. For this reason, adding probiotics foods like kombucha to your diet might improve your health in many ways. .
3. Contains antioxidants
Kombucha is a good source of antioxidants including vitamins E, beta-carotene, and other carotenoids. Antioxidants are substances that fight free radicals, reactive molecules that can damage our cells.
Kombucha when made with green tea, appears to have antioxidant effects in your liver. Like black tea and green tea, kombucha also contains polyphenols and other compounds with antioxidant powers. But because of the fermentation process, it is much more powerful than plain tea.
Its antioxidant activity was found to be 100 times higher than vitamin C and 25 times higher than vitamin E. For this reason, drinking kombucha can help cure chronic illnesses caused by stress.
Studies show that drinking kombucha daily reduces liver toxicity caused by toxic chemicals. Many scientists believe that antioxidants from foods and beverages are better for our health than other antioxidant supplements.
4. Antibacterial agent
Acetic acid is produced during the fermentation process which is also abundant in vinegar. Like the polyphenols in tea, acetic acid is able to kill many harmful microorganisms.
Kombucha has strong antibacterial properties, particularly against infection-causing bacteria and Candida yeasts. These antimicrobial effects suppress the growth of undesirable bacteria and yeasts, but they do not affect the beneficial, probiotic bacteria and yeasts involved in kombucha fermentation.
Drinking kombucha actually destroys bad bacteria responsible for infections. It is rich in tea polyphenols and acetic acid, which have both been shown to suppress the growth of undesirable bacteria and yeasts.
5. Good for heart and may reduce heart disease risk
Heart disease is one of the worlds leading cause of death. Kombucha has been considered to be beneficial to the heart for some time. In animal models, kombucha helps to lower triglyceride levels, as well as regulate cholesterol naturally.
Rat studies show that kombucha can greatly improve two important main factors of heart disease, “bad” LDL and “good” HDL cholesterol. Even more importantly, tea protects LDL cholesterol particles from oxidation, which is thought to contribute to heart disease.
Green tea drinkers have up to 31% lower risk of developing heart disease found in a study, a benefit that may also apply to kombucha.
6. Prevention of cancer
Consumption of kombucha has been known to be associated with lower cancer rates. Researchers believe kombucha increases the immune system’s defenses.
In a test-tube study, kombucha helped prevent the growth and spread of cancerous cells due to its high concentration of polyphenols and antioxidants. For this reason, it is not surprising that tea drinkers are much less likely to develop various types of cancer.
Cell studies suggest it may be useful for prostate cancer treatment and prevention. It’s also been known to be studied as an anticancer agent against human lung, osteosarcoma, and renal cancer cell lines.
7. Boosts Immunity
Kombucha is extraordinarily anti-oxidant rich, and the benefits of anti-oxidants are for boosting our immune system and energy levels.
8. Improves digestion and gut health
Kombucha is a probiotic beverage as it is fermented with bacteria and yeast. This contains benefits such as improved digestion, fighting harmful yeast overgrowth, mental clarity, and mood stability.
It is also helpful in reducing or eliminating the symptoms of fibromyalgia, depression, anxiety, etc. The combination of organic acids, enzymes, and probiotics in it may help promote digestion and soothe an upset stomach.
9. Prevents Diabetes
Kombucha can decrease blood sugar levels. A recent animal study reports that kombucha significantly reduces blood sugar levels in diabetic rats. A study suggested kombucha may be considered a candidate for the diabetes treatment and its prevention.
Study in diabetic rats found that kombucha slowed down carbs digestion, which reduced blood sugar levels. It also improved liver and kidney function.
10. Beneficial for the lungs
Chinese scientists discovered a unique, potential application for kombucha tea, used as an inhalant. It was found to remove silica from lungs in an animal model. They discovered that inhalation of kombucha could be a way to treat other diseases of the lungs caused by inhalation of dangerous material.
11. Helpful for kidneys
Researchers found that the antioxidant potency of kombucha tea may repair damaged kidney tissue. It may also help eliminate kidney damage caused by environmental pollutants and may be beneficial to patients suffering from renal impairment. It has also been used to prevent calcification in the kidney and can prevent kidney stones formation.
12. Treats Asthma
Daily kombucha may help asthma patients. It contains significant amounts of theophylline, which is known as a bronchodilator. It helps to control chronic asthma due to its anti-inflammatory, immunomodulatory, and bronchoprotective effects.
13. Helps in Joint problem
The glucuronic acid in kombucha can be converted by the body into glucosamine, chondroitin-sulfate, and glucoproteins associated with cartilage, collagen, and the fluid that lubricates joints. It also helps to relieve arthritis, rheumatism, and gout.
14. Mood enhancement
The B vitamins in kombucha, specifically vitamins B1, B6, and B12, helps to battle depression, stabilize mood, and enhance concentration. The vitamin C inhibits the release of stress hormone cortisol.
15. Promotes weight loss
Kombucha tea boosts metabolism when consumed before meals. High metabolic rate helps in weight loss as it makes you feel more energetic and more likely to engage in regular physical exercise. The natural acids and antioxidant properties found in kombucha may promote fat loss.
