“Kombucha”- Have you tried it?

Kombucha is a fermented, lightly fizzy, sweetened black or green tea . The functional (non-alcoholic) beverage is sometimes called “Kombucha Tea” to distinguish it from the culture of bacteria and yeast. It is said to have originated in Northeast China and was initially valued for its healing properties. Its name is derived from Dr. Kombu, a Korean Physician who bought the fermented tea to Japan as a curative for Emperor Inkyo.

This tea has been consumed for thousands of years and is known to be rich in beneficial probiotics. It is known to contain antioxidants that help fight several diseases. This makes it a pretty popular drink across the world. The drink is homebrewed globally and is also bottled and sold commercially.

Kombucha is made by fermenting sugared tea using a symbiotic culture of bacteria and yeast (SCOBY), commonly called a mother or mushroom. This SCOBY is placed in a sweetened tea mixture and left to ferment at room temperature for about 1-3 weeks. Later it is bottled for 1-2 weeks to encourage carbonation. The bottled Kombucha is placed in a refrigerated environment to slow down the fermentation and carbonation process. The living bacteria is said to be probiotic, which is the primary reason for the popularity of this drink.

Even though Kombucha can be prepared at home, one needs to be extra cautious. Contaminated or over-fermented Kombucha can cause serious health problems.

Although the direct evidence for the health benefits of this drink is limited, researchers advocate that its tea base and fermentation process results in similar health benefits to that of plain tea and fermented food (including probiotics) that support digestion and boosts gut bacteria diversity.