Kombucha: Health Benefits, How to Brew, and Potential Side Effects

The bacterial membrane of kombucha closely resembles the skin of jellyfish, hence it is called “Haibao” (sea treasure). Since kombucha can aid digestion and supports various stomach ailments, it is also known as “Weibao” (stomach treasure) in some regions. As kombucha is a bacterial liquid brewed from black tea and white sugar, containing yeast, acetic acid bacteria, and lactic acid bacteria, it is further referred to as “Hongchajun” (black tea fungus).

As kombucha is rich in nutrients such as vitamin C and vitamin B, and contains three types of beneficial microorganisms for the human body (such as yeast), it can regulate the body’s physiological functions, promote metabolism, aid digestion, helps maintain arteriosclerosis, fight cancer, and nourish the body to enhance health, making it a popular health-promoting beverage worldwide.

Kombucha has been circulated and used in China for more than 150 years. In recent years, the practice of applying kombucha in the domestic and international medical fields has shown that kombucha can supports a variety of chronic wellness, such as hypertension, arteriosclerosis, coronary Heart wellness, diabetes, constipation, hemorrhoids, acne, obesity, alopecia areata, white hair, cataracts, rheumatoid arthritis, gastritis, dysentery, anemia, riboflavin deficiency, vitamin B1 deficiency, rickets, prostatic hyperplasia, fatigue syndrome, etc. However, people must realize that kombucha is not a panacea for all wellness; after all, it is just a nutritious beverage.

Kombucha is brewed from black tea (or green tea, oolong tea, scented tea, etc.), white sugar (or rock sugar, honey), and water.

1. Cultivation of the mother liquor

First, add a small amount of black tea and white sugar (rock sugar) to boiling water to make a dilute black tea sugar solution. Then, boil it briefly for sterilization and pour it into a disinfected glass. After cooling to 35℃, add a piece of black tea fungus culture about the size of a fingertip. Seal the mouth of the glass with clean gauze. After three to four days, green cilia will grow at the bottom of the glass, and a jellyfish-skin-like fungal membrane will form on the liquid surface. After a few more days, the tea liquid will turn sour and taste like waxberry soup, indicating that the mother liquor is ready.

2. Cultivation of the drinking liquid

Add boiled black tea sugar water into a sterilized wide-mouthed bottle, then add the mother liquor. After about a week, it will ferment into a sour-tasting tea liquid that can be drunk. After the tea liquid is consumed, the remaining kombucha culture can be used to continue cultivating the drinking liquid in the same way, creating a continuous cycle. The ratio of ingredients for cultivating kombucha is as follows:

Black tea : sugar : water = 1:5:200.

3. Culture of fungal strains

The culture of fungal strains is carried out on the basis of the mother culture solution. The fungal mass generated in the mother culture solution has multiple layers, with the lower layer being tender and fresh, making it suitable for use as fungal strains. A good fungal mother will float on the liquid surface, presenting as a milky-white, translucent, gelatinous fungal mass, and the culture solution emits a sour, sweet, and fragrant odor. If the fungal mass appears red or green, it indicates infection; if the fungal mass sinks, it means the fungi are dead, the culture has failed, and the culture solution should not be consumed.

4. Drinking Method

(1) To maintain the viability of yeast and lactic acid bacteria in the bacterial solution, the cultured bacterial solution should be consumed immediately after pouring and should not be bottled and refrigerated in the refrigerator.

(2) To avoid excessive acidity of the bacterial liquid, which may irritate the gastrointestinal tract and even cause concurrent acidosis, the bacterial liquid can be diluted with cold boiled water for drinking, but frozen water should be avoided.

(3) Each person should drink 100 to 200 milliliters of the bacterial solution per day, which can be consumed all at once or divided into three doses. When drinking, it is advisable to dilute it with twice the amount of cold boiled water to make the bacterial solution sweet and sour and pleasant to drink.

Kombucha is a nutritious beverage that generally has no side effects after consumption. However, some individuals who drink it for the first time may experience side effects such as excitement, insomnia, increased stomach acid, mild diarrhea, and skin itching. If consumption is continued, most of these signs of imbalance will subside on their own. If it is truly unsuitable for consumption, it is advisable to discontinue drinking kombucha.