Kombucha Tea Secrets You Don’t Know!

I am sure that there is a huge fan base out there for the people who absolutely love tea. But how many of you have heard of the kombucha tea? This drink is most certainly unique and different than most of the drinks out there. The people in Malaysia love drinking tea, this comes as no surprise. The culture of drinking tea in Malaysia has been something that has been passed down to us for the longest amount of time.

But this particular type of tea is most certainly unique due to the fact that it has the slightest amount of alcohol in it and the general ingredients are pretty unique as well. To quickly fill you in, kombucha is a symbiotic culture of bacteria and yeast that forms a unique zoogleal mat.

This unique beverage has been in use for over 2000 years to improve your health and to fight against infection and also certain chronic disease. The ancient Chinese often called the Kombucha as a immortal health elixir as they loved it for its remarkable health benefits. Kombucha mostly and typically contains a lot of beneficial yeast strains that turns sugar into alcohol. One particular type of bacteria, which is gluconacetobacter xylinus ferments the alcohol through the yeast into acetic acid. This will tend to lower the alcohol content in the Kombucha and most certainly increases the probiotic metabolite content.

Kombucha is also loaded with all sorts of unique ingredients. Kombucha is mainly loaded with organic acids, active enzymes, amino acids and also polyphenol antioxidants. The most common components in the kombucha includes the various organic acids such as acetic acid, butyric acid, usnic acid, oxalic acid, malic acid, gluconic acid and also lactic acid. Kombucha also contains active enzymes and certain probiotics. Kombucha is mainly produced in a sweetened green, white and as well as black tea. The optimum fermentation process uses an organic evaporated cane juice or even honey although too much honey may disturb the stability of the culture. Almost all of the sugar will be remade into organic acids that will blunt the blood sugar response so it is very low glycemic and non inflammatory. If you are planning to buy Kombucha from the store, make sure that you get a brand that does not have added sugar to it, otherwise preparing it fresh at home is the best! Now we will be going over some of the benefits and the secrets of this amazing kombucha tea!

RICH SOURCE OF PROBIOTICS
Many people have assumed that kombucha has originated from either China or Japan. It is made by adding certain specific strains of bacteria, yeast and also sugar to black or green tea, and then allowing it to ferment for a week or over a week. During this fermentation process, the bacteria and the yeast will form a mushroom like film on the surface of the liquid. That is why kombucha is also often known as the mushroom tea. This blob that forms is a living symbiotic colony of bacteria and even yeast, or a SCOBY, and it can be used to ferment new kombucha. The fermentation process produces acetic acid which is also found in vinegar and several other acidic compounds, you can also trace the levels of alcohol and gases that make it carbonated. A large amount of probiotic bacteria is also produced during this fermentation process. Probiotics will provide your gut with certain healthy bacteria. These bacteria may improve many aspects of your health, which includes digestion, inflammation and also weight loss. For this particular reason, adding in a few probiotics foods like kombucha to your diet may improve your health in many different ways.

CONTAINS ANTIOXIDANTS
Antioxidants are substances that help you fight free radicals, reactive molecules that can and will damage your cells. Many scientists tend to believe that antioxidants from foods and beverages are better for your health in general in comparison to antioxidant supplements. Kombucha, especially when prepared with green tea, seems to be having antioxidant effects within your liver. Certain rat studies have consistently found that drinking kombucha tea on a regular basis tends to reduce liver toxicity which is caused by toxic chemicals, and in some cases by at least 70%. While no human studies have existed on this topic up until now, it does seem like a very promising area of research for people with liver diseases.

CAN KILL & ELIMINATE BACTERIA
Many people do not know this but, one of the main substances produced during the fermentation process of kombucha is acetic acid, which is also abundant in vinegar. Like the polyphenols in tea, acetic acid is useful in killing many potentially harmful microorganisms in your body. Kombucha which is made from black or green tea appears to have very strong antibacterial properties, mostly against infection causing bacteria and candida yeasts. These antimicrobial effects suppress the growth of all these undesirable bacteria and even yeasts, but they do not harm the beneficial, probiotic bacteria and also the yeasts which are involved in the kombucha fermentation process. But, the health relevance of these antimicrobial properties is still to be cleared.

MAY REDUCE THE RISK OF HEART DISEASES
Many people are unaware of this but, heart diseases are one of the world's leading cause of death. Rat studies have shown that kombucha may possibly improve the two markers of heart disease significantly, bad LDL and good HDL cholesterol, in as little as 30 days only. Even more importantly, tea, which is mainly the green tea protects LDL cholesterol particles from oxidation, which is taken as a factor that contributes to heart diseases. As a matter of fact, green tea drinkers have up to a 31% lower risk of developing any heart diseases, a benefit that may also be strongly applied to kombucha.

MAY HELP MANAGE TYPE 2 DIABETES
Type 2 diabetes affects over 300 million people across the world. It is characterized by high blood sugar levels and also insulin resistance. A study in diabetic rats have found that kombucha aided in slowing down the digestion of carbs, which helped in reducing the blood sugar levels. It also helped in improving the liver and kidney functions. Kombucha made from green tea is more likely to be even more beneficial, as green tea itself has been shown to reduce the blood sugar levels. In fact, a review study of almost 300,000 individuals found out that people who drank green tea had an 18% lower risk of becoming diabetic. More in depth human studies are necessary in order to investigate the actual and possible benefits of kombucha for blood sugar control.

MAY HELP PROTECT AGAINST CANCER
Cancer is also one of the world's leading causes of death in this day and age. It is characterized by both cell mutation and also uncontrolled cell growth. In a test tube study, kombucha seemed to help to prevent the growth and the spread of cancerous cells due to its high concentration of tea polyphenols and also antioxidants. How the anti cancer properties of tea polyphenols work is still not fully understood yet. However, it is thought that the polyphenols will help in blocking gene mutation and also the growth of cancer cells while also promoting cancer cell death. For this particular reason, it is not a major surprise that the people who drink tea are much less likely to develop various types of cancer. However, whether the kombucha has any anti cancer effects on and in people has not yet been confirmed. Further studies are needed to confirm this piece of information.

HEALTHY WHEN MADE PROPERLY
Kombucha is known for being a probiotic rich tea with many potential health benefits for you. You can choose to either purchase it in stores or even make it by yourself at home. However, kindly ensure that you prepare it properly. Contaminated or over fermented kombucha may cause serious health problems and possibly death. Homemade kombucha may also contain up to 3% of alcohol. The safer alternative for you is to buy kombucha at a store or online. Commercial products are tasty and are often considered alcohol free, as they must contain less than 0.5% of alcohol. However, make sure to check the ingredients and try to avoid brands that contain too much of added sugar. It is very much important for you to ensure that you are making a purchase from the right and proper source, and if you are planning to prepare your own, kindly do indulge in some proper research first!

Thank you.