What you need to know about kombucha

The Tea of Immortality! Kombucha is one of the latest health crazes in the western world, due to its amazing health properties and delicious taste.

However, its long journey towards becoming a mainstream drink is believed to have started in Northeast China, around the year 220 B.C.
The first-ever recorded use of kombucha was during the Tsin Dynasty, where it went under the name “The Tea of Immortality”, due to its energizing and detoxifying properties.
In 404 AD the tea was brought to Japan by a doctor named Kombu, where he used it to aid the emperor’s digestive problems – and from this, the name Kombucha was born, which directly translates to Kombu tea.

So what exactly is kombucha, and what can it do for you? 
Kombucha is the result of fermented sweetened tea, added to a culture known as SCOBY – or symbiotic consortium of bacteria and yeasts if you want to be fancy about it.
The amazing health benefits of kombucha are due to the presence of antibiotics, polyphenols, probiotic microorganisms, vitamins, antioxidants, amino acids, and multiple micronutrients, especially a broad variety of B-vitamins.
All of these amazing nutritional elements make it a perfect tool for obtaining better health.

Benefits

Here’s a short list of some evidence-based kombucha benefits

1) As the Japanese Emperor Inyoko learned many years ago, kombucha works wonders for your digestion and general gut health. This is thanks to the probiotics providing the gut with many useful bacterias.

2) Kombucha contains a lot of antioxidants that fight free radicals. Free radicals are naturally made in the body, but production can be enhanced by environmental factors such as pesticides, pollution, alcohol consumption, smoking, etc. Overproduction of free radicals can cause the body to go into oxidative stress, which can provoke diseases such as cardiovascular diseases and certain cancers. Loading up on antioxidants is a great way to help your body prevent this!

3) The polyphenols and acetic acids found in kombucha have antibacterial properties, which can kill off unwanted bacteria and yeasts.

And the list goes on!

This amazing concoction is easy to make at home. Click here to see our guide on how to make your own kombucha.
At Plant Power Food we also make our very own kombucha, based on black tea and with organic berries and herbs collected from Casper’s very own garden.
Come try it!

Molle Marie Hinchely, Global Nutrition and Health