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Many people are drinking what is commonly called Kombucha Mushroom Tea (pronounced kom-BOO-cha). Others are wondering what it is and why so many people are enjoying benefits from this daily drink. The Kombucha Tea is healthy and refreshing. It tastes somewhat like a sparkling apple cider with a tang of vinegar, depending on how long it ferments. The benefits to the physical body vary widely. It is said to enhance the immune system. By detoxifing the body, it makes it unlikely for disease causing bacteria and viruses to find a suitable growth environment. This results in a healthier physical body!

People from all over the world claim drinking Kombucha Tea provides relief from many physical ailments. While it may not be the cure to all the ills of mankind, it is a traditional fermented beverage used in many cultures to promote well-being. Some of the reported benefits from testimonials are it:

* Acts as a gentle laxative, helping avoid constipation.
* Aids in the relief of arthritis.
* Cleanses the colon and gall bladder.
* Aids in healthy digestion
* Relieves colitis and stomach cramps.
* Returns gray hair to it's natural color.
* Helps stop non-infectious diarrhea.
* Relieves bronchitis and asthma.
* Clears up Candida yeast infections.
* Regulates the appetite and reduces fat.
* Aids with stress and insomnia.
* Improves eyesight, cataracts and floaters.
* Relieves headaches including migraines.
* Put Lupus into remission.
* Helps reduces the alcoholic's craving for alcohol.
* Eliminates menopausal hot flashes.
* Clears acne, Psoriasis and other skin problems.
* Thickens hair and strengthens fingernails.
* Enhances the sense of smell.
* Vitalizes the physical body and adds energy-including sexual energy!

The Kombucha Tea Culture has been used for hundreds, perhaps thousands of years in different parts of the world. This in itself lends testimony to the fact the Tea has long been beneficial to many for a variety of physical ailments. The Russians, Germans, Swedes and others have compiled information on the benefits of the Kombucha Tea for nearly one hundred years. In the authorative book "Kombucha, Healthy Beverage and Natural Remedy from the Far East," Gunther Frank lists many references from Russian and German doctors who have seen a variety of benefits to their patients. Rosina Fasching's book "Tea Fungus Kombucha, The Natural Remedy and its Significance in Cases of Cancer and other Metabolic Disease" also discusses this in more detail.

Although commonly called the Kombucha Mushroom, IT IS NOT A MUSHROOM. The beneficial bacteria and yeasts form a symbiotic colony in a strong cellulose matrix. It propagates itself during the fermentation process yielding another Culture, often referred to as "baby." The scientific term for this jelly-like mass is a zooglea. When placed in the appropriate substrate, the yeasts in the Kombucha Culture feed on the nutrients and rapidly multiply to produce alcohol. The rich environment created by the yeasts allows the bacteria to convert the alcohol into acetic acid, which is vinegar. The bacterium Acetobacter aceti subspecies xylinum, along with other organisms associated with production of vinegar, has been identified in Kombucha. It is interesting to note that vinegar has been used by humans for thousands of years. In his book "Kombucha, the Essential Guide," Christopher Hobbs states "Vinegar was mentioned in the writings of the Assyrians, Greeks and Romans as an important medicine in its own right." Because the Kombucha Culture is a living organism exposed to all kinds of influences, the finished beverage doesn't always have the same composition and taste. The Russian research scientist Danielova stated in 1954 "... that the actual composition of the symbiont varies according to geographical and climatic conditions, and depends on whatever types of wild yeasts and bacteria exist locally." Variances may occur in each batch of Kombucha and may become more obvious during seasonal temperature changes.

The Tea is made by placing the Kombucha Culture in a solution of tea and sugar. BLACK or GREEN TEA and WHITE Sugar are the best nutrients. Within 6-15 days, biological and chemical metabolic processes take place producing a variety of beneficial ingredients. The following constituents may be found in the Kombucha Tea: a small amount of alcohol, carbon dioxide, vitamins C, B1, B2, B3, B6, B12, folic acid, acetic acid, glucuronic acid, gluconic acid, oxalic acid, usnic acid, fructose, dextrogyral (L-Lactic Acid+) plus enzymes and minerals.

The end product contains a very small amount of alcohol, 0.5% - 1%, which is as much alcohol present in "alcohol-free" beer and many beverages including apple juice. By law, a beverage can contain up to 0.5% alcohol and still be labeled "non-alcoholic." Most beer contains approximately 3% - 8% alcohol. The end product also contains a small amount of Sugar which is not converted. The longer the drink ferments, less Sugar and more alcohol will be present. It will turn to vinegar if allowed to ferment too long.

The slight amount of alcohol present in the fermented Tea is normally harmless and is no more potent than non-alcoholic beer. Some sober alcoholics who drink Kombucha find it reduces their craving for alcohol. An alcoholic who drinks Kombucha says "I found it would slow me down when I was on a binge. It minimizes hangovers when you drink it with the booze (not mixed but between beer and whiskey shots). But most interesting...I found that when I drank K-T all day, I had little or no craving for alcohol."

Many diabetics drink the Tea, but ferment it longer so the sugar content is decreased. In a four ounce glass of Kombucha Tea (that's 1/2 cup), there may be 3 - 10 calories of sugar present depending on how long it has fermented. Many articles do not recommend the Kombucha Tea for pregnant or lactating women. The fetus and young baby do not yet have a developed digestive system to filter unwanted toxins out of their bodies. Unless the mother has already been drinking Kombucha, it may be best for the pregnant woman and the breastfeeding mother to forego Kombucha until pregnancy or breastfeeding passes.

Kombucha, in small doses, has benefitted children with ADD and constipation. People who have problems with Thrush or Candida may actually benefit from drinking Kombucha.

Outside the USA, glucuronic acid has reportedly been found in the Kombucha Tea in some chemical analyses. It was thought that this compound is what was responsible for Kombucha's detoxification of the body. But there may also be enzymes or other ingredients that work on improving the human body in intricate and, as yet, unknown ways. What is important about Glucuronic acid is that it has an extraordinarily important detoxifying function that binds toxins so they cannot be reabsorbed by the intestines or the urinary system. One must think about how important it is to detoxify our body, especially in this day and age when excessive toxins are found everywhere - in the soil where we grow our food, in the air we breathe, in the water we drink and the food we eat.

Among other constituents of Kombucha, found in a variety of studies, are Usnic acid and L-Lactic Acid+. Usnic acid has a strong antibacterial effect. It has been reported to contribute to the inactivation of viruses. Dextrogyral (L-Lactic Acid+) has been reported to be lacking in the connective tissue of cancer patients. Gunther Frank states "So long as it (L-Lactic Acid+) is predominantly present in tissue, cancer cannot develop. It is interesting to note here that a pH value of 7.56 is exceeded in cancer patients. Organisms which are free from cancer (and also precancers) show pH values of under 7.5. Serological tests of the blood in the veins have shown that the Kombucha beverage shifts the pH value noticeably towards the acid side."

To a certain extent the Kombucha Tea preserves itself. Any micro-organisms that do not belong to the Kombucha Culture are repressed by the acetic acid and lactic acid it produces. The yeasts in the Kombucha Culture produce carbon dioxide as well as alcohol. Carbon dioxide is a gas with antimicrobial properties and alcohol is a universally known preservative.

If you believe the Kombucha Tea will help you, then it probably will! In the long run, one must remember that healing on the physical level brings little help without real change on the emotional, mental and spiritual levels. A person's attitude is an important part of any type of healing. Negative emotions such as fear, shame, worry, hate, resentment, anxiety and jealousy cause energy blockages that lead to illness. Once you realize these emotions are damaging to your health and immune system, you have no choice but to give them up if you wish to have a healthy body! We can help heal ourselves by being non-judgemental and by exhibiting love, forgiveness and patience. It's important to keep a positive attitude when riding the rollar coaster of life! It is also helpful to use daily affirmations such as: All my cells are healthy and reproducing properly. All my cells are communicating correctly and all my body functions are at the proper rates and levels. It may also help to pray over your Kombucha. Many people find it beneficial to pray over the food they ingest, asking for the full nourishment the food products offer. And remember to give thanks. Gratitude can also be healing. Kombucha is not a magical, miracle elixir. It would be impractical to lead a life of excess and then drink a bit of Kombucha Tea to try to even things out. Through the stimulation of the individual immune system, Kombucha offers many people the physical resistance they need to maintain and restore health. ©†ƒ……•™¼‡_Original_Message_¾€š½ž¢«»¬ï°©

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