This
document has been extracted by the author from the Gaia Organics
catalogue. It represents what is probably the most accurate synoptic
review available of scientific research into the "Kombucha"
phenomenon. The Gaia Research Institute and its associated funding
pedigreed Kombucha cultures are purist in that they are personally
laboratory raised exclusively on high quality imported peasant grown
Chinese green tea and fueled with natural
brown sugar, as per its two millennium evolutionary milieu,
empowering you to access high integrity pedigreed cultures and perpetuate
a centuries old tradition of producing your household's own "Divine
Che", "Mo Gu", "Cajnii grib", "Hongo",
"Manchurian Tea" or "Kargasok Tea", which are
just some of 100-odd names by which the slightly sweet/tart beverage
produced is known and which every fortnight doubles its production
capacity, which is why it is often given away as a gift and has
been called "Le champignon de la charité", the
"fungus of charity". Consumption of Kombucha was first
recorded in 220 BC in Manchuria, from whence it spread throughout
the Far East, Pacific, India, Russia, Germany, eventually to the
rest of Europe, to Africa and more recently across the entire globe.
Kombucha is not simply a
fungus but a jellyfish-like zoogleal mat, a near-lichen, a symbiosis
of beneficent non-toxic yeasts and bacterium which for two milennia
has enjoyed great popularity in the far East and for a century in
Eastern Europe for its tasty and refreshing tonic beverage which
fell into relative oblivion due to economic circumstances during
World War II, prior to which many households sustained a culture
which they were forced to let die out as the tea and sugar which
were so essential to its preservation became unavailable. Kombucha
however is experiencing a phenomenal resurgence of popularity internationally
as a healthful tonic beverage. Kombucha comprises of split or fission
yeasts and hence does not usually contain the yeast spores from
which so many suffer. Due to improved colon ecology, it actually
helps rather than aggravates the battle against candidiasis. It
has been widely reported that especially with elderly people, Kombucha
beverage has rejuvenating effects, causing hair to colour again,
as well as having the effect of tightening the skin and enhancing
the overall feeling of health and vitality.
The widespread use of the
Kombucha beverage has been well documented throughout this past
century. Kombucha's liquid medium (tea kvass) and mass (zoogloea)
(Medusomyces gisevii Lindau -botanical name) have also been intensively
investigated to as a result of numerous early observations that
this medium showed distinct antibiotic (bactericidal and bacteriostatic)
effects against a number of disease organisms and was used for several
therapeutic purposes in veterinary and human medicine. Contrary
to public health and medical ignorance or propaganda, the beneficial
properties of Kombucha have been rather well documented for a full
scientific century and is still contemporarily so for such a relatively
obscure natural food product. Early to mid 20th century, mainly
German medical research, documented Kombucha primarily as an intestinal
regulator and as having excellent effects on general body functions,
but also progressively established specific efficacy in cases of
digestive disturbances, constipation, haemorrhoids, kidney stones,
gall bladder problems, diabetes, arteriosclerosis, cholesterol,
high blood pressure, angina, gout, gouty eczema, arthritis, rheumatism,
atherosclerosis, irritability, anxiety, headaches, dizziness, fatigue,
tiredness. (The specific early references for these are available
on request)
Approaching mid century,
Kombucha was established in official pharmacopoeia, with eg the
Director of the "Academy of Chemists" at Braunschweig
recording that it invigorates the entire glandular system, is highly
recommended for gout, rheumatism, furunculosis, arteriosclerosis,
high blood pressure and aging problems; that by harmonizing and
balancing metabolism, unwanted fat deposits removed or prevented;
and that damaging deposits of uric acid and cholesterol are converted
into more soluble forms, more easily excreted via the kidneys and
intestines. (Irion H, Lehrgang fur
Drogistenfachschule, Rudolf Muller Publ., Vol 2, 1944)
As German medical researchers turned increasingly to synthetic pharmaceuticals,
Soviet researchers discovered that Kombucha produces Vitamin C,
besides many other valuable health substances (References are in
Russian and being meaningless to most readers, are provided in abbreviated
form) (Kasevnik L, Bjull Exp Biol
i Med, 3(1), 1937); (Berezova M, Gigiena I Sanitaria (7), 1943)
Russian scientists demonstrated a distinct antibiotic effect aside
from that of the acids (Sakarjan
G, Trudy Erevanskogo Zooveterinarnogo Instituta, [hereafter TEZI]
10, 1949), bacteriostatic and bacteriocidal efficacy
against pneumococcae, conjunctivitis and xerophtalmia (Naumova
E, Konferencija: Kazan'sches Staatliches Medizinisches Institut,
1949), against tonsillitis and enterocolitis (Sakaran G, TEZI, 11,
1949), and against anaerobic dysentery and colibacillosis
(Tinditnik V, Terapeveticeskii Arhiv
23(1), 1950).
Russian research continued
to establish efficacy in wound healing (Markarjan
G, Dissertation) TEZI, 1953) and infectious wounds (Matinjan A,
TEZI, 16, 1953) and various intestinal diseases (Nurazjan
A, Diss, TEZI, 1954) intestinal typhus
(Porickij E, Trudy XI Nausn Konf Slusat, Voenno Morskoi Med Akad,
1954), infantile stomatitis (Rusina
N, Studenskaja Naucnaja Konferencija, Posvjascennaja, Jubileju Instituta
Har'kovsij, 1955), toxic dyspepsia (Adzjan
T, Tezisy Dokladov na P-oj Respublicanskoj Konferencii Detskih Vracej
Armenii Min Zdrav Arm, 1957), pediatric dysentery (Mihajlova
A, Iz detskoj kliniceskoj boltnicy No l, Omska, 1957),
paratyphus and brucellosis (Sakaran
G, Trudy Erevanskogo Zooveterinarnogo Instituta 21, 1957),
high cholesterol and blood pressure (Joirisi
N, Saxelmcip'o Gamoc'emloba, Staatsverlag, Georgien, 1957), and
infantile toxic dysentery and healing of infected wounds
(Danielova L, Gitoutyan Glaxavor Varcoutyan Hratarakcoutyon, 1959).
As a feed additive for chickens, it increased growth by 15%. (Sakaran
G, Investija Akad Nauk Armjanskoi SSSR, 12(15), 1959)
By the 1960's Kombucha research
fell victim to the cold war, with the Russians withholding details
of their research, with many known documents still remaining classified
and the only available literature thereafter being mainly German,
but not before professor Barbancik published the first book fully
devoted to the subject, translated as "The Tea Mushroom and
Its Therapeutic Properties". After covering earlier data from
Russian hospital settings, in particular efficacy in tonsillitis,
enterocolitis, inflammatory internal diseases, stomach catarrh due
to deficient acid production, intestinal inflammations, dysentery,
arteriosclerosis, high blood pressure and sclerosis, Prof Barbancik
records later observing fast healing after tonsillitis, lacunar,
follicular and catarrhal angina and clearing of associated nasal
and even intestinal catarrh following gargling. Barbancik mentions
success in healing of sub-acidic gastritis and chronic enterocolitis
and also surprisingly good results in dysentery patients. Arteriosclerosis
and hypertony with sclerosis were also improved and blood cholesterol
levels decreased. Prof Babancik emphasised strongly that the possibility
of a cancerogenic action lacks any foundation from a scientific-
medical point of view. (Barbancik
G, "Cajniyi Grib I ego Lecebnye Svojstva', Omskoe Oblastnoe
Kniznoe Izdatel'stvo, 1960)
A definitive Kombucha literature
compilation in German followed. (Stadelman
E, Zentralbl Bakteriol Parasitenkde, Infektionskrankh und Hygiene,
1 (180), 1961) More recently, Dr. R Sklenar M.D. reported
therapeutic success with the tea fungus with which he successfully
treated gout, rheumatic conditions, arteriosclerosis, arthritis,
dysbacteria, constipation, impotence, non-specific draining, obesity,
furunculosis, kidney stones, cholesterol and cancers, concluding:
"An outstanding natural remedy which acts detoxifying in every
regard and which dissolves microorganisms as well as cholesterol."
(Sklenar R, M.D., Erfahrungssheilkunde, Zeitscrift fur die tagliche
Praxis, XIII, 3, 1964) The medicinal properties and
health benefits of Kombucha relatively recently again became the
topic for a dissertation for a degree, (Schmidt
I, "Der Teepilz-morphologische, physiologische und therapeutische
Untersuchungen", Dissertation, 1979). The Germanic
people especially have publicly maintained a keen health interest
in Kombucha, as witnessed by the trend of just a half-decade of
common references in the popular press:
Refs 1986-1989: (Fasching
R, "Krebsheilen mit dem Teepilz Kombucha", Diagnosen,
8, 1986); (Korner H, "Die Heilkraft des Pilzes Kombucha",
Raum & Zeit, 20, 1986); (Korner H, "Kombucha - wertwolles
Geschenk der Natur", Naturheilpraxis, 39, 1986); (Carstens
V, "Hilfe aus der Natur - mein Mittel gegen Krebs", Quick
43, 1987); (Funke R, "Der Teepilz Kombucha", Natur&
Heilen, 64, 1987); (Koerner H, "Der Teepilz Kombucha",
Der Naturatz, 108, 1987); (Fasching R, "Pilz gegen Pilz",
Diagnosen, 8, 1988); (Horstkorte C, "Zaubertrank aus China-Pilz
hilft auch bei Sex Problemen", Bild der frau, 2, 1988); (Kaminski
A, "Aertze: Pilz heilt Frauenleiden, Bild der frau, 2, 1988);
(Abele J, "Teepilz Kombucha bei Diabetes?", Ner Naturarzt,
110(12), 1988); (Brucker M, "Antwort auf Leseranfrage 'Wundermittel
Kombucha'", Natur i Heilen, 65, 1988); (Frank R, "Zuckerproblem
beim Kombucha-Tee", Natur & Heilen, 65, 1988); (Frank G,
Heilkrafte der Natur aus einen Pilz - Der Teepilz Kombucha, Birkenfeld,
1988); (Goetz G, "Kombucha - der Wunderpilz, der Millionen
Gesuntheid schenkt", Das Neue, 3(14), 1988); (Mann U, "Verbluffend
- ein Pilz kuriert den Darm", Bild und Funk, 35, 1988); (Koerner
H, "Kombucha - Zubereitung wurde von Sportmedizern getestet",
Natura-med, 10, 1989); (Zimmermann W, "Wogegen hilft der Kombucha-Pilz?",
Expertenanfrage, Fortchritte der Medizin, 107, 1989).
Initially,
due to a lack of research in the English language, I assumed that
Kombucha owed most of its beneficial properties to the tea with
which it is brewed, since its benefits dovetail well with the outstanding
properties already scientifically documented for Chinese tea. Translations
of Russian and German research and chemical analysis have altered
this view.
The Kombucha ferment contains
various acidic metabolic by-products, including acetic, citric,
malic, tartaric, succinic, pyruvic, ascorbic, butyric, *glucuronic,
hyaluronic, lactic, usnic and chondroitin sulphate acids, as well
as glucosamines, heparin, beta-glucans (cell-wall only), B-vitamins,
including B-12, more than a dozen yeast strains and also other active
antibiotic substances (Danielova
L, Trudy Erevanskogo zooveterinarnogo Instituta, 17: 201216,
1954); (Konovalov L, Semenova M, Bot. urnal (Moskva), 40(4),
1955); (List P, Hufschmidt W, Pharm. Zentralhalle, 98(11), 1959);
(Petrovic S, Loncar E, Mikrobiologija, 33(2), 1996); (Reiss J, Dtsch.
Lebensm.Rundsch., 83: 286290, 1987); (Hauser S, Schweiz
Rundsch Med Prax, 79(9), 1990); (Mayser P, Mycoses, 38(7-8), 1995);
(*Blanc P, Biotechnol Lett, 18(2), 1996); (Sreeramula G, et al,
J Agric Food Chem, 48(6), 2000); (*Loncar E et al, Nahrung 44(2),
2000); (Safac S et al, Turk Electron J Biotech, Spec Issue, pp 11-17,
2002); (*Malbaša R et al, Roum Biotechnol Lett, 7(1), 2002);
(*Cvetkovic D, Markov S, Acta Periodica Tech, 33: 117, 2002); (*Franco
V et al, Tatlana - Intl J Pure App Analyt Chem, 68(3), 2006); (*Mrdanovic
J et al, Arch Oncol, 15(3-4), 2007); (*Jayabalan R et al, Food Chem,
102(1), 2007); (*Oliveira A et al, Food Chem, 111(2), 2008); (Karyantina
M, Mercuria, 12 November, 2008); (*Murugesan G et al, J Microbiol
Biotechnol 19(0nline 30 Jan 09), 2009).
For
elaboration on our continued listing of ‘glucuronic
acid’ as a constituent of Kombucha, as cited by the
asterisked references, please see our additional research abstracts
page here
Acetic acid (as in the popular folk remedy - Apple Cider Vinegar)
is capable of conjugation with toxins, making them more soluble
for subsequent elimination from the body. (Dutton
G, Glucuronidation of Drugs and Other Compounds, CRC Press, 1980)
Similarly, glucuronic acid is one of the few agents that can detoxify
petroleum-based products. Physiologically, in the liver, glucuronic
acid binds up toxins, both environmental and metabolic via UDP-glucuronyltransferase
and brings them to the excretory system, so the concentrations of
glucuronic acid could explain some of the speculative curative effects
attributed to kombucha. (Blanc P,
"Characterisation Of The Tea Fungus Metabolites", Biotechnology
Letters, 18 (3), 1995) Recent epidemiological studies
promote the notion that high intake of food rich in Phytochemicals
protects against degenerative diseases such as coronary heart diseases
and cancer. Potential toxins in Phytochemicals are also detoxified
in mammalian tissues by conjugation with glucuronic acid, yielding
less active glucuronide conjugates. (Andlauer
W, et al, JPEN J Parenter Enteral Nutr 24(5), 2000)
Glucuronic acid could also
partly scientifically explain much of the cancer successes attributed
to Kombucha against cancer. (Kohler
V, "Glukuronsaure macht Kebspatiente Mut", Arzlichte Praxis,
24/33, 1981); (Kohler V & Kohler J, in Sofortheilung des Waldes,
Vol. 1 (Editor, Kaegelmann), Windeke-Rosbach, 1985)
Dr. R Sklenar M.D. developed a biologic cancer therapy in which
Kombucha held an important place for the sanitation and balancing
of the intestinal flora and achieved success with cancer in the
early stages of detection. Sklenar reported that: "Kombucha
effects an outstanding detoxification of the organism. Through enjoying
this beverage there is, additionally, a noticeable invigoration
of the entire glandular system and enhancement of the metabolism.
For cancer patients, this detoxification process that is triggered
by the ingestion of glucuronic acid is good news indeed, for many
medical specialists feel that there is a direct link between the
overall toxicity of the body and the potential for the onset of
tumors and other malignant growths". (Fasching
R, M.D., Krebsdiagnose aus dem Blut und die Behandlung von Krebs
und Prakanzerosen mit der Kombucha und Kolipraparaten, 1983).
Mainstream cancer research
is complex and expensive. A decade following Kohler's and Sklenar's,
pioneering research, one Hauser, noting Sklenar's first-hand long-term
clinical experience based claims for Kombucha to be a prophylactic
and therapeutic agent in countless diseases such as rheumatism,
intestinal disorders, aging and cancer, critiqued Dr Sklenar's use
of Kombucha infusion in biological cancer therapy, claiming that
based on 'case histories without solid medical data', there is 'so
far no evidence' to support the claim that Kombucha offers 'effective
biological treatment for cancer'. (Hauser
S, Schweiz Rundsch Med Prax, 79(9), 1990) Hauser was
correct, but in fairness to Sklenar, the latter was not attempting
to assemble evidence of the unaffordable standard required to make
Kombucha a cancer drug. Interestingly, a decade later, proprietary
glucuronide analogs had been developed and Ohio State University
researchers triumphantly reported that their long-term safety and
chemopreventive potency had been established against mammary tumor
development and growth. Specifically, tumour latency was longer,
tumour incidence was decreased, and tumour multiplicity was also
markedly decreased. The study concluded that glucuronide was 'clearly
effective'. (Abou-Issa H, et al,
Anticancer Res, 19(2A), 1999)
Another by-product of Kombucha
glucuronic acid is the glucosamines. In the body, glucosamines and
related chondroitin sulfate are associated with cartilage, collagen
and the fluid, which lubricate the joints. These two agents have
shown substantial benefit in the treatment of osteoarthritis.
(Deal C, Moskowitz R, Rheum Dis Clin North Am, 25(2), 1999); (McAlindon
T, JAMA 283(11), 2000). In rheumatoid arthritis and
osteoarthritis, hyaluronic acid and its two sub-components, D-glucuronic
acid and N-acetyl-D-glucosamine, play a role in protecting articular
tissues from oxidative damage. (Sato
H, et al, Arthritis Rheum, 31(1), 1988) Both the size
and concentration of hyaluronic acid in synovial fluid are diminished
in osteoarthritis. Glucosamines increase synovial hyaluronic acid
production. Hyaluronic acid functions physiologically to aid preservation
of cartilage structure and prevent arthritic pain (McCarty
M, et al, Med Hypotheses 54(5), 2000), with relief comparable
to NSAIDs and advantage over glucocorticoids. (Hochberg
M, Semin Arthritis Rheum, 30(2 Suppl 1) 2000) Hyaluronic
acid enables connective tissue to bind moisture thousands of times
its weight and maintains tissue structure, moisture, lubrication
and flexibility and lessens free radical damage, whilst associated
collagen retards and reduces wrinkles.
Butyric acid, also found
in Kombucha, protects human cellular membranes and combined with
glucuronic acid, strengthens the walls of the gut and so protects
against parasites, including yeast infections such as candida. (Mann
U, "Verbluffend - ein Pilz Kuriert den Darm", Bild und
Funk, 35, 1988) The antibacterial properties are considered
to be due to the presence of the usnic acid. (Steiger
K & Steinegger E, "On The Tea Fungus", Pharmaceutica
Acta Helvetiae. 32 (4), 1957); (Stadelman E, "Der Teepilz Und
Seine Antibiotische Wirkung", Zentralbl Bakt Parasit Inf Hyg,
180 (5), 1961); (Hauser S, "Dr. Sklenar's Kombucha Mushroom
Infusion - A Biological Cancer Therapy", Schweiz Rundsch Med
Prax, 79, 1990) Unfractioned heparin, beyond its established
anticoagulant activity, also exhibits a broad spectrum of immunomodulating
and anti-inflammatory properties which specifically aids in the
healing of an ulcerated mucosa. Heparin may represent a safe therapeutic
option for inflammatory bowel disease, in particular for severe
steroid-resistant ulcerative colitis. (Papa
A, Aliment Pharmacol Ther, 14(11) 2000)
Beta glucan is only significantly
available from the well-pressed or very finely shredded mass, which
develops during Kombucha production. Dr Ted Johnson, PhD, Professor
of Biology at St Olaf College, has suggested that since most of
the beneficial compounds remain inside the cells of the mass, these
could be compared to medicinal capsules waiting to be broken down
in the intestines to detoxify and strengthen our bodies. (Personal
communication: Dr Johnson, with Norbert Hoffmann, St Olaf College,
Northfield, MN, 2 June, 1979) Beta-glucan, a cell-wall
component, is a completely orally safe, potent free radical scavenger,
insulin stimulator and non-specific stimulator of the human immune
response, in particular macrophages, which play a pivotal role in
the initiation and maintenance of the immune response. When macrophages
(including phagocytes), which are the front line of defence, are
activated, a myriad of immunological reactions occur against challenging
stimuli such as viruses, bacteria, fungi, endotoxins and foreign
debris, including the up-regulation of cytokines, bone marrow production,
monocytes, neutrophils, natural killer cells. (Luzio
N, et al, Int J Cancer, 24; 1979); (Di Renzo L, et al, Eur J Immunol,
21, 1991); (Muto S et al, J Clin Immunol, 13, 1993); (Thornton B,
et al, J Immunol, 156(3), 1996); (Williams D, et al, Clin Immunother,
5(5), 1996) Beta-glucans can also have topical applications.
Gaia Research
has successfully pioneered the use of Green Tea Kombucha cell-wall
components in several of its leading edge Gaia Organics range of
personal care products. Several progressive cosmetic
houses use animal products and some have even changed over to synthetically
produced materials in order to reduce or delay wrinkles, sun damage
and risk of skin cancers. The Kombucha yeast cells are eukaryotes,
ie of a class that includes all plants and animals, including humans.
Consequently substances traditionally obtained by others from animal
sources, eg hyaluronic acid, which is collected from aborted fetus,
womb, umbilical cord, vitreous humour or synovial fluid of sacrificed
animals, is uniquely humanely obtained by us from Kombucha without
involving animals at all, as is our strict research ethic and manufacturing
policy. Some 15 years after our pioneering this application, Croda,
a leading industry supplier is now actually offering Kombucha extracts
to “decrease glycation, increase adipocyte population,
reduce skin roughness and increase skin radiance”. “We
lead; others follow”.
Green tea and to a lesser
extent, black tea, provides all the components and growth factors
required by the Kombucha culture additional to sugar, including
the important stimulant components, caffeine and theophylline, which
belong to the purine groups required by the micro-organisms as a
source of nitrogen for building nucleic acids, and which green tea
reportedly provides more than twice that of black tea, and which
phenomenon explains the 25% diminishing caffeine levels in Kombucha
as fermentation proceeds, rendering it more suitable than tea in
pregnancy. Green tea also contains vitamin-C, whereas black tea
does not. In symbiotic exchange, Kombucha produces B-spectrum vitamins
and additional vitamin-C, just a few reasons why green tea is superior
to black for Kombucha production.
(Such G, Prokai-Szabo E, Presentation Bulgar Biol Soc, 1961)
Dr H Golz determined that the Kombucha symbiont requires the purin
from the tea for its metabolism, during which uric acid, which is
generally difficult to dissolve and which leads to gout, is turned
into an aqueous solution, more easily discharged from the body via
the bladder. (Golz H, "Kombucha
Ein altes Teeheilmittel schenkt neue Gesuntheit, Ariston, Munchen,
1992)
The widespread and safe
use of the Kombucha beverage has been well documented throughout
this past century in other than the advocate press (Kobert
R, "Der Kvass, Ein unschadliches billiges Volksgetrank".
Halle a.d.S.: Tausch Grosse 2 Aufl 82 S, 1913); (Valentin H, "Wesentliche
Bestandteile der Gärungsprodukte in den durch Pilztätigkeit
gewonnenen Hausgetränken sowie die Verbreitung der letzteren",
Apoth-Ztg, 41(91 & 92), 1930); (Hesseltine C, "A Millennium
of Fungi, Food and Fermentation", Mycologia 57, 1965); (Hitokoto
H, et al, "Microbial flora and organic acid contents in "Tea
fungus", Shokuhin Eiseigaku Zasshi [Proc Soc Food Hygiene]
19(3), 1978); (Anon, "Tea Fungus" in Handbook Of Indigenous
Fermented Food, K Steinkraus (ed), Dekker, 1983); (Kozacki M, et
al, J Food Hyg Soc Japan, 13, 1986); (Reiss J, Deuts Lebenmittel-Rundschau,
82(9), 1987); (Cook P, "Fermented Food as Biotechnological
Resource", Food Res Internatl, 27(3), 1994). A
spate of popular layman's books appeared around this time: (Fasching
R, 1987); (Frank G, 1988); (Frank G, 1991); (Harnish G, 1991); (Tietze
H, 1994); (Hobbs C, 1995); (Pascal A, 1995); (Bartholomew A &
M, 1998).
As Kombucha's popularity
grew in developed countries, so did anecdotal medical reports of
associated adverse effects and illness, including hepatoxicity and
even possibly death. (Perron A, et
al, Ann Emergency Med, 26(5), 1995) Interestingly, not
one of these toxic reports are linked to Kombucha made with Green
Tea. All were linked to Black Tea. (Amer
Assoc Poison Contr Centre Bull, Nov, 1993); (Anon, MMWR Morb Mortal
Wkly Rep, 44(48), 1995); (Webb J, Drug Informat Perspectives, 15(2),
1995); (Monson N, Alter Compl Therap, Sept/Oct, 1995); (JAMA, 275(2),
1996); (Ellenhorn's Medical Toxicology, Second Edn, 1997); (Srinivasan
R, et al, J Gen Intern Med, 12(10), 1997); (Sadjadi J, JAMA, 280,
1998); (Greenwalt C, et al, J Food Prot, 63(7), 2000)
Memory serves me to recall over two decades, similar episodes in
South Africa, including the use of Rooibos Tea. (Tygerberg
Hosp, Stellenbosch Univ)
Recall that Green Tea exhibited
phenomenally potent and diverse antimicrobial properties (pp15 -17)
capable of selectively maintaining Kombucha's 2000 year evolutionary
microbial integrity until it produces its own arsenal, recently
scientifically verified as capable of inhibiting amongst other documented
pathogenic micro-organisms: Staphylococcus aureus, Shigella sonnei,
Escherichia coli, Aeromonas hydrophila, Yersinia enterolitica, Pseudomonas
aeruginosa, Enterobacter cloacae, Staphylococcus epidermis, Campylobacter
jejuni, Salmonella enteritidis, Salmonella typhimurium, Bacillus
cereus, Helicobacterpylori, and Listeria monocytogenes, and the
mechanism for several being progressively active long before the
acetic acid stage previously believed to exert the effect. (Sreeramulu
G, et al, J Agric Food Chem, 48(6), 2000) Bearing in
mind the combined antimicrobial properties of Green Tea and Kombucha,
risk-benefit analysis adjudicates a positive health potential second
to none.
Whilst most modern
reports quite rightly advise caution in the use of black tea Kombucha,
continuing research has recently confirmed that Kombucha has in
vitro antimicrobial activity, enhances sleep and pain thresholds
(Greenwalt C et al, J Food Prot 63(7), 2000),
has potent anti-oxidant and immunopotentiating activities (Sai
Ram M, et al, J Ethnopharmacol, 71(1), 2000),
and in rodent studies, both male and female mice which drank Kombucha,
demonstrated enhanced cognition, decreased appetite and weight and
all lived longer natural lives than the controls
(Hartmann A, et al, Nutrition, 16(9), 2000) |