Kombucha tea offers variety of health benefits

• What home-made drink tastes of non-alcoholic apple cider, has its origins in Manchuria, is 2,300 years old, and claims powerful healing effects?
• Kombucha tea is made from black or green tea, sugar, and the magic Kombucha "starter" culture.
• It is left to ferment in a warm environment for about 10 to 12 days until all the sugar has been converted to a slightly sparkling, refreshing drink, containing vitamins, enzymes, minerals and healthy organic acids.
• The culture is "live" and is a symbiotic relationship between candida-friendly yeasts and bacteria.
• It looks like a creamy pancake and with every new batch of tea, a "baby" culture is produced that can be passed on to others as a starter culture.
• So what are the benefits of drinking Kombucha tea regularly?
• Kombucha appears to have a general influence on the healthy function of the body.
• It is claimed to boost your own immune system, detoxify the body, encourage the growth of good flora in the digestive system and balance the metabolism.
• Many of the above conditions are known to improve when the digestive system is purified, helpful bacteria are re-introduced to the body and cells are oxygenated.
• Besides drinking the tea it can be applied topically to the skin to make a compress for abscesses and ulcers, a cream for skin disorders and as a hair rinse.
• Recent studies in Germany have confirmed that Kombucha has in vitro antimicrobial activity, enhances sleep and pain thresholds, and has potent anti-oxidant and immunopotentiating activities.
• 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.
• Kombucha tea is a food supplement and not a substitute for healthy eating.