Kombucha Health Benefits
the “Immortal Health Elixir?” It’s been around for more than 2,000 years
and has a rich anecdotal history of health benefits like preventing and
fighting cancer, arthritis, and other degenerative diseases.
Made from sweetened tea that’s been fermented by a symbiotic colony
of bacteria and yeast (a SCOBY, a.k.a. “mother” because of its ability
to reproduce, or “mushroom” because of its appearance), Kombucha didn’t
gain prominence in the West until recently.
In the first half of the 20th century, extensive scientific research
was done on Kombucha’s health benefits in Russia and Germany, mostly
because of a push to find a cure for rising cancer rates. Russian
scientists discovered that entire regions of their vast country were
seemingly immune to cancer and hypothesized that the kombucha, called
“tea kvass” there, was the cause. So, they began a series of experiments
which not only verified the hypothesis, but began to pinpoint exactly
what it is within kombucha which was so beneficial.
German scientists picked up on this
research and continued it in their own direction. Then, with the onset
of the Cold War, research and development started being diverted into
other fields. It was only in the 1990s, when Kombucha first came to the
U.S., that the West has done any studies on the effects of Kombucha, and
those are quite few in number. As is typically the case in the U.S., no
major medical studies are being done on Kombucha because no one in the
drug industry stands to profit from researching a beverage that the
average consumer can make for as little as 50 cents a gallon.
Thanks to it’s rising commercial popularity in the last decade, the
older Russian and German research has been made available in English to
Westerners, and a few wide-spread anecdotal surveys have been sponsored
by Kombucha manufacturers, but that’s about it. While there are limited
amounts of research done on the beverage, there has been lots of
research done on many of the nutrients and acids it contains in large
quantities (such as B-vitamins, antioxidants, and glucaric acids).
Regardless of the “lack” of scientific evidence, the fact
remains that this beverage has 2,000 plus years of tradition behind it
and an ardent and addicted following.
What are the health benefits of Kombucha Tea?
Kombucha Health Benefit #1 — Detoxification
Detoxification produces healthy livers and aides cancer prevention.One of kombucha’s greatest health benefits is its ability to detox the
body. It is rich in many of the enzymes and bacterial acids your body
produces and/or uses to detox your system, thus reducing your pancreatic
load and easing the burden on your liver. Kombucha is very high in
Glucaric acid, and recent studies
have shown that glucaric acid helps prevent cancer. I know 2 people in
my immediate circle of friends who have had cancer (pancreatic and
breast) and fought it into remission without any chemo or radiation
therapy. Instead, they warded it off by detoxing their lives (going 100%
organic, removing chemical cleaners and agents in their home, changing
their diet to be at least 80% raw or fermented, etc.) Central to the
detoxification process was drinking Kombucha regularly. Even Alexander
Solzhenitsyn, the recently deceased Russian author and nobel-prize
winner, in his autobiography, claimed that kombucha tea cured his
stomach cancer during his internment in soviet labor camps. (And because
of this testimony, President Reagan used Kombucha to halt the spread of
his cancer in 1987. You’ll note he didn’t die until 2004, and that was
from old age, NOT cancer.)
Kombucha Health Benefit #2 — Joint Care
Kombucha contains glucosamines, a strong preventive and treatment all forms of arthritis.Glucosamines increase synovial hyaluronic acid production. Hyaluronic
acid functions physiologically to aid preservation of cartilage
structure and prevent arthritic pain, with relief
comparable to NSAIDs and advantage over glucocorticoids. 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, while associated collagen
retards and reduces wrinkles.
Kombucha Health Benefit #3 — Aids Digestion and Gut Health
Because it’s naturally fermented with a living colony of bacteria and yeast, Kombucha is a probiotic beverage. This has a myriad of benefits such as improved digestion, fighting candida (harmful yeast) overgrowth, mental clarity, and mood stability. As such, it’s noted for reducing or eliminating the symptoms of fibromyalgia, depression, anxiety, etc.Kombucha Health Benefit #4 — Immune Boosting
Kombucha is extraordinarily anti-oxidant rich, and you all know the benefits of anti-oxidants for boosting your immune system and energy levels.Where can you learn more about kombucha health benefits?
Here are a few articles on the health benefits of kombucha:http://www.kombu.de/val-gwf.htm
http://www.gaiaresearch.co.za/kombucha.html
http://www.acupuncture.com/herbs/kombucha1.htm
http://www.gokombucha.com/health_benefits.html
Are the health benefits of kombucha for real?
When I first read about the panacea of benefits, I was skeptical. How could one beverage do so many things? But then I realized that it’s not so much that the beverage does something to our bodies, like a medicine targeted at curing specific symptoms. It’s more that this beverage promotes health. Itgives your body what it needs to heal itself by 1)aiding your liver in
removing harmful substances, 2)promoting balance in your digestive
system, and 3)being rich in health-promoting vitamins, enzymes, and
acids.
The general consensus seems to be that with regular, daily
consumption, you’ll notice improvement in immune system functioning and
energy levels within about a week, the healing of more minor ailments
within a month or so, and the healing of more radical illnesses within a
year or so.
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