What the heck? Kombucha --from Wikipedia..Lindsay Lohan drinks it

My sponsor got me into this drink as I was consuming mass amounts of diet coke. It's a drink that my students say "smells like their grandma" but it is really good. Check it out.


Kombucha is the Western name for sweetened tea or tisane that has been fermented by a macroscopic solid mass of microorganisms called a "kombucha colony," usually consisting principally of Bacterium xylinum and yeast cultures. It has gained much popular support within many communities, mentioned by talk show hosts and celebrities. The increase in popularity can be seen by the many commercial brands coming onto the retail market and thousands of web pages about this fermented beverage.

The culture contains a symbiosis of yeast species and acetic acid bacteria, mostly Bacterium xylinum. Species of yeast involved vary, and may include: Brettanomyces bruxellensis, Candida stellata, Schizosaccharomyces pombe, Torulaspora delbrueckii and Zygosaccharomyces bailii. The culture itself looks somewhat like a large pancake, and though often called a mushroom, or by the acronym SCOBY (for "Symbiotic Colony of Bacteria and Yeast"), it is clinically known as a zoogleal mat.
[edit]History and etymology

The recorded history of this drink dates back to the Qin Dynasty in China (around 250 BC). The Chinese called it the "Immortal Health Elixir," because they believed Kombucha balanced the Middle Qi (Spleen and Stomach) and aided in digestion, allowing the body to focus on healing. [citation needed] Knowledge of kombucha eventually reached Russia and then Eastern Europe around the Early Modern Age, when tea first became affordable by the populace.
The word kombucha, while sounding Japanese to foreign ears, is a misnomer when applied to this beverage. In fact, Kombucha (昆布茶) in Japanese refers to a tea-like infusion (cha) (actually, more of a thin soup) made from kelp (kombu), usually served to patients in convalescence. The Japanese refer to 'kombucha' as kōcha-kinoko (紅茶キノコ), which literally means black tea mushroom. [citation needed]
[edit]Russian "tea mushroom"
The process of brewing kombucha was introduced in Russia and the Ukraine at the end of the 1800s, and became popular in the early 1900s. The kombucha culture is known locally as chayniy grib, (чайный гриб - 'tea mushroom'), and the drink itself is referred to as grib (гриб - 'mushroom'), "tea kvass" or simply "kvass", although it differs from regular "kvass" which is not made from tea and is generally fermented only with yeast and not the other bacteria which ferment tea to form kombucha.
[edit]Components

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Kombucha contains many different cultures along with several organic acids, active enzymes, amino acids, anti-oxidants, and polyphenols. For the home brewer, there is no way to know the amounts of the components unless a sample is sent to a laboratory. The US Food and Drug Administration has no findings on the effects of kombucha. Each strain of kombucha may contain some of the following components depending on the source of the culture:

Acetic acid, which mainly inhibits harmful bacteria and so is used as a preservative. It is also what gives Kombucha that 'kick' to its smell and taste.
Butyric acid, produced by the yeasts and when working with gluconic acid, and in help combat yeast infections such as candida.
Gluconic acid, effective against many yeast infections such as candidiasis and thrush.
Lactic acid, found in kombucha in its most potent form, L-lactic(+).
Malic acid, also used in the body's detoxification process.
Oxalic acid, encourages the cellular production of energy and is a natural preservative.
Usnic acid, a potent antibiotic that exhibits antiviral, antiprotozoal, antimitotic, anti-inflammatory and analgesic activity.
Kombucha also contains vitamin groups B and C, beneficial yeasts and bacteria.
[edit]Health effects

Aside from any possible health benefits, many users report a subtle but definite perceptual shift after consuming kombucha.[citation needed] It is generally characterized by mild euphoria, relaxation, and an overall sense of physical and mental well-being. This effect is not to be confused with the highs associated with some illegal drugs. Kombucha contains trace amounts of alcohol and caffeine, unless made with decaffeinated tea. Alcohol amounts vary from 0.5% to 1.7% depending on brewing time and amounts of sugar used in the fermentation of the tea which may account for the experiencing of these effects by some consumers.[citation needed] Another possible cause of these effects is the psychoactive amino acid L-theanine, which is naturally present in tea.[citation needed] Stimulation of the circulatory and immune systems, and associated glandular releases, may also account for some of these effects.
[edit]Trivia

Chef Josef Desimone of Google makes kombucha for Google employees. Almost 100 glasses of kombucha are served every day at Google cafeterias.

The popular alternative metal band System of a Down references kombucha in the song "Sugar" on their self-titled album. Lead vocalist Serj Tankian screams, "The kombucha mushroom people sitting around all day."

Singer-songwriter and guitarist M. Ward listed kombucha as his "best purchase of the past year" in 2006, stating that "It's an acquired taste, but they tell me it rejuvenates, restores, revitalizes and replenishes." [9]

On an episode of MTV Cribs featuring the home of surfer Laird Hamilton and volleyball player and model Gabrielle Reece, their refrigerator opened to reveal several bottles of "Kombucha Wonder Drink," a bottled tea drink containing kombucha. Reece removed a bottle and displayed it to the camera, stating that kombucha is "a very good healthy drink, it helps support mental health and gives energy."[10]

Lindsay Lohan has been spotted drinking kombucha after leaving rehab.[11]
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