A few years ago I was introduced to the book
Nourishing Traditions. This book is what started it all for me. It was this book that started our journey to finding raw milk, making our own chicken and beef bone broths, sprouting seeds, making our own pickles, yogurht and milk kefir, and ultimately made me want to garden!
I am now at a place that I am ready to take on more. The Weston-Price Foundation and Nourishing Traditions is very big on lacto-fermented foods, but I just couldn't get my head around it, let alone start making my family eat those things also. Now I am ready to start trying things that people in the Bible regularly ate, especially since there was no refrigeration.
The first I am preparing to start making is kombucha. It is a fermented tea. I got a bottle of the already made stuff at my local health food store first to see if I could even stand to drink it. I really do enjoy it, and so do the children. I do have to say that there are warnings out there on the web that say to start slow, or you may be running to the bathroom!
Here is a wonderful explanation that I copied from an
Ebay auction.
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How Does Kombucha Work?
Kombucha is an effective metabolic balancer (helping the various organs work together), probiotic (supporting the beneficial bacteria),
adaptogen (balancing processes that get out of kilter) and detoxifier. The probiotic case for Kombucha is that it encourages healthier intestinal
flora by introducing lactic acid-producing bacteria. These work in a similar way to acidophilus bacteria, the active ingredient in live yogurt. An
old saying, ‘healthy gut, healthy body,’ puts it simply. The acidity level of the gut is all-important, as is the health of its microbial flora which
play a crucial role in the functioning of the whole body.
Bacteroides and Bifidobacteria
The bacteria in the intestines can be divided into two main types;1 the less acid-forming bacteroides are responsible for the decaying matter in
the colon; elderly people tend to have more gastric disorders; these stem from a low hydrochloric acid production in the stomach, creating
more room for fungi and parasites to take hold; bacteroides are encouraged by a diet high in fats and proteins.
The more acidic ones, called bifidobacteria, are more beneficial because they produce essential organic acids, such as acetic, lactic and folic
acids, which raise the acidity of the intestines, preventing invading pathogens from taking hold. In addition, by keeping down the bacteroides
population, they discourage the putrefaction from becoming toxic. The bifidobacteria are favoured by a diet high in carbohydrate, fiber and
lactose-vegetarian food and are more common in individuals who were breast-fed as babies. They are also assisted by drinking Kombucha tea.
Kombucha – a Nutritious Food
Kombucha culture has a wide range of organic acids, vitamins and enzymes that give it its extraordinary value. It contains the range of B
vitamins, particularly B1, B2, B6 and B12, that provide the body with energy, help to process fats and proteins, and which are vital for the
normal functioning of the nervous system. There is also vitamin C which is a potent detoxifier, immune booster and enhancer of vitality.
Probiotic Organic Acids
There are two organic acids produced by Kombucha culture which encourage the activity of the resident bifidobacteria, thus restoring a healthy
balance with the bacteroides:
Lactic acid which is essential for healthy digestive action (through its derivative lactobacilli) and for energy production by the liver, and is not
found in the tissues of people with cancer.
Acetic acid which is an antiseptic and inhibitor of pathogenic bacteria.
Kombucha’s Vital Organic Acids
Other valuable organic acids produced by the Kombucha culture, some of which have a more direct effect on other organs include:
Glucuronic acid, normally produced by a healthy liver, is a powerful detoxifier and can readily be converted into glucosamines,
the foundations of our skeletal system.
Usnic acid has selective antibiotic qualities which can partly deactivate viruses.
Citric acid is an antiascorbic.
Oxalic acid encourages the intercellular production of energy, and is a preservative.
Malic acid also helps the liver to detoxify.
Gluconic acid is a sugar product which can break down to caprylic acid to work symbiotically with —
Butyric acid (produced by the yeast) protects human cellular membranes, and combined with Gluconic acid which is produced by
the bacteria,strengthens the walls of the gut in order to combat yeast infections such as Candida.
Nucleic acids, like RNA and DNA, transmit information to the cells on how to perform correctly and regenerate.
A product of the oxidation process of glucose – glucuronic acid – is one of the more significant constituents of Kombucha culture. As a
detoxifying agent, it has come into its own today in our highly polluted world. It is one of the few agents that can cope with the pollutive
products of the petroleum industry, including all the plastics, herbicides, pesticides and resins. It ‘kidnaps’ the phenols in the liver which are
then eliminated easily by the kidneys. Another byproduct of glucuronic acid are the glucosamines, the structures associated with cartilage,
collagen and the fluids which lubricate the joints. Collagen reduces wrinkles, while arthritis sufferers have their deficient cartilage and joint
fluids replenished.
Amino acids, which are constituents of proteins, produce important enzymes, such as glutathione a powerful antioxidant which provides
protection from alcohol and pollution, and which is depleted by drug regimes.
Sugar, Yeast and Tea
When Kombucha tea is made correctly, all the sugars are fully converted into organic acids during fermentation, enabling Kombucha tea culture
to be is safely drunk by diabetics and Candida sufferers. Also the yeasts found in the Kombucha culture do not stimulate the Candida yeasts as
they are of a different type; Candida sufferers have therefore often found considerable relief in taking Kombucha. Black or green tea may be
used as a nutrient for the culture, but as green tea has anti-carcinogenic properties, is beneficial to the heart and blood circulation and is
particularly nutritious, it is preferable to use.
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Kombucha will be the first of many fermented drink I plan to make this year. The next may be water kefir or a ginger bug (to make homemade root beer).
This website lists many others
http://www.culturesforhealth.com/naturally-cultured-fermented-beverages
If anyone is interested in a couple months, I will probably have kombucha babies that I will need to get rid of...
