Brewing Kombucha Tea: A Preventative Measure for Cancer

It promotes general well-being, increased immunity and the Japanese believe that it has healing properties. This tea is consumed throughout many countries, but the first recordings were in the 19th century in Russia and Ukraine. A Kombucha mushroom can be purchased on the Internet, buy some people know of someone who has made the tea and obtain a mushroom from them. There are very few ingredients to get started, but you will need to have a sanitary work area and utensils to avoid contamination. Do not use soap, bleach or tap water to clean your mushroom or utensils. It is recommended to use only white distilled vinegar or alcohol. The remaining ingredients include 2 cups of starter tea (can be purchased), 5 or 6 tea bags, one cup of sugar and 3 quarts of distilled or pure water.

There are only a few supplies that you will need to get started. A one-gallon food-grade glass container jar is recommended due to the acidic conditions of the tea. Other containers that are safe to use are glazed earthenware, china or a food-grade high-density container. A clean and sanitized work area is very important and should be prepared before beginning to make your tea. Make sure that anything that is going to go into the container, such as hands and utensils has been thoroughly sanitized.

Begin by bringing the water to just a boil, taking care not to over boil. Next, add your preferred tea (Rooibos Tea, Organic Green, Black or White tea) and let the teabags seep. Some people only like to let it seep for a few minutes, while others prefer to let it sit overnight. Add your sugar and boil gently for 5 minutes to dissolve, any longer it will begin to caramelize. Let the tea cool to room temperature and transfer it into your brewing container.

At this point you can add either 2 cups of starter tea or you can use the liquid from a previous tea. Add a teaspoon of distilled vinegar and add the Kumbucha or "mother" mushroom to the container. The Kombucha may grow to the size of the container, float or sink, or go on its side, but that is perfectly normal. Make sure to cover your container tightly with cheesecloth, a tight knit or paper towels to prevent any pathogens from getting in. At this point it will take 6-8 days to ferment, so make sure you leave it undisturbed until then. Letting it ferment to a nice sour taste usually takes 14 days, it just depends on your taste.

The Kombucha tea is ready when the "mother" mushroom has moved towards the bottom; a new mushroom will have formed on top. This is referred to as the baby mushroom and it should be 1/8" - ¼" inch thick, which can be used in another batch of tea or given to a friend. When the tea is ready, it should have a pH of 3.0 or less and you can get test strips at the pharmacy for testing. This is the recommended way to make sure your tea is safe. If any mold is detected, it's safer to throw everything out and start over. Rarely, mold will appear as the fuzz that you find on cheese or bread, so inspect your brew and mushrooms thoroughly and taste it before going any further.

The final product should have an apple-cider aroma, a pH of approximately 2.7, and it should have a semi-sweet taste. The only things left are to strain it with cheesecloth and bottle it. It should be kept in the refrigerator for immediate use and for long-term storage, place it on a shelf in a cool dry place. A therapeutic dose is considered between 4-8 ounces a day and it helps to aid in the detox process. Make sure to drink plenty of water throughout the day, so your body can flush out any toxins.