Kombucha: Heralded Health Drink or Toxic Tonic?

Health fads come and they go, but what pushes people to try these new drinks? Kombucha is one of the fads that has come in and out of popularity innumerable times since no one seems to know where it originated. This mixture consists of live bacteria and yeast left to ferment in tea. The health benefits attributed to this drink comprise a long list, consisting of it being a hangover cure, metabolism increaser, immunity booster, cancer fighter, stopper of hair loss, etc.

Kombucha is made by combining filtered or boiled water with tea and sugar. Once the mixture has cooled, the culture is added (to prevent death of culture from hot temperatures), then vinegar also. The Kombucha is left to ferment with a towel or cover over the mixture to stop contamination. In 5 days, there should be a culture forming on top of the mixture. Once the taste of the mixture reaches sharp and acidic instead of sweet, the Kombucha tea is ready for consumption.

The main problem that arises from this process lies not in the ingredients of Kombucha, but in any extra ingredients that may be introduced. Since tea, sugar, and water provide an easy substrate for many fungi to grow upon, there may be some uninvited guests posting up residence in the mixture. The main fungi of concern are the pathogenic "Aspergillus,Candida,Cryptococcus, and Fusarium species" according to well-known mycologist, Paul Stamets on his website, Fungi Perfecti. Stamets cautions that, "The first week is the most critical time during which contaminants in Kombucha race for dominance. As the PH of the broth descends into acidity, the risk of pathogenic organisms proliferating is real and measurable."

Not only is there real concern posed by possible contaminants, there are also many cases of people contracting severe illnesses after ingesting the wonder drink. The Center for Disease Control has been investigating illnesses that were possibly caused by Kombucha. In an article titled, Unexplained Severe Illness Possibly Associated with Consumption of Kombucha Tea, concerns are mentioned regarding "cases of unexplained severe illness (including one death) occurred in two persons in a rural town in northwestern Iowa who had been drinking Kombucha tea daily for approximately 2 months." Both people suffered from severe metabolic adidosis, which is characterized by acid buildup in the body. Health officials feared that this ailment could have been caused by their daily use of Kombucha as a health drink.

So perhaps it's best to stay away from this health drink until further scientific tests are done, especially if the consumer is a child, senior citizen, or has a weak immune system. According to Dr. Brent A. Bauer, an internist with the Mayo Clinic who was quoted in the article, Kombucha: Wonder Tonic or Slimy Sludge?, "To date, there hasn't been a single human trial reported in a major medical journal. This doesn't mean that Kombucha tea can't possibly have health benefits, it just means that at this time, there's no direct evidence that it provides the benefits it's reported to have."

Works Cited

Helm, Janet . "Trendy Fizzy Drink is Mushrooming." MSNBC. 23 Apr. 2010. 4 Feb. 2011. http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/36571884/ns/health-diet_and_nutrition/

"Kombucha Recipe." Get Kombucha. 4 Feb. 2011. http://www.getkombucha.com/reforkotea.html

Stamets, Paul . "Kombucha: The Manchurian Mushroom." Fungi Perfecti. Jul. 1995. 4 Feb. 2011. http://www.fungi.com/info/articles/blob.html

"Unexplained Severe Illness Possibly Associated with Consumption of Kombucha Tea." Center for Disease Control and Prevention. 8 Dec. 1995. 4 Feb. 2011. http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/00039742.htm

Wollan, Malia . "A Strange Brew May Be a Good Thing." The New York Times. 24 Mar. 2010. 4 Feb. 2011. http://www.nytimes.com/2010/03/25/fashion/25Tea.html