Skyfiery Shadowolf

I've been wondering if I should write a post on this, and decided I might as well, since the kombucha culture is a combination of bacteria and yeast, which are kind of like plants and growing plants as well.

I was introduced to the kombucha culture some time in late 2009 by a friend, who gave me a mother culture. At that time, I was quite leery about it, and kept in in my fridge without touching it. It wasn't only until recently that I had a sudden flash of desire to do some research into this 'herbal' remedy which has been reputed to have been around for thousands of years, and which people drink supposedly to improve the body's general health.

Of course, there have been no scientific experiments or evidences so far but many anecdotal ones. Like any other health supplements or products which do not fall into the traditional Western products section, there are contrasting comments on whether kombucha works positively, or not.

Up till now, it seems as if the negative comments and rare hospitalization cases came from people who have either 1) taken kombucha too fast and too much in a very short period of time; 2) people who had used lead-glazed ceramic pots in the past to store their culture and tea; 3) improper cleaning of tools when handling the kombucha culture.

I was brought up to believe (and it has become a staunch personal belief) that our bodies should not consume things which are totally germ free or too sterilized, because that lowers our immune system by a lot. As long as we keep our body healthy and the immune system up, no matter how much (typical, day-to-day) germs enter us, no matter what we touch etc., we'll not fall sick easily. So I don't like those scientific claims that fermenting kombucha at home means that germs can get in easily and that the end result is a lot less healthy than something which is produced in a factory or a lab.

Of course, that is not to say that an over-collection of germs and lack of adequate sanitary procedures are good; but I think too much has been emphasized on factories and labs and "science" these days. But anyway.

I've been brewing my third batch of kombucha to date, and have taken three tablespoonfuls worth of kombucha tea after lunch everyday. I stop for a few days at a time to let my body get rid of whatever excess, and plan to get a full body check-up in about six month's time, to see how my body's health is as compared with my last check. But for now, my body has reacted in the way that I poop (sorry for the word!) more frequently, sometimes up to twice a day. My bowels feel a lot cleaner and clearer. In the past, I poop maybe once a day or once every two days, and sometimes feel a little bit constipated.

Of course, it might be all psychosomatic. But then, since I love to see things grow, and just one culture alone, if healthy, can produce baby after baby, it's a little bit like growing plants, and that brings me joy and makes me hyper. And other than that, I love the tangy apple cider vinegarish taste of the tea.

Now...to add squashed blueberries into my current batch which is being fermented...

For more information, read the book Kombucha: The Miracle Fungus by Harald Tietze.

The baby culture forming at the top of the tea.

The mother culture.