Have you heard of kombucha tea? Known to be a health elixir according to Chinese tradition, it was not until recently that the tea gained its prominence in the west. Just like green tea and black tea, kombucha tea is loaded with health benefits. Be it its potent immune boosting properties or its ability to improve the liver and kidney function, kombucha tea is quite popular. If you are a tea person and are game to try new flavours of tea, then you cannot miss the kombucha tea. You may also like to read about matcha tea.
What is kombucha tea?
It is a fermented black tea. The black tea is fermented with tea fungus, a symbiotic culture of acetic acid bacteria and fungus for few days to weeks along with sugar. Once fermented, it is diluted with ingredients of your choice. You can either drink it warm or cold as you wish. It is slightly sweet and acidic in nature and is caffeine-free. Here are few of the common health benefits of kombucha tea backed by research studies.
1. Boosts immunity: Studies [1] show that drinking kombucha tea prevents you from the broad spectrum infectious diseases and also enhances the immunity. So if you have low immune function and are susceptible to infection, then it is wise to drink kombucha tea. Its antioxidant and detoxification properties eliminate harmful radicals. Here are 5 signs and symptoms that indicate you have a weak immune system.
2. Protects the liver: A study published in the Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology [2] revealed that kombucha tea was found to be more effective in improving the liver function and health and lowering the side effects induced due to toxins. The antioxidants help in scavenging the harmful free radicals and minimise the effect on the liver cells. This is attributed to the formation of antioxidant molecules like D-saccharic acid-1,4-lactone (DSL) during the fermentation process [3].
3. Promotes healing: According to 2010 study [4], the healing potential of the kombucha tea extracts was found to be associated with the antioxidant activity and the ability to protect the mucin content of the gastric tissues. Moreover, it also reduces gastric acid secretion and aids in the healing of stomach ulcers due to excess gastric secretion.
4. Exerts antimicrobial activity: The antimicrobial activity of kombucha tea is due to the presence of acetic acid, which exerts an inhibitory effect against a wide range of microbes such as E. coli, Sal. typhimurium and Sal. enteritidis. Moreover, the activity is the same even when you have it at neutral pH or after heating [5].
5. Suppresses increased glucose levels: As compared to black tea, kombucha tea was found to be more efficient as an inhibitor of enzymes in the pancreas and blood, suppressing the increased blood glucose levels. It also delays the absorption of LDL-cholesterol and triglycerides along with increasing the HDL-cholesterol levels in the body. It also improves the liver-kidney functions and can act as an effective supplement for the treatment and prevention of diabetes, reported a study [6]. Here are 10 home remedies for diabetes that really work!
References:
1. Vīna I, Semjonovs P, Linde R, Deniņa I. Current evidence on physiological activity and expected health effects of kombucha fermented beverage. J Med Food. 2014 Feb;17(2):179-88. doi: 10.1089/jmf.2013.0031. Epub 2013 Nov 5. Review. PubMed PMID: 24192111.
2. Murugesan GS, Sathishkumar M, Jayabalan R, Binupriya AR, Swaminathan K, Yun SE. Hepatoprotective and curative properties of Kombucha tea against carbon tetrachloride-induced toxicity. J Microbiol Biotechnol. 2009 Apr;19(4):397-402. PubMed PMID: 19420997.
3. Bhattacharya S, Manna P, Gachhui R, Sil PC. Protective effect of kombucha tea against tertiary butyl hydroperoxide induced cytotoxicity and cell death in murine hepatocytes. Indian J Exp Biol. 2011 Jul;49(7):511-24. PubMed PMID: 21800502.
4. Banerjee D, Hassarajani SA, Maity B, Narayan G, Bandyopadhyay SK, Chattopadhyay S. Comparative healing property of kombucha tea and black tea against indomethacin-induced gastric ulceration in mice: possible mechanism of
action. Food Funct. 2010 Dec;1(3):284-93. doi: 10.1039/c0fo00025f. Epub 2010 Nov 3. PubMed PMID: 21776478.
5. Sreeramulu G, Zhu Y, Knol W. Kombucha fermentation and its antimicrobial activity. J Agric Food Chem. 2000 Jun;48(6):2589-94. PubMed PMID: 10888589.
6. Aloulou A, Hamden K, Elloumi D, Ali MB, Hargafi K, Jaouadi B, Ayadi F, Elfeki A, Ammar E. Hypoglycemic and antilipidemic properties of kombucha tea in alloxan-induced diabetic rats. BMC Complement Altern Med. 2012 May 16;12:63. doi: 10.1186/1472-6882-12-63. PubMed PMID: 22591682; PubMed Central PMCID: PMC3403982.
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