Surely many people still remember from their Soviet or perestroika childhood about such a wonderful thing floating in a jar, like a "kombucha". For several decades, it has been incredibly popular in our country and only relatively recently fell out of widespread use. It's time to figure out what it is and whether drinking a mushroom drink really has positive properties.
What is this fruit"
People have known Kombucha since time immemorial. The sources that have come down to us from the Chinese Jin dynasty speak about this. Chinese medicine has been practicing the use of kombucha and tea kvass around 220 BC. Local scientists and sages claimed that kombucha "cleanses the body" and "energizes". Gradually, the drink began to penetrate into other regions of Asia, but it reached Europe only at the very beginning of the 20th century through the Russian Far East. From Russia the drink got to Germany, and from there to Spain and France. After World War II, kombucha was already known throughout the Old World.
The first studies of kombucha were carried out back in 1913. The famous German microbiologist Gustav Lindau believed that an organism floating in kvass is whole. He called it "jellyfish" (Medusomyces gisevii), believing that it has something in common with marine jellyfish. And here the German researcher was mistaken. In fact, kombucha is not one organism at all, but a colony of several types of bacteria that can live in symbiosis. At the same time, there is no single name in biology for kombucha, and there cannot be, since different mushrooms consist of different combinations of bacteria, depending on the place of origin and cultivation technology. Most often, kombucha consists of the genera "acetobacter" and "acetic acid bacteria".
As for the drink itself, which is obtained as a result of the vital activity of the colony, it consists mainly of various sugars, organic acids and a number of other substances. The resulting drink also contains ethanol, the amount of which first increases in the resulting product, and then decreases as a result of chemical processes taking place in the colony.
How to cook a mushroom
To make kombucha, first of all, you need to get a culture, from which a colony of microorganisms will subsequently grow. It is placed in a jar of sugared tea infusion for further fermentation. You will also need to have some already fermented tea kvass, which is added after the bacteria colony has begun to grow. This must be done so that all undesirable elements die in the future fungus, and the acidity level also decreases.
The container with the kombucha is covered with insect repellent gauze and left in this position for several days. As a result, a mushroom film will begin to form, and the infusion (kvass) will acquire a characteristic sweet and sour taste. It should also be remembered that the infusion should not be allowed to stand for too long. Otherwise, it will begin to give off with vinegar and will be unsafe to use.
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Medicinal and harmful properties
Despite the fact that kombucha itself is very soft and flexible, many spears have already been broken about this substance. The last really big research on kombucha and kvass was done in 2003. According to the results of research, scientists have come to the conclusion that the drink has no healing and tonic properties. They also stated that kombucha is potentially dangerous and is currently one of the the best examples of "alternative medicine" that benefits only those who sell mushroom. However, scientists also failed to prove the opposite that kombucha is frankly harmful.
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The only "cons" that have been established for certain boiled down to a set of "basic recommendations". In particular, tea kvass is not recommended for people with weakened immunity, people with any diseases, as well as pregnant women. Also, the mushroom product cannot be combined with some medicines due to the fact that it contains ethanol. Everyone else, if they like tea kvass, can drink it boldly. It will definitely not be more harmful than chips and beer!
If you want to know even more interesting things, then you should read about 10 tips to cut down on food costs and at the same time do not stay hungry.
A source: https://novate.ru/blogs/100420/54097/