What is this Kombucha?
In the health and wellness world, all the buzz is about Kombucha these days. Though it’s been around for thousands of years, for some wellness enthusiasts, this fizzy, fermented drink has quickly become one of the go-to beverages to add to their arsenal. Kombucha is made by introducing live bacteria and yeast to a solution of tea and sugar.
However, it’s not all glory for the effervescent wonder, some have claimed that drinking Kombucha can be downright dangerous for your health. So before you jump on the ‘bucha bandwagon, here are some things you need to know.
What’s all the buzz about?
The buzz is all about the benefits. ‘Bucha lovers claim it contains probiotics, aid in digestion, promotes gut health, improves overall energy, lower high blood pressure, detoxifies the liver, decreases inflammation, lowers cholesterol and more.
Where can I purchase Kombucha?
Currently, Kombucha is sold at just about any health and wellness store or quality supermarkets. So think Wholefoods, Wegmans, Trader Joes, etc.
Is it safe to drink?
The scientific community is not giving it the thumbs up because, as they argue, there’s not enough scientific research to support the beneficial claims. Concerns include lactic acidosis and myositis, which is a build up of acids in the muscles and inflammation; liver and pancreatic damage; fungal toxicity from improper brewing and fermenting.
As a matter of fact, back in 1995, the CDC (Center For Disease Control ) named Kombucha as the possible culprit in the death of two Iowa women whose muscles had extremely high amounts of acid buildup.
That said, people have bee drinking Kombucha for many, many years. So you be the judge and decide whether this drink deserves your consideration.
Dixie Lincoln- Nichols is a biological science educator, health and wellbeing consultant and Qigong instructor. Her work has been featured in media outlets like, Oprah Mag, SELF, Yahoo and more. She is the founder of Inside Outer Beauty Market, a multi-cultutal retailer curating and creating products to support the body inside and out. Visit the site at www.iobeautymarket.com
