The Mushroom Drink

By Dr. Thomas Stearns Lee

Have you heard about kombucha, the “mushroom drink”?  Also known as the “Manchurian mushroom” or “Tea Kvass,” kombucha has received a lot of attention in the media for its reported health benefits.  Movie stars, reporters, and health magazines have claimed it does great things for the digestion, skin, allergies, and other systems.

I have used this culture for ten years and brought it to the attention of other doctors, patients, and friends, although my own wife is still a bit wary of it.  Like myself, this culture is more beautiful in its effect than in its appearance to the untrained eye.

Kombucha looks like a grayish solid material floating upon the tea mixture.  It has the texture of fresh abalone, or wet leather.  Together, the yeast, bacteria, and fungi produce a sparkling fermented drink that provides useful nutritional enzymes, organic acids, and vitamins to people who keep a culture of it growing.

These products of fermentation seem to keep the body clean, comfortable, and in good repair.  Traditional stories of its value include treating cancers, age-related dementia, and even diabetes.  These are in areas of Russia and China where environmental pollution is far worse than America.

All these health claims, however onerous they might be to the FDA, do indeed ring true if the culture is treated well and used appropriately.  I have noticed digestion and immune system benefits when I keep using it regularly, and the return of some minor issues in those systems when I get away from it.  Reports are similar from my patients who have given it a serious try.

Where does kombucha come from?  Fermented cultures were used in ancient Chinese medicines thousands of years ago.  The Crusades and the Mongolian invasions from Asia into Eastern Europe brought many innovations, including nutritional ones, into the lifestyles of culturally isolated Europeans, and kombucha was one of these.  More recently, Chinese and Russian peasant communities have been found to appreciate and rely upon these fermentative drinks.

What is kombucha?  It’s a healthful drink made from a culture that grows on tea, sugar, and water.  That culture, or “mat,” is a colony of several different microbes that benefit each other.

Where do you get it?  Some well-stocked health food stores sell it bottled.  Look for a small mat floating on the top, suggesting it is still alive.  For additional suppliers and information pertaining to how to use and grow your culture, you can do a Web search.

Kombucha tastes strange and is tricky to handle, but considerable benefits and protections are to be found with its use.  If you like handling living foods in your own kitchen, it can be fun and interesting.  Give it a try!