I feel worse for a couple of hours after drinking one of these.
It's full of healthy stuff and lots of probiotics, so I wonder what that's about.
Ideas? Anyone else have this?
I just had a bottle and I feel so crummy right now.
Posted by Cockapoo1996 (Member # 14238) on :
Yes, very crummy. I read the bottle and saw the alcohol content. I'm not drinking it again.
On the good side the crummy doesn't last that long. I went back to my usual lousy after just a few of hours.
Posted by jamieL (Member # 16563) on :
Alchohol!???
Crap, that must be the problem, then.
Phooey. I liked drinking them more than taking swallowing probiotic pills.
I feel better now, too.
Posted by ebbakarin (Member # 16362) on :
Yes most commercial does have a little alcohol, but I'm not sure that's the whole problem. I used to wig out on it if I drank a whole bottle at once. You might try drinking small doses; taking single gulps every few hours and working up from there.
I make my own now so it's not too expensive. That also cuts back on the alcohol.
Posted by IckyTicky (Member # 21466) on :
I didn't know it had alchohol... but really think about it.. it's FERMENTED right? That is what alcohol IS right? Fermented whatever.
I'd love to drink Kombucha... but I can't get past the first couple swallows. It tastes so nasty! People say "it's an aquired taste"... I can't get enough down to "aquire" that taste.
Posted by j_liz (Member # 20496) on :
Supposingly, it is as much alcohol as would be found in oj.
When I was drinking the kombucha it was recommended to start out with only a couple of oz. at a time, because the detox can be overwhelming.
I started brewing my own and hadn't quite got it as fizzy as I liked. I had to stop making it because I got reinfected with Lyme and my fatigue level became much worse.
You should have seen me making each batch, it would've been hysterical if it wasn't so sad. I had such a Lyme brain that even doing this simple thing was brain strain.
I can't wait to start brewing again. Plus, drinking water all the time is boring!
liz
[ 09-09-2009, 04:44 PM: Message edited by: j_liz ]
Posted by sixgoofykids (Member # 11141) on :
It causes detox and also kills off candida. The taste does grow on you.
I just started making my own from directions on this website.
Posted by Blackstone (Member # 9453) on :
Yogi Tea "Rejuvenation" contains kombucha (dried) green tea, and other flavors that make it more palatable.
Posted by sixgoofykids (Member # 11141) on :
The only problem with that is it won't have all the benefits of the fermented kind .... the enzymes and probiotics.
Posted by lymie_in_md (Member # 14197) on :
Six thats my next step. I buy kambucha now, but would much prefer to make it myself.
Posted by peacemama (Member # 17666) on :
I LOVE making kombucha. I started drinking it about an ounce at a time. Now I can drink almost a quart a day some days.
I did get super sick drinking one whole one last fall. . .then I learned to drink a little at a time.
I've been brewing it for several months now. Tighten the jars tight for better fizz, and full to the top.
quote:Kombucha Warnings and Hazards From the FDA - must be addressed to insure that the consumer is informed about the potential hazards from improper brewing and handling of the cultures. Because folk medicines and herbal remedies, including Kombucha tea, are considered neither a food nor a drug, they are not routinely evaluated by FDA or the U.S. Department of Agriculture. The FDA does have kombucha warnings and information posted on their web site. These warnings are about the hazards of brewing the tea in non-glass containers mostly and a few reported cases where people have been hospitalized from not following this important step! FDA studies have found no evidence of contamination or hazards in Kombucha products fermented under sterile conditions. Anahata Balance is not liable or in control of the consumers home brewing process.
Please if you choose to make kombucha, use glass jars, gallon jars if you can get them.
As far as alcohol, anything fermented is going to have some alcohol in it. But it is a very small amount. Too much alcohol can be problematic that is for sure. You could just buy kombucha to see how you do. I've done great with it.
Posted by jamieL (Member # 16563) on :
I was hoping the icky feeling was coming from a die-ff of some sort. If that's the case, I will keep on slugging them down!
If it's due to alcholohol, maybe not.
I think I must be the only person who LOVES the way they taste! Every time I buy a bottle, the clerk ringing up the purchase asks, "Uhm, have you tasted it yet?"
Posted by sixgoofykids (Member # 11141) on :
Jamie, I like it, too. So does my 21 year old daughter. We both hated it the first time we had it, but now really like it.
I'm making mine in glass. Posted by BugBit (Member # 7829) on :
I doubt there is enuff alcohol to cause a problem, and I don't drink alcohol at all except in natural products such as this.
I LOVE Kombucha, but I will say that I dilute it down with either water or seltzer, if for no other reason than the expense.
When I first started drinking it, I could not handle a whole bottle, it was probably die-off.
Most Cheer, *BugBit*
Posted by Healing in Santa Cruz (Member # 7798) on :
I love it and since doing KPU I am tolerating very well.I used to get extremely ill in the past when I drank it.Think my digestion is way better.
Posted by j_liz (Member # 20496) on :
I loved the taste right off the bat! I buy GT Dave's (I hope I got that right). The raspberry one is good, too.
Unfort. it is expensive. That is the only reason I took up brewing it.
In the Yahoo OK (orig. kombucha) group they say that there's something amuck with his kombucha, because of the length of brewing.
I just hope that when I get back to brewing it I can one day get mine to taste as good.
liz
Posted by lymie_in_md (Member # 14197) on :
We put a lot of the blame on candida. Some of the blame has to go to leaky gut. KPU ensures there is plenty of zinc to strengthen the small and large intestines as well as the bladder. Zinc is also very important for liver function. So making the gut less permeable keeps the bad stuff from leaking into our bodies and causing other reactions.
Sometime you have to trade off one bad thing like alcohol to get pluses just like most tinctures contain alcohol. No item is perfect, like ABX kills off our flora but also kills lyme.
quote:Kombucha - a Nutritious Food Kombucha culture has a wide range of organic acids, vitamins and enzymes that give it its extraordinary value. It contains the range of B vitamins, particularly B1, B2, B6 and B12, that provide the body with energy, help to process fats and proteins, and which are vital for the normal functioning of the nervous system. There is also vitamin C which is a potent detoxifier, immune booster and enhancer of vitality. Probiotic Organic Acids There are two organic acids produced by Kombucha culture which encourage the activity of the resident bifidobacteria, thus restoring a healthy balance with the bacteroides: Lactic acid which is essential for healthy digestive action (through its derivative lactobacilli) and for energy production by the liver, and is not found in the tissues of people with cancer. Acetic acid which is an antiseptic and inhibitor of pathogenic bacteria. Kombucha's Vital Organic Acids Other valuable organic acids produced by the Kombucha culture, some of which have a more direct effect on other organs include:
Glucuronic acid, normally produced by a healthy liver, is a powerful detoxifier and can readily be converted into glucosamines, the foundations of our skeletal system. Usnic acid has selective antibiotic qualities which can partly deactivate viruses. Citric acid is an antiascorbic. Oxalic acid encourages the intercellular production of energy, and is a preservative. Malic acid also helps the liver to detoxify. Gluconic acid is a sugar product which can break down to caprylic acid to work symbiotically with -- Butyric acid (produced by the yeast) protects human cellular membranes, and combined with Gluconic acid which is produced by the bacteria,strengthens the walls of the gut in order to combat yeast infections such as Candida. Nucleic acids, like RNA and DNA, transmit information to the cells on how to perform correctly and regenerate.
A product of the oxidation process of glucose - glucuronic acid - is one of the more significant constituents of Kombucha culture. As a detoxifying agent, it has come into its own today in our highly polluted world. It is one of the few agents that can cope with the pollutive products of the petroleum industry, including all the plastics, herbicides, pesticides and resins. It `kidnaps' the phenols in the liver which are then eliminated easily by the kidneys. Another byproduct of glucuronic acid are the glucosamines, the structures associated with cartilage, collagen and the fluids which lubricate the joints. Collagen reduces wrinkles, while arthritis sufferers have their deficient cartilage and joint fluids replenished. Amino acids, which are constituents of proteins, produce important enzymes, such as glutathione a powerful antioxidant which provides protection from alcohol and pollution, and which is depleted by drug regimes.
Sugar, Yeast and Tea When Kombucha tea is made correctly, all the sugars are fully converted into organic acids during fermentation, enabling Kombucha tea culture to be is safely drunk by diabetics and Candida sufferers. Also the yeasts found in the Kombucha culture do not stimulate the Candida yeasts as they are of a different type; Candida sufferers have therefore often found considerable relief in taking Kombucha. Black or green tea may be used as a nutrient for the culture, but as green tea has anti-carcinogenic properties, is beneficial to the heart and blood circulation and is particularly nutritious, it is preferable to use.
Posted by peacemama (Member # 17666) on :
Bananas have alcohol in them, too.
I remember the guy from Herbs, Etc. telling a group of us working in a health food store that one dose of his tinctures had as much alcohol as a banana, but STILL he went ahead and made alcohol free ones, especially for kid.
Now I know why my little one has an affinity for bananas! Likes the booze!
lol!
Posted by ebbakarin (Member # 16362) on :
About the fermentation-alcohol issue:
Kombucha is fermented, but the majority of its time is spent in an open container with exposure to oxygen. This end product of this is [mostly] vinegar, which is why kombucha is pretty sour.
Once you bottle you're restricting the amount of oxygen; this will cause the cultures to anaerobically ferment the residual sugars into alcohol.
It's like the difference between making apple cider vinegar and hard cider: both are just fermented apple juice but are done without or with and airlock, respectively.
So if you want to really limit the amount of alcohol, try brewing it yourself and don't bottle it. Less fizzy, but also less alcohol.
I might also suggest that if you can't make it yourself, try drinking diluted, raw, unfiltered apple cider vinegar (Braggs is one brand). I usually add a tablespoon to a large glass of water. It too is very healthy.
By the way, if anyone needs advice for how to make kombucha or apple cider vinegar, PM me. I love the stuff!
Posted by lymie_in_md (Member # 14197) on :
We'll never get a clinical study, but this site did a survey of 650 people.
quote: Statistics from a Kombucha questionnaire In 1996 Colleen Allen posted a ``Kombucha Questionnaire'' (written by Ariana Estelle Ph.D.) over the Kombucha List (an Internet forum for approximately 650 Kombucha drinkers who live in all parts of the world) as a means of gathering statistical information from list members to include in our current project and for use in all of our future books and publications. Ariana is the author of ``Kombucha 101--A Kombucha Primer'' by Ariana Estelle Ph.D, and the founder/owner of Harmonic Harvest, a Tea and Kombucha business in Texas USA.
The completed questionnaire's were sent to both of us from members of the Kombucha List via email and to Ariana via private post from her Harmonic Harvest customers who filled out the questionnaire she mailed to them-- at her own expense. The following statistics were taken from her compilation of that data.
All of the statistics --I've included below-- are taken from the original data compiled by Ariana Estelle-Symons Ph.D, in her August 1996 ``Kombucha Konnection'' Newsletter article entitled: ``Kombucha- Who in the World is Drinking That Stuff?''. Her URL is as follows: http://www.harmonicharvest.com/
Why Are These People Drinking Kombucha Tea? What Benefits Do They Report? Why are these people drinking Kombucha? 27% "General Maintenance". They are not ill and do not want to be. 10% Chronic Fatigue Syndrome or Fibromyalgia 15% M.S., Hepatitis C, HIV, Cancer 13% Arthritis, and related conditions 10% Digestive problems 6% Asthma, Allergies 8% Hypertension & High Cholesterol 10% Skin problems, psoriasis, acne, weight loss, various non life-threatening conditions. What benefits do they report? 81% Report a 'feeling of well-being'. 27% Better sleep patterns 30% Weight loss 81% Relief from constipation 42% Relief from painful arthritis-type symptoms. 21% Improvement in skin tone & condition 9% Migraine relief 17% Disappearance of 'liver spots' 12% Better concentration 27% Relief of ulcer pain and digestive problems. 5% Relief from nausea caused by chemotherapy 8% Better condition of hair and nails 4% Regrowth of hair 7% Restoration of gray/white hair to original color 12% Disappearance of pre-cancerous skin growths 10% Removal of moles or skin tags 6% Weight Loss of 20+ pounds 24% Weight loss of 5-10 pounds 13% Reduced caffeine cravings. 17% Reduced sugar cravings 2% People with cancer maintaining a 'cancer free' status for 5+ years 6% People with cancer maintaining a 'cancer free' status for 1-4 years. 3% People with cancer maintaining a 'cancer free' status for less than one year. 44% Report experiencing increased energy 8% Increased Libido 13% Less cramping and discomfort during menstruation. 19% Relief from symptoms of PMS 7% Relief from symptoms of menopause. 82% Report the resistance to colds & flu 3% Increase in T-cells 19% Allergy relief 17% Lower Blood Pressure & Cholesterol
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