Growing Kombucha

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Previously, kombucha (kombucha) was used by every traditional healer. He was in almost every home. This is a unique combination of living microorganisms, its properties are actively used in folk medicine.

Growing Kombucha

Origin

In the course of research, scientists failed to understand where it came from, what is the natural habitat of kombucha, because a representative of this type does not live in ordinary water. Presumably, the organism evolved in a body of water containing a special type of algae, which makes the water composition similar to that of tea. There are facts supporting this theory: in Mexico, kombucha is bred in artificial reservoirs, where fig fruits are thrown, making the water look like tea. The organism may have originated in fermented fruit juice or wine drinks.

The first mention of kombucha is found in Chinese scriptures dating back to the Qin dynasty. They are dated 21-207. BC e. History says that this organism was used as a raw material for the manufacture of the drink of the gods, intended only for persons of royal blood. Then the jellyfish mushroom moved to Japan, Korea, and later learned about it all over the world.

In Russia, they began to add it to moonshine. A drink made from jellyfish, reminiscent of kvass, was used as a hangover medicine. Mushroom alcohol was believed to have miraculous properties. In America, it is used as a raw material for lemonade. Vinegar is made from old mushrooms, which can be used to season salads.

Characteristic

The Latin name for Kombucha is Medusomyces gisevi, which means "Medusa". It is called differently:

• Manchurian mushroom;
• sea ​​vkas;
• tea jellyfish;
• medusomycete.

Kombucha is a collection of microorganisms that can coexist and develop together for a long time. It contains yeast and acetic acid bacteria. The types of strains that make up kombucha vary according to their origin and where they originated.

Appearance Description:

• colored yellow-brown;
• the surface of the body along the edges is framed by small processes;
• looks like a flat disc that consists of several platters.

Once in the nutrient medium, it begins to actively absorb nutrients. Yeast ferments carbohydrates, and acetic acid bacteria convert ethyl alcohol. Carbon dioxide accumulates inside the mushroom, which maintains it on the surface of the liquid.

Irina Selyutina (Biologist):

If you brought one plate of kombucha from friends for growing, then, in order not to ruin the long-awaited acquisition, you need:

• leave the plate filled with warm water at room temperature for adaptation in a jar closed with a double layer of gauze;
• prepare a permanent container for the mushroom to live (preferably two, so that there is where to plant the washed mushroom after draining the infusion);
• for the adaptation period (day), do not feed with sweet tea;
• think over the composition of the nutrient medium on which you will grow the mushroom.

When used on an industrial scale and immersed in an artificially created reservoir, you can get a gigantic organism that can weigh up to 100 kg.

Beneficial features

Kombucha drink is extremely healthy. In China, it was used as a drug that helps to cure any disease. Today it is widely used in folk medicine to enrich the body with useful vitamins and minerals, which help to preserve youth and beauty.

Mushroom helps to maintain youth and beauty

The chemical composition of the kombucha drink:

• alcohol;
• amino acids;
• enzymes;
• full vitamin complex;
• lipids;
• monosaccharides and disaccharides;
• pigments;
• purine compounds.

The use of kombucha has a positive effect on the state of the whole organism. The compounds contained in tea have a calming effect on diseases of the nervous system. A natural healer improves brain activity and cures wet coughs. When using cosmetic procedures, it helps to get rid of leg problems, quickly remove acne on any part of the body. Promotes hair growth. Effective for such diseases:

• sore throat;
• constipation;
• oncology;
• skin diseases (eczema);
• diseases of the reproductive system, manifested in the form of a decrease in sex drive, prostatitis;
• toothache;
• tonsillitis;
• joint treatment (gout);
• mastopathy;
• cystitis.

Contraindications

During fermentation, the yeast produces ethanol. It is contraindicated in the treatment of alcoholism. The second component, which does not have the most beneficial effect on the body as a whole, is sugar. It is impossible to control its content, therefore, the drink should not be consumed with diabetes mellitus. The product is contraindicated for fungal disease and stomach cancer.

Kombucha is also prohibited for stomach ulcers, gastritis, enteritis, disorders of the biliary tract, bladder, liver (pancreatitis), and the absence of one kidney. People who are allergic to mold should first be tested for susceptibility to the ingredients of the product and should be consulted by an appropriate physician. Patients with a predisposition to Quincke's edema can die from drinking jellyfish tea. It is not advisable to use kombucha during pregnancy and breastfeeding. It has a laxative effect, which can lead to miscarriage in pregnant women, and the high sugar content negatively affects the baby's condition with hepatitis B.

Exacerbations of various chronic diseases are also a contraindication for use. The drink is not suitable for treating children. It is impossible to predict the reaction of the children's organism to the constituents of tea. The drink increases blood pressure, therefore it is contraindicated in hypertension. Healing tea has poor compatibility with antibacterial and antifungal medications.

Possible side effects:

• acidosis: medusomycete acidifies and alkalizes enzyme fluids in the body, which is life-threatening and fatal: the effect is especially often observed in diabetes mellitus;
• liver dysfunction with complications: drinking tea on jellyfish can provoke the destruction of liver tissue or an increase in bilirubin in the blood, which manifests itself in the yellowness of the whites of the eyes, skin, nail plates;
• lead poisoning: this effect is possible if the drink is prepared in an enamel bowl;
• diarrhea (diarrhea): the drink has a laxative effect and speeds up metabolic processes: if the stomach is weak, drinking tea will lead to severe intoxication.

Method of preparing a healing drink

Growing Kombucha is Easy

Kombucha treatment will be effective if grown properly. This will require the following:

• large leaf black tea;
• glassware 3 liters;
• water;
• natural sugar (it is better to take brown sugar or replace it with honey), 100 g for each liter of water;
• medusomycete.

It is easy to grow a kombucha at home from scratch, the main thing is to monitor its condition, prevent the appearance of mold and learn how to propagate it. Pour water mixed with sugar and cooled tea infusion into a container, leaving 1/6 of it free. Gently rinse the medusomycete under cool water and immerse it in the liquid. You can first put the mushroom in a jar and then pour liquid over it, provided that the mushroom body is not damaged.

The container is left open. If the flow of oxygen is blocked, the fungus is not able to fully develop, carbonizes and quickly grows moldy. To save kombucha from the negative effects of the environment, the surface of the can is covered with gauze folded in several layers. Then put the solution in a dark place to infuse. In the warm season, infusion lasts 3 days, in winter - 5. Brewing jellyfish with the addition of essential compounds is dangerous to human health.

For medicinal purposes, a drink of different concentrations is used. Fresh is used as a prophylaxis and for general improvement of the body. For treatment, a more saturated concentrate is needed, because many connections only start working at full strength after a certain amount of time. It is necessary to store the expressed drinking infusion in the refrigerator, but not in the freezer, so that it does not deteriorate. The frozen infusion loses its quality.

If the top of the mushroom becomes sour, carefully remove it from the jar and clean it with a soft sponge. A fungus that has become covered with black mold is dangerous, it is easy for them to get poisoned. Dispose of it immediately. To reduce the calorie content, it is worth diluting the finished concentrate with water in a 2: 1 ratio.

Medusomycete care

When growing kombucha at home, it is important to take proper care of it. After 3-5 days, when the infusion is ready, the liquid is decanted, the mushroom is washed under cold water and again immersed in the tea solution. The temperature in the room where the container with the mushroom is located must be constantly maintained at + 23 ... + 24 ° С. If the mushroom sinks when pouring, you should not use it.

Storing containers with infusion in direct sunlight deprives the medusomycete of useful properties. Temperatures below +17 ° C in the room also lead to a loss of medicinal qualities. The upper filmy layer of a healthy fungus is transparent, if a brown bloom forms on its surface or holes appear, then the medusomycete has become unusable.

If the mushroom sank to the bottom, turned upside down or drowned, this indicates dying. Medusomycete needs constant feeding, so every 3 days in summer and 5 days in winter it must be washed and poured with fresh tea solution. Rinsing with running water is sufficient once every 2 weeks. A fortified infusion is obtained by pouring green tea into kombucha and adding birch sap and rose hips instead of sugar.

Evidence that the mushroom is disappearing and cannot be used are the following factors:

• the medusomycete lies on the bottom and does not rise to the surface of the liquid;
• signs of fungal diseases;
• the mushroom body does not grow;
• the prepared potion wanders, unable to withstand the 3-day period;
• a brown bloom floats on the surface of the liquid;
• the drink has an unpleasant taste and smell.

Medusomycete diseases

Kombucha is distinguished by strong immunity and the ability to regenerate tissues. In the process of vital activity, microorganisms are capable of producing antibiotics and second-order metabolites, which make it possible to destroy disease-causing compounds. Despite this, the jellyfish is still subject to various diseases. Mechanical damage (tears, cuts) is formed in cases when the mushroom has fallen or has become too large, which does not allow removing it from the container without injury.Such damage only in rare cases has a bad effect on the state of the mushroom body, but it needs help to recuperate.

In case of serious damage, it is customary to treat the medusomycete with a small amount of nutrient fluid until a new organism forms on its surface. Low-layer mushroom bodies of a young age are exposed to fungal diseases, so they can disappear. This is due to a violation of the terms of use. To exclude the appearance of fungal diseases, the instructions must be followed:

• the mushroom must not be touched with dirty hands;
• it is allowed to rinse the mushroom body only with clean water;
• in order to properly start the mushroom body, 10% of the old sourdough is added to a new tea solution each time.

If the mushroom has become moldy, it will not be possible to revive it. The medusomycete should be replaced if it turns black or blue. If the jellyfish is grown at home, you should be prepared for the fact that worms often start in it. Small flies (fruit flies), penetrating into the jar, lay their eggs on the upper layer, and after 3 days worms hatch, which actively eat the waste products of bacteria. Therefore, it is worth creating a reliable obstacle on the top of the can, which at the same time would allow air to pass through.

Reproduction

The main challenge in growing is planning the reproduction of the fungus. Medusomycete propagation is carried out in 3 ways:

• Separation: take an old jellyfish, from which 1-2 plates of the mushroom body are separated. No need to cut or tear off pieces of the mushroom. It is worth dividing the mushroom only with clean hands, and then it is important to rinse the resulting plates with clean water as well. Sometimes the surface of the fungus is covered with a transparent film, which is carefully removed and placed in the nutrient liquid, which allows not to separate the plates and not to injure the mushroom body. The disadvantages of the method are the increased risk of injury to the mycelium.
• Infusion: if you can't find the junction of the plates, you can propagate the medusomycete using the ready-made solution. It must be poured into a clean glass container, and then put in a darkened place to infuse at a temperature exceeding +25 ° C. After 1-2 weeks, you will notice that a new fungus is floating on the surface of the liquid in the form of a thin translucent layer. This method has clear advantages.
• Rebirth: in some cases, the organism regenerates itself. The aged mushroom body descends to the very bottom of the jar, and after a while a film separates from its upper layer, which floats to the surface of the liquid - this is a daughter organism.

They stop feeding too old mushrooms and use them to make vinegar, from which interesting dressings are then prepared. When the mushroom body dries up, it is possible to revive it with a nutrient solution.

Application

Before starting treatment, it is better to use the advice of doctors regarding the use of a healing infusion. If the patient decides to lose weight with the help of kvass on the mushroom, 1-2 snacks are substituted for them, because it contains a lot of calories and carbohydrates per serving. When losing weight, it will be effective to combine the drug with a protein diet, which involves the exclusion of most carbohydrate foods. When losing weight, the infusion is categorically contraindicated for diabetics, because under its influence, a weakened thyroid gland works worse.

Irina Selyutina (Biologist):

The finished drink is poured into a glass container with a tight lid and filled to the brim. Let the infusion mature for another 5 days in a cool place. At this time, the activity of bacteria and yeasts in the jar will cease without the access of portions of new air. The gas released during the operation of the yeast will not be able to "leave" and you will get a wonderful fizzy drink. Strain it through cheesecloth or a plastic strainer before use.

Using the extract, the pressure is controlled.With an increase in blood pressure or a deterioration in health, they refuse to take tea and must go to the hospital. The infusion is actively used not only for medicinal purposes, but also in cosmetology to eliminate acne and treat ulcerative skin lesions. Compress for the face, dipped in the infusion, removes traces of fatigue, removes fine wrinkles, nourishes the skin, and helps heal scars. The compress from the infusion relieves of heel spurs without performing cosmetic procedures in the salon.

Nourishing hair masks are made from 500 ml of infusion mixed with a chicken egg. After such a mask, the hair structure improves, split ends are restored. The effect is comparable to keratinization.

Kombucha is a natural healer that helps restore strength after prolonged stress. When the immune system is weakened, it is required to take the infusion 1-2 times in the morning, not on an empty stomach. After 10 days of admission, take a break for 3-5 days and continue to take it again in the same way. It is customary to use tea infusions in the nutrition of fattening livestock. For this, an infusion of 5-day exposure is taken and added to wet mash.

In agriculture, jellyfish is used as a fertilizer. The old mushroom needs to be divided into plates and dried. Then they are ground into powder and scattered in the garden. Tea infusions can effectively fight pests. Not a single worm will appear in the beds if you water the cultivated plants with this product.

Conclusion

Tea infusions are easy to make at home. If there are no contraindications to drinking the drink, it is used as a means to increase immunity. In the height of summer, this drink quickly quenches thirst and restores energy. Its high calorie content allows it to be used as a snack replacement. Do not hope that the jellyfish will cure all diseases at once. You can not take more than 2 liters of drink per day.