Known as the mushroom of immortality and longevity, kombucha is a fermented beverage that is made from the Chinese mushroom, tea mushroom, or Manchurian mushroom. Learn more about her.

The kombucha is also popularly known by the names of Chinese mushroomtea fungus or mushroom Manchurian. It consists of a fermented drink that is made from a sweetened tea which is fermented by a colony of microorganisms known by the scientific name of Medusomyces gisevi, which is characterized by its texture and gelatinous appearance, consisting mainly of yeast-like fungi, as well as strains of Gluconobracter oxydans and Bacterium xylinum.

These bacteria and fungi, when they ferment, are capable of converting sugar into fructose and glucose, and then passing to ethyl alcohol, acetic acid and carbonic gas, which coexist in a mutually beneficial symbiosis, by forming a gelatinous body on their surface. That reminds many of the shape of a jellyfish.

Depending on the variety of tea used and the preparation time, the type of bacteria and fungi may vary, since at the beginning of the fermentation of the tea and sugar solution, various types of microorganisms participate in the process, until after a few days. Only those that are part of the Medusomyces gisevi family remain, which tend to be more resistant to acidity and the different antibiotic substances that the colony secrete for their protection.

What is the origin of kombucha?

Some historians believe that the origin of kombucha is Chinese, since in China it has been possible to find writings that mention the tea mushroom around 206 BC, in times of the Han dynasty. However, other historians consider that it is actually It is about an invention that has its origin in a Korean doctor.

Be that as it may, there is a beautiful legend that says that in the year 400 there was a Chinese or Korean doctor known by the name of Kombu, who was called around the year 415 by the Japanese emperor Inkio, who was very ill. The doctor arrived in Japan with a “Kombu tea”, with whose drink he was able to save the life of the emperor.

In the particular case of the Chinese, we are faced with a very valuable drink from a Traditional Chinese Medicine point of view, highly appreciated for its qualities to balance vital energy or chi, while improving digestion. In this country, for example, it is known as the mushroom of immortality and longevity.

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