Mushroom drinking tea where to get. Where to get kombucha

You can prepare an unusual tasty and healthy drink with the help of kombucha. Kombucha is known for its high palatability and numerous health benefits. You can even grow it from a small piece, but if you don't have one, we'll show you how to get a brand new kombucha at home.

Today's article will describe not only an effective way to grow kombucha, but also the basic rules for caring for it.

How to grow kombucha at home

To grow from scratch, you need to create a special nutrient medium. It is interesting that he appeared quite by accident: he just grew up in a cup with left tea. Since then, it has been used for several thousand years to make delicious drinks.

The main nutrient medium is brewed tea, sugar and water, which must be mixed in certain proportions. The most popular growing method will be described below.

Ways

So, how to grow kombucha at home. To do this, you need to brew loose leaf tea of ​​medium strength and add 2 tablespoons of sugar (with a slide) to it for every liter of water (Figure 1).

Ready tea is filtered so that no tea leaves remain in the liquid, and poured into clean glassware.

Note: Tea bags and sugar substitutes are not suitable, as the body grows only on natural ingredients.

Figure 1. Features of growing

As a rule, it is grown in liter jars. Fill the container with tea only two-thirds so that the product receives enough air.

Growing conditions

For the successful cultivation of this unusual organism, certain rules must be observed.

Kombucha needs the following conditions(picture 2):

• Sufficient amount of air: it is for this reason that it is impossible to fill the jar with liquid completely so that the growing biomass has enough oxygen;
• Optimum temperature regime: cover the tea jar with a lid and store at room temperature;
• Lighting: the product does not like direct sunlight, but it should not be placed in a dark place. The ideal option would be a place in the kitchen or in a room where there is enough light.

Figure 2. Growing technology

Within a week, a cloudy film should appear on the surface of the water, which indicates that the body has begun to grow. If this happens, the jar is left for about 2 months so that a sufficiently large biomass is formed inside.

Rules

After you managed to grow the body yourself from scratch, you need to properly care for it. First of all, it must be transferred to a clean large jar, in which the drink will be prepared.

Before moving the product and the container itself, rinse with warm water. The jar is dried and filled with fresh sweet tea (about 2/3) and the raw materials are shifted. The neck is covered with several layers of gauze.

Figure 3. Proper care of kombucha

In the future, an adult specimen can be divided if it begins to exfoliate along the edges. It is not recommended to cut off or tear off parts of the biomass: despite the fact that a young specimen can grow even from a piece, the old one often dies from such manipulations.

The video shows in detail how to grow at home.

Home care

It does not require special care at home. The main thing is to put it in a suitable place with a sufficient amount of sunlight, but without direct sunlight, leave space in the jar for oxygen to penetrate, and drain the resulting liquid in time (Figure 3).

Watering

The drink that is formed in the jar has a characteristic sweet and sour taste. In addition, it is good for health, but you need to properly water it to get it.

Every three or four days, half of the liquid is drained, and a new portion of sweet tea is added, which serves as a nutrient medium (Figure 4). You can use both black and green tea, but it must be loose leaf.

Note: In no case should you pour tea leaves and sugar directly into the jar. The body grows only on brewed tea.

Periodically, about once every few months, it is recommended to drain all the liquid obtained, rinse the product again with warm water and lower it into a fresh portion of brewed tea.

Peculiarities

To make the drink tasty and healthy, you need to take into account some features of care. Firstly, the neck should always be covered with gauze so that insects do not get into the liquid.

Figure 4. Pouring kombucha

Secondly, you need to carefully monitor the condition of the fungus itself. If its surface has darkened or become covered with tubercles, you need to divide it into several new ones. This should be done carefully, gradually stratifying the biomass so as not to damage its tissues. After that, the resulting parts are washed with warm water and placed in separate containers.

Rules

There are certain rules for growing and caring for a living organism (Figure 5):

1. It is better to take a three-liter jar so that the body has enough space and air;
2. The neck can only be covered with gauze, but in no case with a lid or film, as not enough air will flow inside;
3. Once every few days, half of the finished drink must be drained and the liquid supply replenished with a fresh portion of the prepared tea.

Also, the mushroom must be periodically divided, since in old specimens the production of liquid is reduced.

Useful properties and how to grow

If you have already provided the body with proper care and even received the first drink from it, you will be interested to know what features and beneficial properties it has.

Figure 5. Storage and cultivation of kombucha

Using kombucha is helpful in such cases:

• Effectively fights excess weight, accelerating metabolism and removing salts and toxins from the body;
• It has high anti-inflammatory properties and can be used to treat and prevent flu and colds;
• Improves skin quality and fights acne;
• An infusion based on it relieves pain from burns and promotes wound healing;
• It has a diuretic effect and is used to prevent arthritis, arthrosis and atherosclerosis.

Since this organism grows on natural ingredients, it has practically no contraindications. However, people with obesity and diabetes should drink it with caution, people with acute fungal infections, and people with high stomach acidity can only prepare a decoction based on black tea and honey (instead of sugar).

Unfortunately, few people in our time know Kombucha, which helps to solve complex problems with the inferiority of modern nutrition, often poor in vitamins and microelements necessary for the body.

This mushroom is unusual. It does not grow in the forest, but in tea. Such a homemade mushroom in a teapot.

In appearance, it looks like a round cake, and the infusion obtained from it has a pleasant sour taste reminiscent of kvass and is very useful.

First, let's look at what tea fungus is. This is a jellyfish organism, which is formed as a result of the coexistence of an acetic acid bacterium and a yeast fungus (in the photo it is presented in all its glory).

It can grow and live only in tea, because it needs the purines contained in the tea infusion, which it consumes without using other components.

The body of the fungus, medusomycete, is on the surface of the tea solution. The upper part of its body is light, and the lower part, immersed in the liquid, is dark, with thread-like processes.

A tincture of a miracle mushroom will turn out to be useful only if it is grown and used correctly.

Below, in addition to how to grow kombucha from scratch, you can find out a lot of useful information that will help get rid of health and well-being problems.

Unique properties of jellyfish

Tea kvass contains many minerals and vitamins.

Consider its detailed chemical composition:

• organic acids;
• Ethanol;
• Vitamins - C, PP, group B;
• Enzymes;
• Pigments;
• Lipids;
• Sahara;
• Polysaccharides;
• Natural antibiotic - jellyfish;
• Caffeine.

With the help of infusion of kombucha, you can get rid of many diseases.

It is indicated for diseases of the stomach, colitis, constipation, diseases of the liver and gall bladder, for infectious diseases of the throat, nose, eyes, hypotension, hemorrhoids, all kinds of nervous disorders and headaches, during the recovery period after antibiotics and for infectious diseases of the skin.

The scope of this miracle drink is very extensive.

However, it is important to know about the existing contraindications:

1. Stomach ulcer;
2. Diabetes;
3. Any fungal disease.

The vitamin and mineral composition of the "mushroom" miracle tea cannot be compared with any multivitamins and drugs, because they are much better accepted and absorbed by the body.

Therefore, if you have no contraindications for use, find it and prepare it.

For information on how to use this living organism to treat diseases, see the video:

Self-cultivation of kombucha

No one knows who and when the first kombucha was grown. This discovery happened many thousands of years ago and has been successfully used by people in the household to this day.

Before the war, an infusion of it was in almost every home. The shortage of tea and sugar in the post-war period led to the disappearance of this tradition. Now interest has resumed and many would like to know the cultivation recipe.

To grow kombucha from scratch, you have to be patient. This lengthy process takes from one and a half to two months. But to improve your own health and the health of your family, this is not a long time.

Method number 1: from brewing black tea

To prepare a nutrient medium in which our fungus will originate and grow, you will need the following components:

You need to grow a mushroom by protecting the jar with it from sunlight, but not in the dark.

Since he needs light and air for life, the neck of the jar is covered not with a lid, but with gauze, and tea is never poured to the top of the jar, filling it only halfway.

Tea leaves are poured into a teapot, insisted, sugar is added.

In a prepared glass jar, washed with baking soda, the tea leaves are poured from the kettle, after filtering it, the neck of the jar is tied with gauze and placed in a warm, shaded place.

After a couple of weeks or a little earlier, a vinegary aroma will come out of the jar, which will disappear after a week.

So the successful formation of kombucha began.

After a month and a half, a thin slimy “pancake” will appear on the surface of the tea leaves.

This is a young kombucha.

For further successful growth, carefully, without injuring the body of the fungus, move it to a clean three-liter jar filled with weak tea.

Method number 2: from the infusion of wild rose

The method of growing kombucha based on rosehip tea has its own characteristics. Rosehip drink will be richer in vitamins and useful in the cold season for colds.

It is also necessary to take into account contraindications to the use of wild rose, such as a tendency to form kidney stones.

Components for welding:

• Half a liter of boiling water;
• 4 large spoons of dry pounded rose hips;
• Brewing large-leaf black tea (1 large teaspoon per cup of boiling water);
• 5 large spoons of sugar;
• Thermos;
• Clean glass jar;
• Gauze.

4 tablespoons of wild rose are poured into a thermos, half a liter of hot boiled water is added. Insist in a thermos for 4 days.

The resulting rosehip infusion is poured into a clean three-liter jar, filtering it through cheesecloth. Add to the same jar a glass of sweet tea leaves, in which 5 large spoons of sugar were dissolved.

Tie the neck of the jar with gauze and put in a warm dark place.

As when grown in a normal tea brew, a vinegary smell will first appear, indicating the birth of an organism. Then the smell will disappear and in a month and a half a film will appear on the surface of the infusion - the body of the fungus.

Now you know how to grow kombucha from scratch yourself and you simply cannot help but take advantage of this knowledge, because the improvement of the most valuable thing that a person has - health depends on it!

Proper care of kombucha

It is not enough to grow this miracle doctor, you still need to be able to save it. So, our advice will help you in this difficult matter.

Strange as it may sound, Kombucha is a lover of cleanliness. This grown jellyfish is not just some kind of mold, but a living organism that needs to be monitored.

If the dishes in which he lives are dirty, then the fungus will start to hurt. Then the drink produced by him will be cloudy and will not bring benefits.

The mushroom lives in tea, floating on its surface in a three-liter jar. The diseased organism sinks to the bottom of the jar and the drink produced by it is not worth drinking, the fungus must be treated.

They wash the body of the fungus, dividing it into layers, if it exfoliates, they move it to a clean jar, pour it with fresh tea.

Using tea kvass, which was formed as a result of the vital activity of the fungus, add a new nutrient solution (2 liters of boiled water - 4 large spoons of leaf tea and 1 glass of sugar).

If the whole kvass is drained, the jar is thoroughly washed with baking soda while the mushroom is on a plate of a suitable size, and then sweet tea is poured.

The mushroom itself loves to bathe, so once a month it is gently washed in a cup of clean warm water.

Fresh tea for him is prepared on good water purified from impurities.

You can’t pour sugar on the mushroom, he doesn’t like it. Pour it with cooled strained tea with sugar mixed in it.

The normal thickness of an adult kombucha is about 4 cm. If it is thicker, it may begin to exfoliate. With hands, without using a knife, separate the layers and place the young mushrooms in new jars.

If it is necessary to leave and there is no one to look after the mushroom, it is taken out of tea, transferred to plain water and put in the refrigerator.

The frequency with which the finished tea kvass is drained is determined by taste. Lovers of sour kvass take it 1 time every four days, a less acidic infusion is ready 2 days after adding new tea to a jar with a beneficial organism.

By the way, the jar in which the mushroom lives is not advised to be filled to the top, let it be one and a half to two liters of liquid.

Do not put the mushroom in direct sunlight so that it does not get sick and does not die. The optimum temperature in the room is 18-25 degrees.

By putting into practice the knowledge gained and including a "mushroom" infusion for daily use in your diet, you will soon feel an improvement in health and a good mood will become a constant companion of your life.

For more information about this unique product, watch the video below:

Kombucha, popularly referred to as jellyfish, comes from Japan. It has been known since ancient times for its healing effect on the human body. It is the best remedy in case of problems with the kidneys and gallbladder. If you want to always have a tasty and healthy drink at home, you can borrow a part of the medusomycete from someone. In a nutrient medium, it begins to grow actively. It takes time and patience to grow a full-fledged kombucha, as the full process takes at least 2 months.

Growing kombucha

Kombucha in scientific terminology is called medusomycete, as it looks like a sea jellyfish. It is a thin film with a smooth mucous surface. Below are accumulations of microorganisms, including yeast and acetic acid bacteria. They are the ones who do the main job.

When in a nutrient medium (juice, tea), it is common for medusomycetes to grow to unlimited sizes. The liquid it floats in turns into a carbonated drink.

Growing a mushroom from scratch step by step at home:

1. 1. First you need to prepare a nutrient medium. To do this, weak loose leaf tea (green or black, without artificial additives) is brewed and sugar is added (at the rate of 2–3 tablespoons per 1 liter of liquid). Some replace sweet sand with honey, but the taste of the finished drink will be different from the original. Do not use tea bags or sweeteners..
2. 2. The sweet solution is filtered and poured into a liter glass jar until 2/3 of the volume is filled.
3. 3. Close the lid and clean in a warm dark place for a week. During this time, a thin film forms on top of itself - this means that it was possible to successfully conceive the body of the fungus. The container with the composition is left in the same place for another 1.5-2 months.
4. 4. After the allotted time, the jellyfish grows significantly, but is still weak in structure. Therefore, they carefully take it out so as not to damage it, wash it with warm boiled water and place it in a more spacious jar.
5. 5. Fresh sweet tea is poured into it.
6. 6. Cover with gauze folded in several layers on top, and again put in heat.
7. 7. In summer, final preparation takes 3 days, in winter - at least a week.

Kombucha at an early stage of development

With a properly prepared tea solution, the Chinese mushroom floats to the surface. If it sank, then a mistake was made at one of the stages. This should not be frustrating, as it is enough to rinse the body and immerse it in fresh tea leaves.

How to make a drink from rose hips

If the use of the drink is meant not only to quench thirst, but also to improve health, then instead of a tea solution, an infusion of rose hips should be used. This will be a good prophylactic during the cold season and in winter, when the immune system is especially weakened.

The principle of growing a mushroom is almost the same, with the exception of some nuances:

1. 1. Prepare an infusion of wild rose: both fresh and dried fruits, which are available in free pharmacy sales, are suitable. Fall asleep in a thermos 4 tbsp. spoons and pour boiling water (500 ml). Close the lid and leave to infuse for 5 days.
2. 2. After the due date, they begin to grow the mushroom directly. To do this, first wash a three-liter glass jar, where the resulting rosehip infusion is poured. Add a pre-prepared tea leaves: 1 tablespoon of black tea in a glass of boiling water.
3. 3. Add 5-6 tablespoons of granulated sugar, mix and put in heat for a day.
4. 4. The next day, the liquid is driven through the gauze and returned to the container. Cover with gauze folded in several layers and keep warm.

Further, the process develops according to standard technology (as in the previous version) - after about 2 weeks, a vinegar smell will appear, which quickly passes. The fungus will form completely in 1.5-2 months.

Medusa mycete care

Since the reserves of the drink produced by the fungus are depleted rather quickly, they must be replenished periodically. As necessary, add the liquid required for full growth and development. Even the remains of used tea leaves are suitable, if they are pre-strained.

In order for the mushroom not to wither, certain care is needed:

• The neck of the jar is covered with gauze and fixed with an elastic band. This is important to consider, since when using a sealed roof, there will be no air access inside and the jellyfish will stop developing. In addition, it is more convenient to drain the finished drink with gauze - there is no need for subsequent filtration.
• Every 20 days, the mushroom is taken out and washed in cool boiled water. The tea solution is prepared fresh, where the washed mushroom is placed.
• If the drink becomes sour in taste and cloudy, it means that it has been overstayed. It is usually poured out and replaced with freshly brewed tea.
• No less important are the conditions of detention: the optimum air temperature is 20–26 ° C. In the cold and in the sun, the substance dies. Already at a mark of 17 degrees, the body of the fungus begins to exfoliate strongly, growth is inhibited and an algal coating forms on the surface.
• It is recommended to constantly drain the finished drink into a separate jar and store it in the refrigerator. In summer, this is done once every 72 hours, in winter - every five days. Then add a new portion of sweet tea to 2/3 of the volume of the jar.
• The thickness of the mushroom should not exceed 4–5 cm. The top is regularly removed and transferred to a separate container. The lower layers are not touched, as they are the most valuable.

To enrich the taste of the drink, it is permissible to add all kinds of herbs: blackberries, plantain, nettles, wild roses, strawberries.

The drink infused for a month has the greatest healing saturation. Keeping it longer is not rational and unhealthy: the liquid turns into vinegar and is not suitable for consumption.

This tool can be used for cosmetic and medicinal purposes. After a week of exposure to heat, fungal kvass begins to ferment and acquires an alcoholic aftertaste. Then a part is cast and put in the cold for drinking, and fresh tea solution is poured into the container.

How to properly divide a mushroom

Few people independently grow kombucha from scratch. Usually, a part is separated from an adult whose thickness has exceeded the allowable limits. A characteristic sign of readiness for division is the stratification of the structure visible along the rim.

It is better not to touch the young thin substance so as not to injure. Even a slight plucking is unacceptable, since integrity cannot be violated at the growth stage.

A fragment of the fungus placed in a beneficial environment successfully begins to grow and takes the form of the container in which it is located. With the right approach during division, the risk of death of a medusomycete is minimized.

How to properly divide a mushroom:

1. 1. In the place of delamination, the body is carefully separated into plates, which should freely move away from each other. If you have to make an effort, then you need to postpone the procedure for 1-2 days until the mushroom is fully ripe. You cannot tear the original body. It is not uncommon for the mother fungus to divide on its own: it sinks to the bottom, and a daughter thin film floats to the surface.
2. 2. Each layer is washed with warm water and placed in a separate jar with freshly prepared tea solution. Since the film is very thin, it must be handled with extreme care so as not to tear. For the first 2-3 days, it can lie flat at the bottom or take a vertical position, but eventually it will emerge.

It is possible to get tea kvass immediately in a different way, which takes more time. In fact, this is also a division, only by growing in the finished drink. Pour the drink, which has been prepared for 5-6 days before, into a clean glass container and cover with gauze. It is removed away from sun exposure for several days. As a result, a thin film is found on top, which is a new mushroom.

There are several ways to get kombucha at home. It is not difficult to guess that it can be grown from tea leaves. This is the most suitable environment for him. But there are many other ways to grow jellyfish from scratch at home, so everyone will find the most suitable recipe for themselves.

Growing from scratch from tea

First of all, you need large-leaf black tea. It is not necessary to buy expensive varieties, take the most common one, but make sure that it does not contain various flavors, aromas and other additives. Inventory should be prepared: a 3-liter jar, gauze, a teapot for tea leaves. Of the products, except for tea, you need sugar, boiling water.

1. Rinse well the jar where the drink will be infused. Cleanliness is a very important factor, if the bottle is washed unreasonably, then due to food residues and microbes, the fungus will simply die before reaching the required size. It is important not to use chemicals when washing. Apply soda. Do not forget to rinse the jar well with clean running water at the end.
2. Brew tea with the calculation of 5 tbsp. spoons of tea in 0.5 liters of water. Let him insist.
3. When the tea has cooled, add 7 tbsp. spoons of sugar. Mix well. All grains of sugar should be completely dissolved.
4. The resulting broth is filtered using a sieve or gauze, poured into a pre-prepared jar.
5. The bottle is covered with gauze folded in a couple of layers, put in a warm place, where it will be for 6 weeks. During this time, the medusa mycete will grow.

Mushroom cultivation is possible from both black and green tea. this will not decrease.

Growing from wild rose

When using an infusion of mushroom grown from rose hips, you will get a pleasant-tasting drink and a healthy, immune-boosting remedy. Especially useful is the use of such drinks in autumn and early spring, when the body so needs additional vitamins.

To grow a medusomycete on a wild rose, you must follow the recommendations:

1. First of all, it is necessary to prepare an infusion of wild rose in a thermos. Pour in the fruits (4 tablespoons). Fill the berries with boiling water (0.5 l). The thermos is tightly closed with a lid. Leave the infusion for 5 days.
2. Wash the jar in which the cultivation is supposed to be well. Pour the infusion into the bottle.
3. Brew tea with the calculation of 1 tbsp. teaspoon for 1 tbsp. boiling water. Add the resulting tea leaves to the rosehip infusion.
4. Pour into a jar 5 tbsp. spoons of sugar. Stir until all sugar crystals are completely dissolved. Leave the infusion for a day. Strain through cheesecloth.
5. Strained infusion is covered with gauze. Defend in the same way as when grown on tea leaves.

When grown in this way, the appearance of kombucha can be expected in 1.5-2 months.

Important! After a few weeks, the infusion will have a vinegar smell. This is fine. It indicates that the fermentation processes are successful. Within a week, a film will appear on the surface of the tea leaves, from which a medusomycete will form. After that, the smell quickly disappears.

Growing with apple cider vinegar

It is necessary to leave a bottle of apple cider vinegar in a warm, fairly dark place for at least 2-2.5 months. When sediment appears at the bottom of the bottle, pour the contents into the sweetened tea prepared in advance. The resulting mixture is kept for some time. After a couple of weeks, you can see that a thin film has appeared on the surface of the liquid, which will later grow and become a full-fledged kombucha.

When grown by this method, high-quality apple cider vinegar is used, which does not contain various additives, preservatives. If you use a low-quality product, it is unlikely that you will be able to achieve the desired result.

How to grow from a piece

If you have friends who have fairly developed kombucha specimens, just ask for a piece to breed. Medusomycete grows rapidly and exfoliates. Often there are people who sell it not only in the market, but also on the Internet. The only thing you will need is to know until he adapts to the new conditions.

If there is a piece of kombucha, you need to prepare a solution for it.

1. To do this, you need to make tea. For 1 liter of water, 2 teaspoons of tea are enough. It doesn't matter which tea you choose, black or green.
2. Add a little sugar (40-50 g) to it and stir until all the sugar crystals dissolve.
3. Cool the tea leaves to room temperature, pour into a clean jar.

Dishes must be perfectly clean. Otherwise, mold may form in the jar, due to the appearance of which the infusion may simply deteriorate.

Part of the mushroom is placed in this container. From above, cover the bottle with gauze folded in several layers, put it in a warm, dark place. After 7-10 days, you can enjoy a delicious effervescent tincture.

Do not close the jar with a lid. Medusomycetes must breathe freely. Otherwise, the infusion can quickly deteriorate.

mushroom care

Now you know how to properly grow kombucha. But it is very important to properly care for the jellyfish in order to enjoy this healthy refreshing drink for a long time.

Initially, 0.5 liters of liquid is enough for the development of kombucha. But over time, the medusa mycete begins to grow rapidly, so the amount of solution is periodically increased, gradually bringing it up to 3 liters. To do this, you can use the leftover tea leaves. It is re-filled with boiling water, sugar is added, and then allowed to cool. Already chilled tea can be safely poured into a jar.

Be careful with adding sugar. Its quantity should not exceed 2 tbsp. spoons for 1 liter of water. Also make sure that the tea is completely dissolved in the tea leaves and its grains do not fall on the surface of the fungus.

Keep it clean so that mold does not form in the infusion.

Every month it is necessary to thoroughly wash the mushroom. Take it out of the jar. Movements must be careful and accurate, so as not to damage. Put the mushroom on a wide plate, rinse well with water. After that, leave to dry a little in the air (no more than 3 minutes). Gently place in normal environment. It should be borne in mind that tap water is often unsuitable for rinsing. Filter or boil it before use.

Healthy kombucha floats on the surface of the infusion. If he changed color or began to exfoliate unnaturally, then the medusomycete is sick. It is better to refrain from drinking infusion.

There are many myths associated with caring for kombucha. Consider the most popular of them:

1. If the color of the medusa mycete has changed, turned white, it may simply develop, a new layer is formed. For the same reason, small bubbles or gaps may appear on the surface of the medusomycete in the form of round holes.
2. The appearance of long threads in the jar that come out of the base of the jellyfish and look like legs are not harbingers of something terrible. This phenomenon is observed quite often.
3. When transplanted into a jar, did the mushroom go to the bottom? Don't panic, give him some time to stand up and adapt. It will definitely float to the surface.
4. The mushroom has turned brown, will not rise from the bottom. The medusa is sick. It is better not to use such an infusion.

Storage rules

After receiving the drink, you must follow the rules for its storage:

• the mushroom should stand in a dark place;
• temperature up to +25 degrees;
• regularly drain the infusion (in winter 1 time in 5 days, in summer - 3 days);
• store the drink in the refrigerator;
• do not infuse the drink for more than 1 month;
• pinch off the upper layers of the fungus (optimum thickness 4-5 cm).

The infusion is quite easy to prepare at home, you just need to be patient. But do not forget that in order to get a delicious healthy drink, the mushroom must be properly looked after.

Kombucha is a natural source of health and longevity. Experts consider it a real miracle, since they still have not been able to establish the time and place of its origin, understand the features of development and explain its beneficial properties. With the help of this plant, people prepare a special drink that tastes like kvass, which can be consumed cold, warm and hot.

The body of Kombucha looks like a jellyfish, the color can be light yellow or dark brown. From above it is smooth and dense, and from the inside it is layered and heterogeneous. At the initial stage of formation, it is a thin mucous film floating on the surface of a liquid nutrient medium. Culture is growing and developing rapidly, filling all the free space. There are cases when kombucha was born in bulky barrels and reached a weight of one hundred kilograms.

Kombucha is a biological substrate that exists due to the mutual symbiosis of numerous colonies of yeast fungi and acetic acid bacteria.

The liquid surrounding the mushroom turns into a slightly carbonated sour drink - kombucha. They drink it in its pure form, adding lime or lemon, with honey and sugar, mixed with water or other drinks - tea, juice, milk, herbal infusions and decoctions. The substance has found application in home medicine, cosmetology and cooking. The culture received its unique properties due to the vital activity and excretion products of beneficial microorganisms. The mushroom is considered medicinal and is used to treat many diseases.

The benefits and harms of kombucha

Kombucha has an official scientific name - medusomycete, given to it in 1913 by mycologist G. Lindau. In the process of life, it releases many biologically active substances. These are organic acids, polysaccharides, vitamins, alcohols and esters, proteins, trace elements, antibiotics and enzymes. Together, these components have a positive effect on the well-being and health of a person.

The drink obtained with the help of kombucha does not contain caffeine, therefore it is allowed to be consumed at high and low pressure. It quenches thirst well, tones up and dulls the feeling of hunger.

Useful properties of kombucha:

• normalization of metabolism;
• rejuvenation and restoration of the body;
• acceleration of regenerative processes;
• improvement of microflora;
• antibiotic effect;
• strengthening immunity;
• antioxidant effect;
• promotes ;
• mild diuretic;
• replenishment of vitamins and minerals;
• removal of harmful and toxic substances.

The benefits of kombucha allow it to be used as a safe natural remedy. It cleanses the body of toxins, protects against viruses and infections, lowers blood pressure, normalizes cholesterol, improves the functioning of the stomach and intestines, improves sleep, relieves nervous tension and relieves pain. The high therapeutic effect made it possible to use the mushroom not only in everyday life, but also on an industrial scale - pharmaceuticals, catering, cosmetology.

With numerous beneficial properties, kombucha has contraindications:

• the presence of fungal diseases;
• increased acidity, not allowed for use in erosions and stomach ulcers;
• gout and;
• allergic reaction and individual intolerance.

Growing technology

To breed kombucha, you will need the simplest items - a three-liter jar, preferably with a wide mouth, a piece of gauze or a special food napkin, white or brown sugar, green or black tea, or a rosehip broth or herbal tea. It is unacceptable to use sweeteners instead of sugar.

How to grow kombucha from scratch:

1. To grow from scratch, you will need freshly brewed tea of ​​medium strength in the amount of a liter and a half.
2. About 100-120 grams of sugar should be dissolved in tea, the drink should be cooled and poured into a three-liter jar.
3. To prevent dirt and insects from getting inside the jar, the neck must be covered with gauze or a special breathable napkin. The fabric should be fixed with a rope or elastic band.
4. The jar is best placed in partial shade, where the air temperature is in the range from 22 to 26 °.

Kombucha does not like darkness and direct sunlight; in cool conditions, the growth process slows down slightly.

Over time, a thin darkish film forms on the surface of the tea - this is the beginning of the development of the fungus. In two or three months, it will grow enough, and it will be possible to use its infusion. The readiness of the liquid for consumption can be determined by the thickness of the fungus (at least 2-3 mm) and a pleasant sour-sweet smell.

Dividing and growing kombucha

When the mushroom reaches a thickness of 4-5 centimeters, you can safely begin to divide it and move it to another container with a nutrient medium. For transplantation, the top layer is taken, which is carefully separated, washed and transferred to a new three-liter jar.
On a fungus that is ready for division, layers are clearly visible, which, even with a slight impact, independently exfoliate from the parent base. The lower layers are considered the most productive and useful, they are darker in color and looser in density.

The maximum concentration of useful and nutritious substances is contained in the infusion, the age of which does not exceed one month. The infusion of a mature mushroom is unsuitable for consumption.

You can also grow a new mushroom on the basis of a ready-to-use infusion. The drink, which has been prepared for 5-6 days, is poured into a clean and dry container, covered with gauze and remains in this form for a week. After a few days, a new organism forms on the surface of the nutrient medium. To speed up the process, it is recommended to add 1-2 tablespoons to the base solution.

Care and disease of kombucha

Every 3-5 days, the finished tea kvass is drained, and sweetish boiled water at room temperature is added instead. The amount of sugar is 100 grams per 1 liter of water. Water is boiled, sugar is dissolved in it, cooled and only then added to a container where kombucha lives. It is undesirable to use raw water, as it contains a lot of salts and impurities that worsen the taste of the drink and precipitate.

Too strong tea has a bad effect on the condition of the fungus. If sugar is added directly to the jar, it can get burned and die.

How to care for kombucha:

1. Every 3-5 days it is necessary to drain the infusion and fill the container with fresh nutrient medium.
2. In order for the mushroom to remain healthy and useful, it should be washed in water every 2-3 months.
3. Turbid infusion is a bad sign, harmful impurities reduce the quality and medicinal properties of the drink.
4. The fungus should always remain on the surface. If the mushroom is very dark and sank to the bottom, it means that he got sick and may die.
5. The rules of treatment are simple - cleanliness and good care. The nutrient liquid in the jar can reach 2/3 of the total volume so that the fungus has the opportunity for further development and growth.

Knowing how to grow kombucha correctly, you can enjoy a natural drink every day that combines high health benefits, quality and taste!

Video about growing kombucha at home