The Health Benefits of Kombucha, Explained

When YouTuber Brittany Brosky posted a video of herself tasting kombucha for the first time on TikTok, the post became a viral sensation; it generated over 15 million views and catapulted Brosky into internet stardom. Though Brosky’s reaction to the drink was ambivalent at best, kombucha—or, “elixir of immortality”, as the ancient drink born in China more than 2000 years ago has long been called—has become nearly ubiquitous in the last few years and is available everywhere from Erewhon to bro-y sports bars. With fans that include Gwyneth Paltrow, Madonna, Kourtney Kardashian, Halle Berry, Reese Witherspoon, the Olsen sisters, and more, kombucha is also kind of a lifestyle—a cult of kombucha, if you will.

But what are the health benefits of kombucha? And, what exactly is this fizzy, fermented drink anyway and why is it so crazy-popular? Read on to find out.

What is kombucha?

Like yogurt, kefir, sauerkraut, and kimchi, kombucha is a fermented food that can help rebalance the intestinal flora. Some also swear that it cures acne, improves mood, and even reverses the appearance of gray hair. But what is it exactly?

Kombucha is a slightly fizzy, sweetened drink rich in live microorganisms and polyphenols. It’s made by fermenting green, black, or white tea with a special symbiotic culture of bacteria and yeasts also known as a Scoby or “mother”, which is similar in principal to the starter that’s used to reproduce for sourdough bread. Kombucha was traditionally prepared in the home and has been widespread for centuries in the East—especially in China and Japan where it is considered a “tea for a long life”; it may have even been used by samurai in battle. It’s also popular in Russia, and at the end of the 1990s it made its grand appearance in the United States where it was marketed as a bottled health drink. It’s recently become more widely available in Europe, especially in organic shops and specialized supermarkets, which is good news if you’re a kombucha devotee and a frequent traveler.

Kombucha has a strong, acidic but sweet flavor—which not everyone likes!—with a taste that’s often described as a mix between champagne and vinegar. (It’s not for nothing that Brosky s expressive video went viral.)

The health benefits of kombucha

Kombucha is considered functional—or capable of improving health and well-being, kind of like adaptogenic mushrooms and certain herbs. Traditional (and current) consumers claim that it can alleviate conditions ranging from baldness to diabetes to kidney stones to high blood pressure to liver disease to cancer.

There isn’t a ton of science to support those claims—at least not all of them. However, some in vitro studies do attribute therapeutic properties to kombucha: one study published in the journal of the Swiss Society of Food Science and Technology concluded that kombucha “has prophylactic and therapeutic properties, including antimicrobial, antibacterial and antifungal effects”; while a 15-study review found that “kombucha consumption attenuates oxidative stress and inflammation, improves the liver detoxification process, and reduces intestinal dysbiosis.” It also found that “there is evidence that kombucha consumption is beneficial for the control and treatment of obesity and associated comorbidities, as well as for the modulation of the gut microbiota in vivo.”

But that doesn t mean you have to gulp down kombucha if it’s really not your thing—there are other ways to get similar properties. “If you consume it for health benefits, and you don t like the taste, rethink your choice,” Dr. David Ludwig, professor of nutrition at Harvard University, recently told the New York Times.

Possible benefits of kombucha—

1. Thanks to the presence of tea polyphenols, it has antioxidant properties
2. Thanks to the presence of acetic acid, it has antibacterial and antimicrobial properties
3. It could support the immune system
4. Being a probiotic food, it helps to rebalance the intestinal microbiota
5. It may help the functioning of the liver and digestive system
6. It could help fight acne
7. It could help detox the body

1. Kombucha contains sugar in quantities that vary from product to product. It is therefore not suitable for those with diabetes or for those trying to completely eliminate sugar from their diet.
2. Kombucha contains traces of alcohol—normally less than 1%. “Hard” kombucha, fermented for longer, can contain more than 0.5% alcohol which is the limit in the United States for a drink to be defined as non-alcoholic. The drink is therefore not recommended during pregnancy and for others avoiding alcohol or suffering from pancreatitis or liver disease.
3. Kombucha should be avoided by those suffering from kidney and lung disease and by anyone at risk of metabolic acidosis, a condition in which there is too much acidity in the blood.

How to consume kombucha:

Kombucha can be made at home, but there are risks of bacterial contamination, so it’s probably easier to rely on bottled kombucha which is available plain or flavored with raspberry, lemon, or ginger. It can be sipped throughout the day, but remember: it’s made from tea and therefore contains caffeine, so you might want to avoid it in the late afternoon and evening.

How to make kombucha at home:

The supplies:

1. A Scoby, or mother, a gelatinous disk that looks like a mushroom (easily purchased online)
2. A large glass jar, at least 2-3 liters
3. A cotton cloth, gauze, or cheese cloth
4. A rubber band

The ingredients:

1. 2 liters of water
2. 30 grams of tea (black, green, white, or even red) loose
3. The Scoby
4. 150 grams of cane sugar
5. 200 grams of ready-made kombucha

Prepare the tea and leave it to infuse for 10-15 minutes. Filter, add sugar and let cool until temperature reaches 68-77 degrees F, then pour it into the glass jar. Add the ready-made kombucha, mix well, and then insert the scoby. Cover with the cloth and seal with a rubber band. Make sure the jar and cloth are well cleaned (and possibly disinfected) to avoid bacterial contamination. Let the jar rest away from direct light for at least seven to eight days. The longer kombucha is left to ferment, the “stronger” it becomes. Bottle it and flavor to taste.