How To Create a Health Elixir Using Kombucha and Adaptogens.
Kombucha and Adaptogens are both wonderful creations of Nature that have enhanced the health and lives of countless individuals and tribes since time immemorial. Rarely however, do you hear of the two being combined. Many who use herbs tend to utilize them in either an extracted or cooked form, but did you know that you can use the fermentation process of Kombucha to unlock even more healing and enhancing power from your herbs? Below we will provide our method for fermenting adaptogens to create a truly wonderful elixir that can provide benefits to the mind and body!
So first, let us provide you a few articles penned by far better writers than ourselves, to help provide you some variance and additional data and ideas.
Kombucha Made Easy;
https://www.naturalblaze.com/2013/06/recipe-kombucha-made-easy.html
Recipe from the article;
"1. Obtain a SCOBY – Symbiotic Colony of Bacteria and Yeast – or “mother” culture. You can buy one online or get one from a friend. Or try Craigslist to find a cheaper SCOBY in a neighborhood near you. You can no longer make your own from store-bought kombucha, thanks to the FDA who forced Synergy to reformulate their tea in 2010 to be less “alcoholic” and less effective.
2. Get a big glass container with a spout. Ours is 3 gallons.
3. Get a big 3-gallon stockpot for brewing the tea.
4. Get a bunch of small, airtight glass bottles or mason jars. You’ll need about 24 if they are 16-Ounces.
5. Get a bag of loose leaf tea, green or black. I buy Yerba Mate at Whole Foods.
6. Get a box of large tea bags. They sell these at Whole Foods too.
7. Get the biggest bag of organic cane sugar you can find.
8. Heat 3 gallons of water in the stock pot, steep 3 bags full of tea in it, stir in 3 cups of sugar (maybe a little more sugar to make it ferment faster).
9. Let it cool to room temperature, pour it in the big glass container, let the mother float on top, cover container with paper towels or a cheese cloth and a rubber band.
10. Wait 5-7 days.
11. Pour the kombucha into the airtight bottles or mason jars, pour a little fruit juice (we use fresh-squeezed strawberry juice) in each of the bottles with the tea, close the lids and let them sit on the counter 1 or 2 more days, for the second round of fermentation. When they get fizzy, put them in the fridge, before they explode.
12. Repeat. After a few weeks, you’ll have several layers of SCOBYs. A new baby culture will grow on top of the mother culture every week or so. When the babies get big enough, you can peel them apart and give them to your friends, so they can make their own kombucha too :)"
This article provides a nice and easy starter recipe for those who aren't too familiar or not at all familiar with fermenting their own foods!
Here is some information on the health benefits of Kombucha from Dr. Mercola-
https://articles.mercola.com/teas/kombucha-tea.aspx
From the article;
"Basic Facts About Kombucha
The most basic definition of kombucha is "fermented sweet tea." It's made by fermenting sugared black or green tea with yeast and acetic acid bacteria. The fermentation process can take one to two weeks, and the end product is a fizzy beverage with a sour and acidic flavor.
To make kombucha, scoby is needed: This stands for a "symbiotic culture of bacteria and yeast." The scoby appears as a rubbery, disk-shaped blob that forms a new layer and thickens with every batch. It may seem unappetizing, but the appearance of the scoby is a sign that the microorganisms in the beverage are hard at work.
When the fermentation process occurs, the sugar in the tea is broken down by the scoby and releases probiotic bacteria. Fermentation is also responsible for the fizzy nature of the drink, as well as its slight alcohol content.
There are numerous accounts of how kombucha came to be. One example is that it was made for Emperor Qin Shi Huangdi during the Qin dynasty, while he was looking for an elixir to help him achieve immortality.
These are just two theories on the origin of this beverage, but whichever of them may be true, one thing is for certain: Kombucha has been appreciated by humankind for a very long time.
The Four Major Health Benefits Of Kombucha Tea
Many people remain doubtful over whether kombucha is good for you, mainly due to the possibility that it can possess a level of alcohol comparable to beer or wine. What sets kombucha apart is that its alcohol is self-limiting, unlike beer and wine which are intentionally brewed to have higher alcohol level. Hence, drinking kombucha that has very low alcohol content could potentially let you reap health benefits.
So what is kombucha good for, and why can it potentially deliver positive effects? You can thank the bioactive microorganisms in the drink for these benefits. According to a study published in the Journal of Food:
"The beneficial effects of kombucha are attributed to the presence of bioactive compounds that act synergistically. Bacteria contained in kombucha beverage belongs to the genus Acetobacter, Gluconobacter, and the yeasts of the genus Saccharomyces along with glucuronic acid, contribute to health protection."
Below are four potential benefits that kombucha tea may have for your health:
•Helps eliminate pathogenic microorganisms, including Candida — A study published in 2011 examined the antibacterial and antifungal activities of kombucha made from green and black teas, and the results exhibited their antimicrobial potential against Candida species, except for Candida krusei. The highest antimicrobial potential was also seen in green fermented tea.
•May contribute to optimal gut microflora — A 2014 study identified some of the bacterial and fungal populations in kombucha, and these include Gluconacetobacter, Acetobacter and a prominent Lactobacillus population. There are studies highlighting the antimicrobial properties of this beverage, which also suggest its potential to influence human gastrointestinal microflora.
•May have liver-protective effects — Studies conducted on rats found that kombucha tea may have hepatoprotective properties and may help revert liver toxicity. A 2003 study published in Biomedical and Environmental Sciences found that its immunomodulating and antioxidant properties may help against lead-induced oxidative stress.
•May help protect against prostate cancer — A study published in Biomedicine and Preventive Nutrition found that kombucha may have protective effects against prostate cancer cells. The researchers noted:
"Our study demonstrates that kombucha significantly decreases the survival of prostate cancer cells by downregulating the expression of angiogenesis stimulators. These findings suggest that kombucha may be useful for the prostate cancer treatment/prevention."
It can get a little "wordy", but to be honest we should all familiarize ourselves with these types of terms as to better educate ourselves in the future. Just sayin'! And with even just a few of these benefits, really you should be giving it a try!
Now let's educate ourselves on what Adaptogens are!
Here is a great article from Dr. Mercola that describes the benefits and uses for Adaptogens;
https://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2018/04/09/adaptogens-for-adrenal-support.aspx
From the article (in reference specifically to Ashwagandha);
"Ashwagandha — A Potent Hormone Balancer
An herb native to Asia and India, ashwagandha (Withania somnifera) has been a powerful tool in Ayurvedic medicine for thousands of years. It's only in the last 50 years that this member of the nightshade family of plants has emerged in the West as a potent healing herb. As an adaptogen, it can:
Help your body adapt to stress;1 by balancing your immune system,2 metabolism and hormonal systems.3
Increase strength and promote health when used regularly. In Ayurvedic medicine, ashwagandha is classified as "Rasayana," a type of essence that helps in the healing of the body and the lengthening of life.4
Protect your brain from oxidative stress.5
Support healthy levels of total lipids, cholesterol and triglycerides that are already in the normal range.
The root contains the highest concentration of the active ingredients and helps modulate hormone balances, including thyroid hormone, estrogen and progesterone, making it beneficial for women moving into menopause. The root also reduces cortisol levels, restores insulin sensitivity and helps to stabilize mood.6 In one study,7 patients diagnosed with moderate to severe anxiety who were treated with ashwagandha reported "significantly decreased" symptoms compared to those undergoing more conventional interventions.
Another study8 found "empirical evidence to support the traditional use of [ashwagandha] to aid in mental process engaging GABAergic signaling." GABA (gamma-aminobutyric acid) is an inhibitory neurotransmitter significantly involved in regulating physiological and psychological processes signaling. According to the authors:
"Our results provide evidence indicating that key constituents in [ashwagandha] may have an important role in the development of pharmacological treatments for neurological disorders associated with GABAergic signaling dysfunction such as general anxiety disorders, sleep disturbances, muscle spasms and seizures."
In men, Ashwagandha can help boost testosterone levels.9 While some adaptogens are stimulants in disguise, this is not the case with ashwagandha. It can give your morning exercise routine a boost, and when taken prior to bed it can help you get a good night's sleep as well. I recommend using only 100 percent organic ashwagandha root, free of fillers, additives and excipients, to ensure quality."
Ashwagandha-
So with this information in mind, here is our offering on creating your own Health Elixirs;
What you will need;
Cheesecloth
1 Kombucha Starter Culture
1 Cup Organic Granulated Cane Sugar
5 Packets Organic Black Tea (We personally have found that our Kombucha cultures enjoy Black tea the most as it seems to provide the most nutrition to them).
1-2 oz's of your preferred Adaptogens/Herbs. We personally recommend a triple blend of Ashwagandha, Holy Basil aka Tulsi, and Gotu Kola. These herbs have been tried and tested in Ayurveda's and also have clinical studies behind them.
1 Gallon Reverse Osmosis Filtered water (the purer the water, the better the ferment and the less gunk your body has to sort through to get to the good stuff!).
A 1 Gallon Glass Jar or Steel Canister to store Kombucha in during fermentation.
3 Tablespoons Organic Apple Cider Vinegar
Brewing Instructions-
#1 Filter the water you plan to use for your Kombucha or buy filtered water! Some sites and instructions will claim it doesn't matter for your Kombucha. While that may in theory be true, it DOES matter for YOU! You don't need Lead, Iron, Arsenic, Pesticides and Herbicides in your Booch. Plain and simple!
#2 Boil your 1 gallon of water for approximately 5-10 minutes. DO NOT USE A TEFLON PAN as this will off-gas toxins into the water and therefore reduce the healing potential of the elixir. Use a stainless steel or ceramic coated pot to heat the water.
#3 Toss in your packets of Organic Black Tea and Adaptogen/Herbal Blend(s) while still hot to allow even mixing and activation. Cool for as long as needed to reach room temperature (you should be able to lightly stick your pinkie finger in and withstand the heat) then remove packets.
#4 Filter your mixture through a small cutting of cheesecloth into your jar/container
#5 Once a reasonable room temperature has been reached (if it burns YOU, it will burn your SCOBY as well. Be sure it's only moderately warm!), add in your starter culture and 1 Cup Granulated Organic Sugar and gently stir. Once you feel it has been evenly mixed, take the cheesecloth and make a cut just large enough to fit over the mouth of your jar/container and be held down with tape or rubber bands.
#6 Before covering your Kombucha, add in the 3 tablespoons of Organic ACV (acts as a fermentation booster and prevents mold from forming and can make the beneficial bio-chemicals in your herbs easier to digest and absorb). Cover with the cheesecloth and let sit for a minimum of one week! You've just started a Kombucha culture!
#7 Think beautiful, loving thoughts towards your Kombucha! Sing to it, hug it, and tell it you love it! Kombucha cultures are living entities, and they'll absorb every bit of good energy you give them. We personally like to paint the Heart Chakra symbol on our jars/containers to increase the loving energy.
#8 After a week or two has passed give it a taste! It will take a number of weeks (usually 4 weeks) to get a fizzy and tangy ferment, so be patient and remember any progress is progress! Once it can be poured directly from it's container into a glass and maintain both it's fizz and tang, you've achieved your first ferment! From there you can continue to ferment it (it will eventually begin to become alcoholic after roughly 2 months of ferment, so be cautious when giving the brew to children or those who should avoid drinking if you have achieved a 2 month ferment), or bottle and refrigerate it to drink as you please. Remember that Kombucha is a live product and the fresher it is, the better!
#9 Continue your education! There are so many ways to ferment, and so many herbs to experiment with! We've of course barely scratched the surface here, but it certainly can provide a launching point! Remember that your own self-education is the only asset that ALWAYS increases in value.
We hope this recipe and information helped to make a case to you for fermenting your own Booch and herbs!
Thanks for reading! We love the bunches out of you all!
-CTTN