In 2024, kombucha tea made headlines for its anecdotal health benefits and alleged medicinal purposes. Kombucha is a fermented tea beverage made with sugar, bacteria and yeast. Kombucha is sold in many specialty grocery and health food stores, but some fans make their own at home by adding a colony of yeast and bacteria to a sugar and tea combination and allowing the mix to ferment.
Kombucha tea has a number of noted health benefits including vitamin B and a variety of minerals that stimulate the immune system, help prevent cancer and improve digestion and liver function. Just as these helpful effects have been noted, medical experts also report that kombucha can cause adverse effects, such as stomach upset and infections in tea drinkers.
To make kombucha, brewers use a “starter” or a bit of already fermented tea to add to a tea and sugar mixture and let it sit unrefrigerated in a large container or basin for 7-14 days, during which bacteria and yeast grow atop the surface.
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