Almost every inhabitant of the post-Soviet space is very familiar with the hero of our today's article, who occupies an honorable place in the bank in many kitchens. In those days, the drink obtained from this substance was practically the only ubiquitous alternative to tea, many miraculous properties were attributed to it, the hostesses diluted, transferred parts from it to one another and tried to bring out an ideal sample of this organism. This article will help you learn more about the properties of Kombucha, as well as how to grow it properly and provide it with proper care.
Description
Kombucha, also known as a jellyfish mushroom or a Japanese mushroom, came to Russia along with soldiers returning home from the fronts of the Japanese-Russian war. Its body in its structure resembles a jellyfish, for which he received this name among the people.
The top of the fungus is absolutely smooth, and its lower part is dotted with a huge number of yeast bacteria, which do all the work on the synthesis of the drink.
From the point of view of biology, this creature is a symbiosis of acetic acid bacteria and yeast, which, when placed in a nutrient medium (in our margins, tea most often plays its role), begins to grow, release carbon dioxide and saturate the solution, which is its habitat, with various nutrients elements, which, in essence, are the waste products of these bacteria.
Did you know? Mushrooms growing in the ground are the largest organisms on the planet, since they are all connected together by a common organ called the mycelium. The largest mushroom found on the planet is Armillaria ostoyae, whose mycelium covers an area of 800 hectares.Outwardly, the young jellyfish resembles a thick film of white, brown, yellow or pink hue, which is always kept on the surface of the nutrient fluid. Over time, the size of this organism grows, and ultimately it is able to fill almost any capacity allocated to it.
Did you know? In other countries, this mushroom is often called various variations of the word "kombut", which literally means "seaweed tea" in Japanese.
The only condition for its constant growth is the timely replenishment of the habitat with nutrients, to put it simply, it is necessary to add sweet tea or juice to it.
Composition
The liquid in which the Kombucha is placed is in constant dynamic changes in its quantitative composition, and therefore it will be difficult enough to say exactly how much of one or another component it contains at the moment. 
In general terms, its chemical composition can be submitted as follows:
- small amount of ethanol;
- various organic acids, the exact composition of which depends on the primary substrate - acetic, oxalic, phosphoric, kojic, lactic, pyruvic, gluconic, malic, citric;
- various enzymes - protease, carbonic anhydrase, trypsin, lipase, sucrase, catalase, zymase, amylase;
- vitamins, the content of which in the fluid increases every day, - thiamine, ascorbic acid;
- fats in low concentration - fatty acids, sterols, phosphatides;
- sugar in low concentrations, with both monosaccharides and polysaccharides;
- pigment substances - chlorophyll, xanthophyll;
- tea leaves purine.
- Calories - 28.25 kcal per 100 ml of product.
- Proteins - an average of 2.25 g per 100 ml of product.
- Carbohydrates - an average of 6.44 g per 100 ml of product.
- Fats are incalculable, concentration is too low.
Beneficial features
Due to the high content of vitamin C in the composition of this product, it can be used as a highly effective means to increase immunity and as a means to accelerate the recovery processes after viral diseases. In combination with some of the organic acids in its composition, this effect is enhanced.
To improve immunity, they also use dogwood, bee pollen, echinacea, Crimean iron box, Beijing cabbage, pumpkin, viburnum, blackberry, yucca, safflower, freezer, bay leaf, aloe, calendula, tilted amaranth, mokrichu, hibiscus.
Due to the huge amount of organic acids that are part of the fluid produced by this organism, it can be used to treat diseases of the liver, blood, and also as a remedy for athletes after heavy training or people who have injured skeletal muscles. 
Enzymes, abundantly allocated to them, allow using the drink obtained from it as a therapeutic agent for various diseases of the gastrointestinal tract and secretory insufficiency of its glands. The choleretic effect exerted by this tool formed the basis for its use in various diseases of the biliary tract and gallbladder.
The choleretic effect also has: white carrots, wormwood, red currants, pleckrantus, dandelion and chamomile.
The insignificant amount of sugars contained in the substrate of the jellyfish helps to normalize the metabolism of carbohydrates in the human body, so it can be advised with a pure soul in various disorders of metabolic processes, including diabetes.
The antioxidant and tonic effects of Kombucha drink make it an excellent everyday replacement for the usual coffee and tea. Kombucha drink helps to cleanse the gastrointestinal tract from the toxins accumulated in it and generally has a cleansing effect on the entire body. 
This tool shows itself well in the fight against obesity. By normalizing metabolic processes and improving the gastrointestinal tract, it contributes to a faster breakdown of fats and slows down the process of absorption of their new portion in the intestine.
Application
The drink from the hero of our article is used as a remedy for many diseases of the gastrointestinal tract: colitis, gastritis, gastric ulcers and duodenal ulcers. For the treatment of diseases of this localization is best to use a mixture of honey (1 tablespoon) and Kombucha (100 ml).
Familiarize yourself with the beneficial properties of chestnut, buckwheat, acacia, hawthorn, acacia, sweet clover, phacelia, linden, rapeseed and sainfoin honey.
In the first week after starting treatment, it will be best to refrain from eating heavy meals. This tool is taken 3 times a day half an hour before meals. For the treatment of sore throat and stomatitis drink should carefully rinse your mouth or throat, the procedure should be carried out every 1.5-2 hours.
For the treatment of these diseases, as well as various colds and runny nose, it is recommended to use the infusion of the fungus, which is not less than a week, because during this time it has time to form substances with antimicrobial properties. 
Important! Do not use Kombucha as the only therapeutic agent in the treatment of a pathological process. Only an integrated approach to treatment using a combination of popular and modern medications will help you achieve pronounced and reliable results.
For the treatment of hypertension, it is recommended to use the drink in combination with infusion of fennel seeds. Three quarters of a glass of kombucha drink is mixed with a quarter of the prepared infusion of fennel seeds and they drink this remedy three tablespoons twice a day before meals.
Atherosclerotic disease can also be overcome with this tool. To do this, take 100 ml of the drink at night and do not drink any liquid until the morning. After a weekly course, the dosage of Kombucha drink must be doubled and continued treatment for another three weeks.
A month later, the course can be repeated. In order to facilitate the process of losing weight, it is recommended to use Kombucha before meals for 15-20 minutes in one glass.
Cardamom, swede, leek, okra, cauliflower, broccoli, lingonberries, spinach, raisins and beans also contribute to weight loss.
By itself, the fungus can not have any miraculous effect, but if you stick to a diet and regularly exert yourself to physical exertion, it will help you speed up the weight loss process.
For the treatment of diseases of the liver, biliary tract and gallbladder, drink 1 glass of this product on an empty stomach from morning until breakfast, as soon as you wake up, and just before you go to sleep, after dinner. You may experience discomfort in the abdomen, but they need to endure, after a few days of such treatment, they will pass.
Tea jellyfish can help you improve the condition of your hair and nails. For hair, it is necessary to take an infusion that is not less than a month old, and after washing it, rinse their head with it. This will help restore hair shine, make them less brittle and more voluminous. For the treatment of nail fungus, it is recommended to apply compresses and lotions with infusion.
How to grow
Among the many recipes for the cultivation of Kombucha we provide for you the most simple and time-tested. 
So, to create our own culture, we need:
- 3 liters of water;
- kombucha culture;
- 250 g of sugar;
- pan;
- 6 tea bags;
- three-liter glass jar;
- gauze;
- elastic.
Important! To avoid illness and damage to your mushroom culture, remember that all actions must be carried out in clean dishes. It is advisable to boil all the tools before the procedure and how to wash your hands with soap and water.
After you have prepared all the necessary ingredients, you can proceed to the direct process of "planting" the fungus in a permanent place:
- Pour three liters of water into a saucepan and bring it to a boil.
- Then put all tea bags and 250 g of sugar in boiling water, mix everything thoroughly.
- Turn off the gas under the pan and cover it with a lid.
- When the water temperature in the pan reaches + 22 ... +25 ° С, remove tea bags from it and transfer it to a three-liter jar.
- Then add the culture of the fungus to the jar, cover it with gauze and secure with a rubber band.
- Place the jar in a dark place where it will have to stand for 2 weeks at room temperature.
- Periodically add tea or another substrate to the jar with the mushroom and from time to time remove the excess culture so that it does not occupy the entire space of the jar.
Care rules
Best of all, your jellyfish mushroom will feel at room temperature, away from heat and direct sunlight. Ideally, if you can find a place for him somewhere in the pantry or closet in the kitchen, but this is not a prerequisite for its successful cultivation and normal existence.
The ideal temperature for this organism is between +18 and +25 ° C, however, in general, it will be quite comfortable to be in any temperature conditions acceptable to the human body.
It is desirable that children do not have access to it, since practice shows that their interest in everything unusual, the desire to study an unknown subject for them, rarely ends for the latter with something good. 
With a frequency of at least once every two weeks, it is necessary to completely change the substrate in the bank, regardless of whether you drank the previous one or not.
To prepare it, you can use any non-flavored green or black tea. Remember that it is forbidden to simply put sugar on top of the jellyfish, as this is fraught with its traumatization. Sugar must be dissolved in the substrate.
At least once every two weeks, it is necessary to empty the jar in which the mushroom is located, and rinse it with warm (+ 35-40 ° C) boiled water. This procedure is necessary so that the fungus does not hit the pathogens and it served you as long as possible.
If you notice that the bottom layer of the fungus has separated, take the top layer and, having done all the above mentioned manipulations, put it in a new jar or simply throw it away. If you notice that the fungus has darkened, you should immediately completely change the infusion. 
A kvass, which remained in the bank, in any case can not drink. The same applies to the kvass, located in the bank, the mushroom of which fell to the bottom. Such a jellyfish, most likely, has died, and you will have to start the process of growing it anew.
Fungus diseases
Like any other living creature, Kombucha can get sick, but due to the simplicity of its nature and its extraordinary vitality, all its diseases are quite easily treated. Often, a particular fungus has arisen in the kombucha, the owner is the only one to blame, who has not properly followed the fungus or violated the conditions for its maintenance.
The formation of brown spots on the surface of the fungus indicates that undissolved sugar or tea leaves have fallen on it. When these symptoms manifest, it is worthwhile to separate the layer that was affected, and then more closely monitor the condition of the nutrient medium in which you place the mushroom, filter it well through gauze and mix sugar properly. 
If in the process of "planting" the fungus, technological flaws were made at the place of growth, then algae-like blue-green threads may form in its solution. Often they can be seen on the walls of the jar or in the solution itself, which is significantly cloudy due to them.
Similar symptoms occur if the temperature of the fungus is disturbed or the pH of the nutrient solution is too high. Washing the fungus and placing it in normal conditions completely eliminates this problem.
Sometimes in the body of the fungus they can lay their eggs flies drosophila, and the larvae hatched from the eggs will eat the products of the vital activity of the organism, mature, re-breed, again lay eggs in it, and so on to infinity.
Such a mushroom is almost impossible to cure, you just have to throw it away and start a new one. To prevent such situations, gauze and gum fixing it are used. 
Important! In a room where there is a jar with this organism, it is highly recommended not to smoke, because the smoke that enters the jar has a bad effect on the acidity of the substrate and contributes to the appearance of mold.
Often, ordinary mold forms on the surface of the fungus, the same as can be seen on bread or other foods. Often this problem occurs in young organisms that have not yet had time to change the acidity of the substrate in such a way as to protect themselves from its appearance.
It is recommended to replace such a mushroom, but if for any reason you want to try to save it, rinse it under cool running water and then lightly wash it with boiled vinegar. After that, place the jellyfish in a sterilized jar and refill with nutrient medium.
Contraindications and harm
This drink has practically no contraindications and is not capable of causing the slightest harm to a healthy body. 
However, if you have gastritis or stomach ulcers in acute form, you should use this product with caution. It is not recommended for use and individuals prone to low blood pressure.
Remember that this drink is inherently a product of fungal nature, and therefore it is undesirable to take it if you have any severe systemic fungal disease (coccidiomycosis, actinomycosis, histoplasmosis, etc.), because it can provoke additional surge in its activity and cause significant deterioration.
We hope that this article has helped you to answer all the questions that you had about the Kombucha. Remember that the active use of Kombucha in traditional medicine does not make it a full-fledged medicinal product, but its natural properties to endow with a special flavor such an ordinary and bored drink, like tea, may well provide him with a place in your kitchen.
