Aids HIV FAQ

Kombucha questions

Question:

I have recently started some K.tea.  A few questions I have are: Can I give it to my children, ages 5 and 2, and if so how much should they have? I recently read somewhere that it is not recommended for pregnant or lactating women.  I am still nursing my 2 yo.  Is it or is it not safe to drink the tea? I was told not to ferment the tea or store it in plastic bowls/containers.  I just heard from a friend that she uses plastic.  I’m confused!  Can I or can I not use plastic? I was also told not to put my mushroom in the ‘frig.  Same friend as above says she stores her extras in the ‘frig (with a little tea) for up to two weeks to stagger her fermentation or until she can find it a home. Is this okay? TIA for your help. Peace, Jeanne (caretaker and friend of three kombucha, soon to be 6, then                12, then….What have I gotten myself into!!)

Response:

  >Can I give it to my children, ages 5 and 2, and if so how much   >should they have? Nobody knows.   >I recently read somewhere that it is not recommended for pregnant or   >lactating women. I am still nursing my 2 yo. Is it or is it not safe to   >drink the tea? Nobody knows.   >I was told not to ferment the tea or store it in plastic   >bowls/containers. I just heard from a friend that she uses plastic.   >I’m confused!  Can I or can I not use plastic?   >I was also told not to put my mushroom in the ‘frig. Same friend as   >above says she stores her extras in the ‘frig (with a little tea) for up   >to two weeks to stagger her fermentation or until she can find it a home.   >Is this okay? I understand there is a ‘kombucha’ newsgroup. Someone there will know… or at least say they do…which in K-talk is the equivalent. If your question relates to what’s the best way to grow, etc…that group will help. If you want to know whether it will distribute to your fetus and and have any long-term consequences, I doubt they will know. It’s not like there have been a bunch of pharmacological and pharmacokinetic studies. At least _I_ don’t know of any. Ask ‘Them.’   >Peace, Jeanne (caretaker and friend of three kombucha, soon to be 6,   >then 12, then….What have I gotten myself into!!) "What have you gotten [yourself] into?" Ever see ‘Invasion of the Body Snatchers?’ JB.

Response:

> I have recently started some K.tea.  A few questions I have are: > Can I give it to my children, ages 5 and 2, and if so how much should > they have?

      Many people give Kombucha to their children. For 2 years old       children give 1/5 dosage, for 5 years old 1/3 of adult dosage.       (sorry, my mother tongue is German, so please excuse any       mistakes in spelling and word order) > I recently read somewhere that it is not recommended for pregnant or > lactating women.  I am still nursing my 2 yo.  Is it or is it not safe to > drink the tea?

Should pregnant or nursing women drink Kombucha? l  So far my opinion was: To my knowledge and experience there is absolutely no concern why pregnant or nursing women should not drink the Kombucha beverage. Kombucha is not a remedy with harmful side effects like pharmaceutical remedies. No contraindications are known. So if a pregnant or nursing wowan feels good if she drinks Kombucha she should keep drinking this beverage for her benefit. l  On the other hand I read an article in an Internet Discussion Group. The sender was Jack Barclay February 7, 1995). Jack Barclay made a different suggestion. He refers to a letter that reads like this: I have had a K culture for a few months, but a couple of months ago I quit drinking it because of concerns over diminished immunity brought on by constant ingestion of antibiotics in the K tea. I am confident now that a prudent amount each day will not produce undue negative side effects, but a new problem has presented itself. I have tried to find the answer elsewhere with no luck. My wife is in her first trimester of pregnancy, and she would like to take the K tea also. The instructions I received with my original culture said not to use the tea during pregnancy. I am assuming there is thought to be some danger to the fetus by the introduction of antibiotics. Can you tell me if it is safe for her and the child? The answer: The matter of antibiotics in kombucha tea and reduced immunity is a result of bad press, in my opinion.  People who have not researched the issue seem to be putting out comments based on poor thought and are shooting from the hip.  Kombucha tea contains the same types of antibiotics which are in the body and in other foods, not in prepared drugs.  Are all of the Italians in the world going to lay off of garlic because of a fear of reduced immunity from the antibiotics in Garlic or the antibiotics in vinegar?  I think not.  There are other foods and herbs and teas that contain antibiotics and are beneficial. Some of these things are drunk for social reasons, not for medicine, but the benefits are a side bonus. One possible example is green tea which may have cancer prevention benefits. My candid and unproved opinion is that people do much more harm to their immune system by anger and other negative emotions than they will ever do by drinking the kombucha tea. I highly recommend that your wife wait until she has weaned the baby before she start drinking the k-tea. First, there has been no research on the effects of k-tea on developing fetuses. While the mother’s blood is separate from the baby’s blood, still, nutrients pass from the mother to the fetus. The k-tea not only contains antibiotics, it also contains benificial enzymes. However, these may be counter productive to a developing fetus.  You may remember that people are not told to give honey to a baby under 1 year because of the enzymes in the honey which the baby is not able to handle. One of the primary places of activity of the k-tea in the body is the small intestine. I believe that the k-tea might be quite harsh  on a fetus trying to grow and form these delicate organs.  For the same reason, k-tea which will pass to the baby through the milk, should not be given to a new born.  The internal organs are still developing and maturing in a baby after they are born and the baby’s system is not ready to handle k-tea.  K-tea cleans and aids the liver, kidneys bladder and all parts of the digestive and waste removal systems of the body, but a fetus or baby is not read for this.  It is best to wait until after the baby has arrived and the mother has finished nursing before the mother starts on the k-tea.  Also, if a woman is drinking the k-tea and becomes pregnant, she should immediately stop drinking it. Guenther Frank’s comment: There has been no profound research on the question whether pregnant or nursing women should drink Kombucha. As well my  explanation  as Jack Barclay’s explanation rely on theory and are speculations. So I cannot give you a definite answer. To be on the safe side it would perhaps advisable that pregnant or nursing women should be cautious. > I was told not to ferment the tea or store it in plastic > bowls/containers.  I just heard from a friend that she uses plastic.  I’m > confused!  Can I or can I not use plastic?

     Glass is without doubt the best. Do not use metal or cheap plastic      containers. If need be, you could use a high-grade syntethetic      material of the polyolefine group instead, e.g. polyethylene (PE)      or polypropyolene. Wine or cider which has a pH value similar      to that of Kombucha is also kept up in containers made of      this food-grade material. However you should avoid containers made      of polyvinylchloride (PVC) or polystrene. Styrol is damaging      to one’s health and can pass from containers made of this      material into the liquid undergoing fermentation. Metal is      not suitable because the organic acids produced by the      Kombucha culture can cause a chemical reaction with it.      Whether stainless steel can be used is in controversial      discussion at the moment.      If you make larger quantities of Kombucha for your family      a food-grade bucket with handle and spigot is very      easy to handle. You can get it for instance from Maritime,      When the fermentation process is finished you fill the      beverage by means of a bottle filler (attaches to end of      spigot at the bottom) directly into bottles. On the top you      fill in the new tea. Very comfortable. > I was also told not to put my mushroom in the ‘frig.  Same friend as > above says she stores her extras in the ‘frig (with a little tea) for up > to two weeks to stagger her fermentation or until she can find it a home. > Is this okay?

     I recommend: Do not store your mushroom in the fridge.      You may just store it at room temperature. If you store it      in the fridge it will take quite a longer time if you start      a new batch. > TIA for your help. > Peace, Jeanne (caretaker and friend of three kombucha, soon to be 6, then >                12, then….What have I gotten myself into!!)

     Pass the Kombucha babys on to your friends. It is a good      custom to pass on the Kombucha mushroom to other people      as a sign of friendship and mutual helpfulness.      To help is a token of friendship. If you have received      any benefits from Kombucha  (and I am sure you will),      you should feel the moral obligation to tell others      about it. As the Chinese saying goes: "Mutual help      makes even the poor rich." If you are interested you could join a kombucha discussion list by sending a message to In the body of the message, put the following     subscribe     end BTW, I am the author of the book "Kombucha – Healthy beverage and natural remedy from the Far East". The distributor in the USA (as well wholesale as retailer) of the book "Gunther W. Frank: Kombucha, Healthy beverage and natural remedy from the Far East (Its correct preparation and use", the selling price is $23 plus $4 shipping and handling) is: Valentine Communications Corp. P.O. Box 11089, NAPLES, FL 33941, USA  Telephone 813-263-4101, Fax 813-263-8797. No e-mail address so far. Please contact Mr. Valentine by snail-mail or telephone. He will deliver you the book as well as retailing prices as at a wholesale price (for book shops). Guenther W. Frank, Genossensch.-Str. 10 D-75217 Birkenfeld, Germany Book "Kombucha – Healthy beverage and natural remedy from the Far East":   Valentine Communications Corp. P.O. Box 11089, NAPLES, FL 33941,                                   Tel. (813) 263-4101, Fax (813) 263- 8797                        

Response:

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