ALL OVER THE WORLD, people are awakening to the role of natural remedies in countering the increasingly harmful effects of modern day hazards, which bombard, challenge and compromise the human immune system like never before.

Kombucha benefits many people worldwide, but is still a little known secret in our fast-paced society; a natural adaptogen which works on a wide array of conditions to restore balance and support the immune system. As Hippocrates pointed out, true healing occurs when the body is encouraged to heal itself, and the health benefits of Kombucha 's effect on the body recall the basics of true medicine.

A probiotic is a live bacteria that helps populate the large intestine with friendly bacteria known as gut flora, which dissolve harmful micro-organisms and cholesterol. Scientific research shows the benefits of Kombucha, whose high concentration of probiotic-rich acids can provide a powerful energy boost, and detoxify and cleanse the blood of disease-causing toxins, allowing the body to alleviate a wide spectrum of ailments and conditions; from the mildest indisposition to the most serious diseases.

Based on the evidence of personal experience as documented on countless web sites devoted to Kombucha benefits, these include: arthritis pains, intestinal problems, digestive disorders, kidney stones, high cholesterol, chronic fatigue, asthma, bronchitis, migraine, eczema, headaches, constipation, diabetes, rheumatism, anxiety, dizziness and insomnia. Problems associated with advancing years, such as high blood pressure, poor eye sight, arteriosclerosis and gout may also be helped by Kombucha's anti-aging properties.

In the 1960s, specific cancer treatments utilised Kombucha's high concentration of glucuronic acid to balance intestinal flora (the Russian author Alexander Solzhenitzyn often stated his belief that drinking Kombucha tea cured his stomach cancer and saved his life during his internment in Soviet labour camps). On October 7th, 2006, The Guardian newspaper reported on tests conducted by scientists at the University of Ulster, stating: "Probiotic drinks containing live mixtures of bacteria may help to combat certain cancers, according to studies on patients at risk of the disease."

Scentists are becoming more and more vocal in disseminating the tangible effect of friendly bacteria on the body. In January 2008, the journal Molecular Systems Biology reported research by Imperial College London that mice fed probiotic drinks had different levels of key chemicals in their blood and urine related to important processes in the body, including the digestion of fat. "Some argue that probiotics cannot change your gut microflora," says Professor Jeremy Nicholson, who led the project. "Our study shows that probiotics can have an effect and they interact with the local ecology and talk to other bacteria. We're still trying to understand what the changes they bring about might mean in terms of overall health, but we have established that introducing friendly bacteria can change the dynamics of the whole population of microbes in the gut.

Kombucha fermented with green tea packs a multitude of benefits. Study after study shows that green tea is rich in health-promoting antioxidants and polyphenols, which American research suggests can have a protective affect against cancers like leukaemia.

A wealth of scientific research over the years, particularly in Germany and Russia, demonstrates that drinking Kombucha tea as part of a healthy lifestyle can help achieve optimum wellness.

In 1951, the Russian Academy of Sciences analysed the rapidly expanding industrial region of Perm in the Western Ural Mountains. Although one of the most toxic areas in the USSR due to excessive amounts of poisonous waste, it boasted extremely low incidences of cancer and a well above average number of centenarians due, the Academy concluded, to almost every household in the region brewing its own Kombucha tea ("tea kwass"), introduced to the mountains by Chinese travellers centuries earlier.

Documented research also concurs that regular consumption of Kombucha tea can help to invigorate the entire glandular system, boost interferon production and regulate acid/alkaline levels. Studies in California have shown that people infected with HIV who regularly drink Kombucha tea benefit from significantly strengthened immune systems, thereby inhibiting the onset of full-blown AIDS, although Kombucha should not be drunk by those on AIDS medications.

The effects of drinking Kombucha tea vary from person to person. Those who find it especially beneficial generally experience an immediate ‘lift’ and report sustained vitality and well-being after just 2-4 weeks of daily use. Positive effects on some diseases, infections and ailments can occur within the first few months, and dramatic changes are noticeable by some within one year.

We would like to hear your experiences drinking Gaia's Organic Kombucha. Please email healthbenefits@gokombucha.com