KOMBUCHA ("com-boo-cha") tea is an infusion of green tea, black tea and sugar metabolised by the Kombucha culture: a continuously reproducing, symbiotic colony of friendly bacteria and fission yeasts which are free of the spores some people, particularly women, are allergic to, and which can help alleviate rather than aggravate conditions like candida.

Over the course of several days - in a chemical reaction similar to how yeast reacts with complex sugars during the brewing of beer - the Kombucha culture digests most of the sugar, breaking it down and converting it into a potent force of organic probiotic acids, enzymes, minerals and vitamins C, B1, B2, B3, B6, B12 and B15.

Kombucha’s distinctive cider-like ‘bite’ owes to the profusion of acids which, most drinkers find, provide an energising ‘lift’. Most importantly of all, these acids comprise a variety of antibiotic properties which have a beneficial effect on the body’s natural defence system, promoting good health, well-being and vitality.

Kombucha tea is acclaimed for its anti-aging properties among older users, and as an effective weight loss and cholesterol-lowering agent. Kombucha extract is used by many top cosmetics companies, including Chanel and Estee Lauder, to enhance the performance of their skin care products; its cellular renewing properties boosts collagen and elastin, thereby improving skin tone and softening wrinkles. Kombucha is one of the key components of the new "miracle" anti-wrinkle cream, Tri-Aktiline, with 68% of male and female users noting an instant filling of wrinkles, and 83% reporting a noticeable improvement in the apperance of fine lines in four weeks. Kombucha has a similarly rejuvenating effect from the inside out; "improved complexion" is noted by many regular drinkers, as is restored hair thickness and colour!

The earliest recorded consumption of Kombucha tea dates back to the Chinese Qin Dynasty of 221BC. Ancient records from the period refer to the unique tea infusion as ‘The elixir of life’, while the spiritual Zen Masters regarded Kombucha as a source of chi – a revitalizing life energy that aligns and harmonises the body and mind with the soul. The Japanese Samurai warriors often carried Kombucha tea in their hip flasks to replenish their energy levels during battle.

As trade routes expanded beyond the Far East, Kombucha spread via travellers and traders to India, Russia and Eastern Europe, arriving in Germany around the turn of the 20th Century. Kombucha tea was soon being enjoyed throughout Europe until World War II broke out and, with it, the rationing of the two essential ingredients for metabolising Kombucha: tea and sugar. By the early 1960s, Kombucha's popularity started to take off again.

Today, Kombucha tea is experiencing a further phenomenal resurgence of popularity worldwide, not least among the Hollywood jet set. Madonna and Hollywood stars Cher, Barbra Streisand, Alec Baldwin, Susan Sarandon and Meg Ryan all profess to enjoying the ‘wonder drink’. Now Gaia’s Organic Kombucha (formerly Gourmet Kombucha) enables you to experience truly authentic, handmade Kombucha tea, just as the Chinese Emperors enjoyed it in times gone by.