MYTH: Kombucha is sugar-free.
TRUTH: You cannot make kombucha without sugar to feed the SCOBY. The more days kombucha is brewed, the more of the sugar the SCOBY consumes. But it won’t be sugar free until 30 days or so, by which time it is more sour than most people can like. The usual brew time is 7-12 days, after which time there is sugar, but as you can see in the graphic, it is FAR less than in other drinks. If you need to know the sugar content of your home brew, you can use sugar test strips.
TRUE: Kombucha is an alcoholic drink.
FACT: Yes, but it is a very small amount, usually between 0.5 and 3%, depending on length of fermentation. (Beer contains 4-6%.)
MYTH: Kombucha is caffeine-free.
TRUTH: Kombucha has the same caffeine as the tea you started with. If you want decaff, start with decaff.
TRUE: Kombucha is a powerful detoxifier.
FACT: Kombucha appears to help the body produce glucoronic acid, which is a powerful detoxifier. Kombucha itself does not contain the compound, but people who drink kombucha have a lot of glucoronic acid in their urine.
TRUE: Kombucha is effective at relieving joint pain.
FACT: Although kombucha itself does not contain hyaluronic acid and glucosamine, it appears to help the body produce these joint-helping compounds.
MYTH: Kombucha contains over 50 different kinds of probiotics, organic enzymes, amino acids and vitamins.
FACT: This is a debatable claim, since every batch of kombucha is different. Most batches of kombucha will contain an analgesic (pain reliever), an anti-arthritic compound, an anti-spasmodic compound, a liver-protective compound, and several anti-bacterial compounds. [Note: Kombucha has gluconic acid, but not glucoronic acid.] Every batch will contain at least one beneficial yeast, acetobacter (the beneficial bacteria in the SCOBY), gluconic acid (a pH regulator), and acetic acid (an anti-microbial acid, which also stabilizes blood sugar).
MYTH: Kombucha is dangerous and has been linked to deaths.
FACT: In 1995, two ladies who drank kombucha from the same original SCOBY got sick suddenly and one died. The CDC published a caution that it may have been the SCOBY, but tests proved there were no pathogens or toxin-producing organisms in the SCOBY and no one else who brewed from that same SCOBY had any problems. Whatever made those two ladies sick, it wasn’t the kombucha.
Read more myths and facts @ http://www.phoenixhelix.com/2013/03/25/kombucha-myths-vs-truths/
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