THE TEA OF IMMORTALITY || Tea; the foundation of kombucha and why it’s so good for you
Welcome to the fourth in our series of explaining the health benefits of kombucha. Congratulations on making it this far! 😊
Our mission with Fix8 has always been to put flavour at the forefront of a functional product. No more “holding your nose as you drink a green juice”; finally, a healthy product that tastes delicious.
To catch up on the rest of our health benefits series:
- In our first episode of we looked at digestion
- In our second, we looked at the Gut-brain axis and it’s role connected to mental health
- In our third, we look at probiotics
This week, we're looking at the wonders of TEA!
Considering kombucha is ‘fermented tea’, it is worth diving into the benefits of tea - a common household drink which is more of a wonder tonic than you might have thought...
Did you know that where kombucha comes from in Asia, another name for it is the ‘tea of immortality’?
Myths and legends around kombucha state that it was a beverage consumed by the high class in Japan. The Japanese Emperor Ingyo was famed for drinking kombucha around 414 AD, prescribed by his doctor for it’s healing properties and benefits to cure him from ailments.
Equally, it is said that Japanese samurai would carry kombucha in their flask onto the battlefield and drink it for strength and longevity.
Now let’s dive into the wonders of tea...
BREAKING NEWS! The basis for authentically brewed kombucha is tea.
At Fix8, we use a combination of high-grown black tea from the Southern Hills of India, and a beautiful Chinese Sencha Green tea to brew our award-winning kombucha.
Quick geek out: kombucha is usually made with ‘real tea’ - something from the camellia sinensis tea plant... like green, black, white - not a herbal tea (tisane) like mint or chamomile.
Women picking camellia sinensis tea leaves which will then be oxidised and processed into black, green or white tea - all from the same plant.
Real tea contains hundreds of nutrients and compounds, including polyphenols, antioxidants, amino acids and L-theanine.
But these are just fancy words, let’s break these 4 compounds down:
Polyphenols
Polyphenols are micronutrients that are found in plant-based foods. They are packed with antioxidants, which help improve digestion issues (remember - the gut!), can aid weight management difficulties, alleviate symptoms of diabetes, and can help with neurodegenerative and cardiovascular diseases.
Antioxidants
These guys help reduce damage to cells from things called “free radicals” - alas, they’re not tiny little rebels running riot inside us, but molecules that we produce naturally in response to pressures or stress in life (both physical and mental).
It is so super important to top up our antioxidants in day-to-day nutrition and keep these free radicals at bay, and that’s why a cup of soothing tea, or refreshing kombucha (fermented tea) can help reduce feelings of stress in the body. What’s more - antioxidants are great for your skin and anti-aging, so it’s a win-win!
Amino Acids
Amino acids keep our bodies moving, and play a vital role in pretty every aspect of us standing upright and carrying on day-to-day!
They help create, grow and nurture our muscles (from our arms and legs, to even our skin!), they encourage effective healing and repair throughout the body, and, of course assist the gut in normalising digestion - boom!
L-Theanine
This is a specific type of amino acid found naturally in tea. According to research “L-theanine may affect the levels of certain chemicals in the brain. These include serotonin and dopamine, which influence mood, sleep, and emotion, and cortisol, which helps the body deal with stress.”
In a nutshell, L-Theanine is particularly good for brain function, improving sleep, reducing stress whilst enhancing mental clarity.
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So when we make kombucha, we simply make a big pot of tea and add the kombucha culture (SCOBY) to kick off the fermentation process.
So, not only do we receive all the health benefits of tea, but due to the fermentation process, these benefits of tea are more bioavailable for the body to absorb (we discussed bioavailability here)!
In some sense, kombucha is therefore a ‘super tea’, charged with a whole host of health benefits including all those of tea as well as probiotics, organic acids and B vitamins.
See how you feel when you drink kombucha, do you feel more calm, alert and focused? That’s the fermented tea for you.
