JB writes: “My daughter was introduced to what looks like a New Age drink called ‘Kombucha’. This was while she was going to school in the San Francisco Area, the main distributor is based in Beverly Hills. I have also seen a lot of ‘yogi tea’ in supermarkets across the US.”

The purveyors of Kombucha tea like to call their product “enlightened” and are making millions off New Age enthusiasts who are drinking it by the gallons, but the product itself is not New Age.

The Kombucha fad began in 1995 when a young man named G.K. Dave discovered that his mother had a highly aggressive form of breast cancer.

“After a week of emotional turmoil, I was relieved to find out that her breast cancer had not spread and that the pungent tasting cultured tea that she had been drinking was part of the reason why,” he writes on the company website.

His mother, Laraine Dave, claims that her doctors were amazed when her cancer failed to spread and asked if she was doing anything special. She was drinking Kombucha tea every day, a “miracle drink” that she claims has an ancient healing tradition that spans centuries and cultures.

Her son, G.K., decided to start making this tea for his mom, who eventually went on to beat her cancer via chemotherapy and radiation. She credits Kombucha for keeping her strong before, during and after her cancer experience.

Long after her cancer disappeared, her son’s tea making business began to take off, especially after it caught on among the trendy and health conscious  20-to-30 age group. Before long, stars such as Halle Berry, Madonna, Lindsay Lohan and Kirsten Dunst were seen sipping Kombucha. As a result, the IB Times reports that G.K.’s sales and those of other “functional juice” sales in the U.S. topped $295 million by 2010.

Is there anything special about Kombucha?

The short answer is no. It is simply fermented tea which has been around for thousands of years (hence its claim to antiquity).

According to WebMD, Kombucha is made by fermenting kombucha and bacteria with black tea, sugar, and other ingredients. It is used for everything from boosting the immune system to treating cancer, AIDS and high blood pressure; however, there is no scientific evidence that it is an effective treatment for any condition.

In fact, Kombucha tea is considered to be UNSAFE for most adults because it can cause side effects such as including stomach problems, yeast infections, allergic reactions, yellow skin (jaundice), nausea, vomiting, head and neck pain, and even death.

Because Kombucha tea can be made at home where it’s hard to maintain a germ-free environment, it can become contaminated with fungus and bacteria. WebMD reports that 20 people in Iran got anthrax infections from taking kombucha tea.

“This tea is particularly unsafe in people with weakened immune systems, such as people with HIV/AIDS, who are more likely to get infections,” the report states. “Also, lead poisoning has been reported from kombucha tea that was prepared in a lead-glazed ceramic pot.”

For obvious reasons, it is not recommended for pregnant women or those who are breast feeding and alcoholics are warned away from it because it does contain alcohol. It also contains caffeine which can cause diarrhea and worsen symptoms of irritable bowel syndrome.

Those who have weakened immune systems are particularly warned away from the tea because their bodies are unable to fight off infections caused by the bacteria and fungus found in the tea.

Because an appropriate dose of Kombucha tea depends on a person’s age, health and other conditions, and there is not enough scientific information to determine dosage, people who want to use it should consult a healthcare professional before doing so.

At least one death has been linked to Kombucha tea. It occurred in 1995 when two women who consumed the tea daily for two months were hospitalized with severe acidosis which is an increase of acid levels in body fluids. One of the women died of a cardiac arrest. The second woman also experience heart failure but was revived and went on to recover.

Kombucha tea may not be New Age, but that doesn’t make it any less dangerous!

As for yogi tea, that’s a whole different story and I will blog about that on Monday. Stay tuned!