What Is Kombucha And What Are Its Benefits? Lewtress Hi Potency Kombucha is a refreshing, slightly sparkling drink served cold. Kombucha is known to have many health benefits and its origin dates back thousands of years to China. Lewtress are Artisan Master Brewers of pure Kombucha – using manual methods rather than industrialised processes. Lewtress follow strict controls during their processing, which results in the best quality high potency Kombucha. Beneficial compounds found in Lewtress Kombucha include acetic acid, carbonic acid, vitamins C, B1, B2, B3, B6, B12, B15, various beneficial enzymes and essential amino acids, folic acid, gluconic acid, glucuronic acid and lactic acid, as well as usnic acid – a natural product of fermentation, suppressing development of micro-organisms not belonging to the Kombucha culture. Lewtress Hi Potency Kombucha is delicious! It is made by fermenting green tea and sugar with a Kombucha culture (symbiotic colony of beneficial bacteria and yeast). The Lewtress production unit is perfectly situated on the Welsh coast to take full advantage of the fresh country air and sea breezes that benefit the natural growth of our Kombucha cultures. During the fermentation process, the sugar ingredient is used/consumed as a food for the micro-organisms in the culture. The final product of Lewtress Hi Potency Kombucha is between 94.5% and 97.6% sugar free (varies between the different versions we make). In other words, it only contains between 2.4% to 5.5% residual sugars. Beneficial Properties of Lewtress Hi Potency Kombucha It is a probiotic tonic containing friendly Lactobacillus, Bifidobacterium, Cluconacetobacter, Acetobacter, and Zygosaccharomyces strains which can help improve digestion and balance gut flora. It contains prebiotic plant chemical polyphenols which feeds the friendly gut bacteria and also has antioxidant qualities. It produces many beneficial organic acids, including glucuronic acid. Glucuronic acid is known for its detoxifying properties and therefore helps liver function. It contains amino acids which we need for good liver function. It contains friendly yeasts. These can help expel pathogenic unfriendly yeast infections such as Candida Albicans, which can occur after taking antibiotics. The symptoms of yeast infections can include chronic bloating, nausea, brain fog, sugar cravings and diarrhoea. It contains Vitamin C. We need vitamin C for our immune system and it is also crucial for healthy connective tissue, skin, liver, and stress response. It contains B vitamins which we need for energy and good mental health. The Gut Microbiome and Probiotic and Prebiotic Qualities of Lewtress Hi Potency Kombucha The gut microbiome is collectively a vast number of organisms such as bacteria, yeasts, fungi, viruses and protozoans that live in our digestive system. Scientists are increasingly treating the microbiome as an organ in its own right. A well-balanced microbiome (also known as gut flora) is essential for bodily health. Modern day diets which include highly processed foods and excessive sugar, along with the routine use of antibiotics, can cause an imbalance between healthy and unhealthy gut flora. When unhealthy organisms (such as unfriendly yeasts), get the upper hand, our health can suffer in many ways. Kombucha is a symbiotic, which means that it contains probiotic bacteria and prebiotic plant chemical polyphenols. Probiotic means bacteria which your gut uses in a beneficial way to promote good digestive health and balance. Prebiotic foods are high in special types of fibre and work with probiotics to increase the friendly bacteria in the gut microbiome. Many people choose Lewtress Kombucha as a prebiotic/probiotic in favour of pills as it’s a preferable and more pleasant way of including this in your diet. Lewtress Kombucha is highly effective for restoring your gut microbiome as well as your general feeling of good health. It may take a little while for our Kombucha to counteract the negative effects of processed foods and high sugar in your diet, so you may need to have a regime of drinking Kombucha regularly. This shouldn’t be a hardship as Lewtress Kombucha is available in a choice of natural delicious green tea-based versions. Tried and Tested Lewtress is one of only a handful of producers in the UK who supply tested probiotic Kombucha products. Trading Standards have repeatedly tested our products with their ‘on the shelf test’ proving that Lewtress Hi Potency Kombucha tonics are totally natural, live palatable drinks and remain this way, without the use of any additives, colourings, stabilisers, preservatives or heat treatment/pasteurisation processes of any kind. Most of the commercially produced Kombucha products on the market today are pasteurised, which unfortunately destroys the beneficial probiotics, then sugar is added, which turns them into just another soft drink, with limited health benefits. Lewtress’s advanced and unique fermentation process has produced a Kombucha tonic that naturally contains the major detoxifying element glucuronic acid sought after, in vain, by all commercial Kombucha manufacturers. This detoxifying element has been the subject of a study by the Kombucha research group in America which set out to find this important element. It found that out of the nineteen other manufacturers, (bottled and capsulated tested) none of them were proven to contain glucuronic acid. Lewtress Kombucha tonic has undergone two independent tests, one by a British laboratory and the other by the Kombucha research Lab in Utah, both confirmed glucuronic acid present in Lewtress products. Serving Suggestion Lewtress’s recommended serving of Hi Potency Kombucha health tonic is just 50ml three times a day, for the first three weeks of use, after which, this can be increased if desired. Other makers of low-potency Kombucha drinks often suggest drinking 250ml at a time. In fact, a single 1 litre bottle of Lewtress Hi Potency Kombucha contains 20 servings, so a week’s supply per bottle! Lewtress Hi Potency Kombucha is safe for both children and pregnant women when used as recommended. Kombucha Bio Fusions Lewtress have found that by extracting dried herbs using pressed liquid concentrate from Kombucha cultures, they have uniquely produced a range of liquid bio fusions (e.g. Horny Goat Weed, Echinacea, Elderberry etc.) with Kombucha concentrate. Bio fusions can be taken directly on the tongue, for fast and greatly enhanced effect. See our range of Kombucha Bio