Talk:Kombucha

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Claims

The early suspicion of two deaths in Iowa in 1995 of two women supposedly related to kombucha consumption[1] has been found unsubstantiated. Therefore, I deleted the reference to these death cases. —Preceding unsigned comment added by Nomadi (talk • contribs) 05:07, 2 August 2008 (UTC)

Alternate history and name

what the heck does this mean in the history section? "though in both cases centuries prior to knowledge of leaf-based teas"??? all tea is leaf based, regardless if it was initially made with steamed tea leaves 5000 years ago in China, or later made with compressed tea leaves, or in the last few hundred years using dried tea leaves... in addition, I would assume that kombucha would still be formed regardless of how the leaves were processed to make the tea, so I do not see the point of having this statement in the history section unless you can prove that kombucha can not be made when your tea is made with steamed or compressed tea leaves.

The main page is saying, in Japanese, 金武 reads Konmu. This is one possible way to read the characters, but in Japanese 金 and 武 can actually read Kon and Bu. So, one way to read the characters in Japanese is indeed Kombu. Still, it is a mystery to me that it is called Kombucha, because we in Japan have not used the name for it.

Shouldn't it have the Chinese name of this beverage? Does anyone have that information? 69.204.244.206 (talk) 03:22, 13 May 2009 (UTC)

The Name “Kombucha” (as I understand it from the Tom Valentine book: Search for Health, [ISBN: 0-9648325-0-X, 1995]), comes from a Korean doctor named Kombu who was trying to cure the Japanese emperor, Inkyo (Ingyō), circa 415 CE with such a tea (cha). Can anyone verify this to be true/false?

Related to the Russian origins (also from Valentine’s book), Kombucha was called “tea kvass” (“квас”).

The yeast and other organisms (in symbiosis) “eat” sugar and tea. Black or green tea is typically used for the preparation, and sugar is added as the “fuel” for the growth of the Kombucha.

Günther W. Frank is probably the leading, modern-day expert on the subject. He has a website that may shed more light on this substance. [2]

I have no affiliation with him, nor have I even any idea how this stuff tastes (and so therefore I cannot advocate or denounce its use even as a tasty beverage at this point); however, Herr Frank seems to know the “culture” quite well and is noted in Valentine’s book (of which I also have no affiliation nor own a copy). I’m just trying to understand more about the substance. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 69.139.25.39 (talk • contribs) 23:31, May 16, 2005

I got a start of a "Mother" from a friend who told me Kombucha means "mother." Need sourcing tho. No idea what language it is from. I have tasted it and am making my own, but the commercial tastes better than I can make. Flavors vary from batch to batch. Kristinwt (talk) 04:27, 15 June 2009 (UTC)

Really not understanding the need for the Russian reference? This stuff has been around for centuries, included in written history in both China & Japan and there is little doubt the Kombucha in Russia can trace it's origins to the Chinese and was not developed *separately. (*In Russia)

Sorry, but this is commercial propaganda. Can you cite one Chinese or Japanese history that mentions kombucha? I've checked and can't find any early references in either language. Keahapana (talk) 02:23, 3 September 2010 (UTC)

Commercial propaganda?? So you apparently have read the Chinese & Japanese texts? Or did you merely search for the English words on Google? Your amusing information about commercial propaganda comes directly or indirectly from other unverified internet sources, like this source: http://www.museumstuff.com/learn/topics/kombucha::sub::History amusing because it is just like Wiki, user generated (who knows maybe you are that source too....)and gives highly conflicting information.

The biggest joke rolling throughout this entire article's history section? All of it is repeated verbatim on at least a dozen sites, none of which are listed as sources and at least three of which pre-date this Wiki by years. Your information about it being a commercial propaganda is also prominent on many websites. It appears to me the author(s) of this Wiki and your requisite for "sources" or lack of sources has to be web based or it counts for nothing. Several sites list Japanese and Chinese literature as a source, it appears no one has bothered to verify this one way or another. However just because you read this is commercial propaganda on yet another website, does not make it true. As is so prominent with Wiki style websites accuracy and verification all depends upon who creates the Wiki, who catches the unverified sections, and how much interest (and how strict) an editor takes in the individual definitions, history, usages etc. So the individual Wiki can range from highly accurate, somewhat accurate, to totally unverified opinions. As Wiki grows in size, scope, and popularity it will surely get worse before it gets better. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 75.17.201.107 (talk) 22:30, 3 September 2010 (UTC)

Section entitled "Kombucha Drops - Kombucha Extract - Information"

Kombucha drops has been merged and redirected to this article, however, the information appears to be copied and pasted verbatim from this webpage: [[3]]. Per Wikipedia:Copyrights, I am removing that information. Edwardian

More ways to make kombucha?

in G.T.'s raw kombucha there is no sugar. it looks like there are more ways kombucha can be made. there's not much info i could find. try gtskombucha.com there's not much there though.

G.T.'s raw kombucha had sugar in it, as all kombucha does in the beginning. One of the things that happens during the fermentation process is that the sugar (as well as the caffein from the tea) is "eaten" by the culture so that only trace amounts remain.

But speaking of more ways to make kombucha, there is at least one other method that I know of (the one i use myself), and I am going to add it to the article. --Romarin 17:26, 31 March 2006 (UTC)

GT's labeling is somewhat deceptive in that they do not list the sugar in the ingredients list, just "100% organic raw Kombucha" (which implies a sugar content by definition) but they do at least list 2 grams per 8 oz serving of residual sugar in the nutrition panel.

The GT bottle also says they ferment for 30 days which seems quite a bit longer than the referenced recipes.

Also, the article says not to use plastic as fermentation container but this is irrational since one of the cited references is a commercial enterprise that sells FDA-approved food-grade plastic containers for that very purpose. Plastic buckets are also regularly used in home brewing of beer. Liberato 08:48, 11 February 2007 (UTC)

I believe that plastic is avoided as the somewhat porous nature of the material causes a culture 'slime' to develop along the walls during fermentation. Not detrimental to the SCOBY or tea, just non-optimal when it comes to harvesting. Plastic would be the obvious choice for high-volume production regardless of this effect. Home beer brewing entails brewer's yeast, not a SCOBY so they're not really equivalent. Gropo 18:24, 14 March 2007 (UTC)

That depends on a brewer's discipline of purification. Some re-use yeast, hoping that it'll be faster, and of course it is, because it's no longer pure. I know the smell of Molson's and Brewster's drying process. So, yeah, SCOBY and brewer's yeast don't compare for purity as regards the ratio between eukaryotes and prokaryotes, but I saw something from a descendant of Leuwenhoek that tells me a typical brewer's yeast isn't a monoculture, either.BrewJay (talk) 04:53, 4 June 2008 (UTC)

The article currently states that kombucha should only be brewed with black or green tea and not herbal infusions. I've been brewing kombucha with white tea with superb results, and my local co-op sells a bottled kombucha fermented in rooibos. I also made a batch with yerba mate, which came out bitter but worked nonetheless. In Sandor Katz' book Wild Fermentation, he writes about a friend who fed his kombucha on Mountain Dew – not very traditional, but possible. The culture clearly doesn't care what it drinks, so long is has some sort of sugar (I use brown sugar or honey) and maybe some caffeine, though the article could talk about this more... Morganfitzp 18:35, 25 October 2006 (UTC)

I hav the same opinion -- just about any plant matter, and one of the references I just put in tested Lemon Balm. I've been trying to figure out what would work for a solid substrate. Maybe that'll give me mycellium and a monoculture. I'm thinking that oak leaves, dried and pulverized might work. Just keep gradually adding powder or boil-concentrating a portion of liquid until the aerobic part pretty much has to surface. BrewJay (talk) 04:53, 4 June 2008 (UTC)

History

I deleted the following paragraph because it looks total nonsense:

The name Kombucha is derived from the name of a Korean physician, Kom-bu, who introduced the drink to the Japanese Emperor Ingyō in the year 414 AD as a healing drink. The drink became known as Tsche of Kom-bu (Kombu cha).

I guess this refers to an event recorded in Kojiki and Nihonshoki: Emperor Ingyō invited a doctor from Silla and let him heal the emperor. According to Kojiki his name was Kon (Komu) Hatori-kanki (Hachin-kanki) Mu (金波鎮漢紀武). But neither Kojiki nor Nihonshoki explains how he cure the emperor. Of course, he has never been associated with tea, mushroom or kelp (kombu). --Nanshu 10:40, 13 August 2006 (UTC)

According to the Daijisen (Yahoo Japan) Dictionary entry for "kombu", the Japanese word kombu (昆布) came from Ainu.--Endroit 08:12, 15 September 2006 (UTC)

1. I don't think the etymology of kombu has a direct relation with that of kombucha (in western sense).
2. FYI, the etymology of kombu is controversial. This page explains two other theories.

--Nanshu 00:10, 26 September 2006 (UTC)

Why were my additions concerning continuos fermentation deleted? What is the point of contributing?

Deleted as part of spam link removal on several articles. Feel free to re-ad the info with reliable (preferably non-commercial) references. Cheers, Vsmith 16:01, 24 October 2006 (UTC)

The reference to the Qin dynasty sounds very suspicious. I'd like to see it backed up, otherwise I don't think it belongs there. Alexwoods 14:50, 29 December 2006 (UTC)

It might be irrelevant but there is a Chinese medicinal substance called Konbu which is a kind of seaweed. It is also used in Asian cooking. This may be an additional source for the confusion surrounding the word "Kombucha". —Preceding unsigned comment added by 198.169.188.227 (talk) 19:12, 5 February 2008 (UTC)

Synergy

I lack the wikipedia "experience" and probably the free time to do up a whole "citing" of sources and addition to this article. But could someone please add a section on Kombuchas newest incarnation that is "Synergy"? Synergy is a drink that bottles Kombucha juice in thick glass bottles and sells them for $3 a pop. The store that sells it is almost always out of them, it's a really big thing. Heres the source http://www.gtskombucha.com/

An unsigned comment proffering unverifiable claims of popularity about a product I've never heard of before? No offense, but this sounds like shilling. 209.30.170.226 02:27, 1 January 2007 (UTC)

It does appear to be shilling, though I've also personally noticed the brand carried at much higher frequency here in New York over the recent months. Our local Queens working class supermarket recently set up a display case (where a POM brand pomegranite juices display previously stood) Gropo 18:31, 14 March 2007 (UTC)

I agree with 209.30.170.226, let's wait until there's an article about it in the Guardian. Alexwoods 20:18, 1 January 2007 (UTC)

Synergy is simply a commercial blending of fruit juice with the company's Kombucha tea. It is of no significance to the article. Liberato 08:58, 11 February 2007 (UTC)

Is it worth mentioning in the context of commercial brands based on Kombucha tea? Mentioning how it is produced, concetrations of kombucha within it, and what the branding looks like might be of relevance in this article if presented in a NPOV way... --Tomhannen 10:11, 25 April 2007 (UTC)

Commercial brand names should be mentioned, in particular the leading brands. Fruitcake mentions brands. Soft drink mentions brands. It's really awkward not to mention brands when talking about a product that is sold commercially. 96.231.161.184 (talk) 03:23, 5 April 2008 (UTC)

Redirect

Oddly, when I searched for "Mushroom Tea" via Google, I was linked to an article about a hallucinogenic tea made from hallucinogenic mushrooms. I don't think this makes much sense, because I was looking for Kombucha, without knowing the name. I think that article should redirect here, with possibly "/Mushroom_tea(drug)" or some such be used as the drug-related article. Of course, that article is a tiny stub and could easily be deleted. That's just my thoughts. T-4 19:54, 27 April 2007 (UTC)

Based on your description, I'd say that that article is acccurately described as mushroom tea (since it is made from mushrooms) whereas kombucha has absolutely nothing to do with mushrooms! John Elson (talk) 06:15, 25 June 2009 (UTC)

Components within Kombucha "tea"

The first claim: "Interestingly, it [Lactic Acid] is not found in the tissues of people with cancer" is false. Tumors produce copious amounts of Lactic acid due to their enhanced rate of glycolysis, and it is found in serum levels of those with cancer. (Blood. 2007 May 1;109(9):3812-9. Epub 2007 Jan 2) The author and reference page site no sources for this claim, nor any other claims under this heading.--Evander25 07:06, 28 April 2007 (UTC)

Mycologist Paul Stamets was involved in some Kombucha research which suggests that it produces a novel antibiotic, and goes on to suggest that it is unwise for healthy people to consume it. Article and citations - http://www.fungi.com/info/articles/blob.html quote: "I do not see the advantage of taking Kombucha by people in good health. Given the detrimental effects seen from prolonged exposure to antibiotics, the repeated, long term use of Kombucha may cause its own universe of problems. I wonder about those people who have adverse reactions to antibiotics? What about those with sensitivity to the microorganisms in Kombucha? I personally believe it is morally reprehensible to pass on this colony to sick or healthy friends when, to date, so little is known about its proper use. At present there are no credible, recent studies as to the safety or usefulness of Kombucha, despite decades of hype." —Preceding unsigned comment added by 71.106.81.212 (talk) 19:12, 15 May 2008 (UTC)

"I do not see the advantage of taking Kombucha by people in good health." That's a good quote. It's interesting that I found that before even looking at the talk page...must be a sponsored google link, but the CDC cited him, and it's certainly a lot of fun to read that page. BrewJay (talk) 05:00, 4 June 2008 (UTC)

New comment 8/29/09:I have issue with the statement that reads ending ...probably makes the liver more efficient. There is no citation and this insinuates that it has been proven. This is not the case or a citation would have been made. To make such a profound statement with a minimal qualifier of "probably" may suggest to readers that this is fact. Please rephrase, my suggestion would be ...it has been suggested by some that it makes the liver more efficient. Thank you. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 72.131.83.97 (talk) 06:52, 30 August 2009 (UTC)

Google cafeteria

Does anyone really care what they serve at the google cafeteria? I mean, does it have any encyclopedic value at all? —The preceding unsigned comment was added by 66.249.202.53 (talk) 18:22, 29 April 2007 (UTC).I think that is true

Google represents a large block of culture. I think it's fine (a bit late I know.) jrabbit05 (talk) 04:29, 2 April 2008 (UTC)

hmmm

Forgive my interjection, but am I the only person to whom this sounds ewwww?Merkinsmum 11:18, 22 July 2007 (UTC)

In that case, you should just *LOVE* the picture and videos I added! John Elson (talk) 07:36, 18 June 2009 (UTC)

Hehe. If you think this looks disgusting, check out how they make beer. You'll be on the wagon tomorrow. 212.17.87.133 (talk) 14:14, 14 February 2010 (UTC)

Alcoholic beverage?

Had to read to the last section to find out this drink is mildly alcoholic. Doesn't this seem to be first paragraph information? or is the content too low? MDSNYDER 04:04, 4 August 2007 (UTC)

When it's made according to the standard recipe, it's about as strong as dealcoholized beer. When it's not, it doesn't seem to be safe, and nobody seems to know anything about it. BrewJay (talk) 05:05, 4 June 2008 (UTC)

Psychoactivity of Theanine

This claim might need to be changed: "There are no known psychoactive or psychotropic substances found in Kombucha other than trace amounts of alcohol and, if not made with decaf tea, caffeine."

Kombucha contains the amino acid L-theanine. Synergy brand lists 100mg L-Theanine per serving. Theanine is what makes green tea relaxing despite the caffeine content.

This is taken from the Theanine page: Theanine is an amino acid commonly found in tea (infusions of Camellia sinensis). Theanine is related to a glutamine, and can cross the blood-brain barrier.[1] Because it can enter the brain, theanine has psychoactive properties.[2] Theanine has been shown to reduce mental and physical stress[3] and may produce feelings of relaxation.[4] Ridesbikes 04:35, 17 August 2007 (UTC)

No doubt in my mind that kombucha is mildly psyhoactive although the effect is subtle. I notice breathing becomes much more regular and the qulaity of sleep is markedly changed. 203.87.64.23 (talk) 01:34, 20 February 2008 (UTC)

From personal experience with a small not representative sample, Kombucha, when consumed with alcohol, has some psychoactive effects. 71.192.163.223 (talk) 15:25, 26 December 2009 (UTC)

Flavor and other aesthetic qualities

I notice that while there are reams of text on the history, contents, production and supposed medicinal qualities of the beverage, there is nothing about its flavor.

Since I myself would sum it up as vinegar+soda water=kombucha, it would probably be best if someone that likes the stuff wrote it. 67.180.206.34 04:50, 18 October 2007 (UTC)

I think it tastes like a slightly fermented soda. Some brands are very mild and taste like iced tea. Of course, there's WP:NOR so I'd need references to add this to the article. Calibas 01:53, 22 October 2007 (UTC)

If harvested "young" before it becomes very acidic it can taste rather like cider, hence one of its names, "tea cider". That was very much the flavour of a previous culture I had. My present culture when young tastes more like ginger beer. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 150.101.162.94 (talk) 04:09, 21 April 2009 (UTC) Now...same person except signed in, the name "tea cider" isn't mentioned in the article I notice. Jeremy (talk) 04:14, 21 April 2009 (UTC) —Preceding unsigned comment added by 72.235.213.232 (talk)

Trivia

• Chef Josef Desimone of Google makes kombucha for Google employees. Almost 100 glasses of kombucha are served every day at Google cafeterias.
• The popular alternative metal band System of a Down references kombucha in the song "Sugar" on their self-titled album. Lead vocalist Serj Tankian screams, "The kombucha mushroom people sitting around all day."
• Singer-songwriter and guitarist M. Ward listed kombucha as his "best purchase of the past year" in 2006, stating that "It's an acquired taste, but they tell me it rejuvenates, restores, revitalizes and replenishes." [4]
• On an episode of MTV Cribs featuring the home of surfer Laird Hamilton and volleyball player and model Gabrielle Reece, their refrigerator opened to reveal several bottles of "Kombucha Wonder Drink," a bottled tea drink containing kombucha. Reece removed a bottle and displayed it to the camera, stating that kombucha is "a very good healthy drink, it helps support mental health and gives energy."[5]
• Lindsay Lohan has been spotted drinking kombucha after leaving rehab.[6]
• Jenny Lewis, frontwoman of Rilo Kiley, offers kombucha to Strawberry Saroyan while being interviewed for the September 2007 edition of Spin (magazine).

[7]~Removed from main text by Knorrepoes 12:25, 10 November 2007 (UTC)

Source of information, Kombucha Cultures & ready-made Ktea [8] —Preceding unsigned comment added by 71.182.105.117 (talk) 14:19, 23 November 2007 (UTC)

Grib

I'd give its alternative Russian name a little more prominence, and also a redirect from the GRIB page. Would anyone agree? Malick78 (talk) 18:25, 3 January 2008 (UTC)

It's nice to hav everyone who's interested on the same page.BrewJay (talk) 05:08, 4 June 2008 (UTC)

The indication of the Blog - a external link

In line with the proper norms of good use from Wikipédia : " before inserting blogs and personal pages, the publishers owes to open a topic on the page of discussion of the product and explain the motives they think the link is important to be on the extenal links. " The link Kombucha Blog exposed on the page above the Kombucha on Wikipédia haven't none of the terms prohibited about to links. The contents of the site is purely informacional, do not have neither commercial objectives and have the constant preoccupation with the update of our content just as with the quality and exemption of exposed information. —Preceding unsigned comment added by Kombuchablog (talk • contribs) 04:20, 30 January 2008 (UTC)

I see no need to create a specific blog for a newsgroup.BrewJay (talk) 07:55, 10 June 2008 (UTC)

WikiProject Food and drink Tagging

This article talk page was automatically added with {{WikiProject Food and drink}} banner as it falls under Category:Food or one of its subcategories. If you find this addition an error, Kindly undo the changes and update the inappropriate categories if needed. The bot was instructed to tagg these articles upon consenus from WikiProject Food and drink. You can find the related request for tagging here . If you have concerns , please inform on the project talk page -- TinucherianBot (talk) 11:06, 3 July 2008 (UTC)

Ale-fungus??

The "additional observed effects" section mentions "ale-fungus". There is no wiki-link to such a thing (instead it links separately to ale and to fungus. I'm puzzled by this because ale is made using yeast, like any beer, and has nothing at all to do with fungus. I'm going to remove that sentence, but if there is an explanation of this phenomenon of which I'm not aware, please inform me. --IronChris | (talk) 21:30, 7 September 2008 (UTC)

It may interest you to know that Yeast are classified as a type of fungus! John Elson (talk) 07:42, 18 June 2009 (UTC)

bull pucky

I reverted the removal of information in this edit because it is improper to simply remove "sourced" information from a Wikipedia Article without first discussing the matter, even if you disagree with the information and even if you know that the information is incorrect. To contest sourced material, bring the matter up on the Talk page, first, presenting evidence why the contents should be removed.

On reviewing the information, I found that the sources provided did not substantiate the claims made and therefore struck those statements. Everything else that was left didn't belong in its own section, so I integrated it further into the article. If you still disagree with the remaining information, please discuss it here, first. Because the remaining information is unsourced, it is fair game to remove outright prior to discussion. —  X  S  G  14:45, 8 October 2008 (UTC)

Milky appearance of magnified tea on slide

'"The tea has a "milky" appearance due to the presence of bacteria and yeast in suspension."'

I don't know where that nonsense came from but at 400X the individual yeast cells and bacterium are clearly visible there is nothing in suspension! The combination of the common bright field technique and the limited depth of field at 400X leads to the overall milky appearance. The background is washed out and the bacteria fade out when they move to the background as if they were disappearing into a thick white liquid.

What I originally wrote was correct. John Elson (talk) 15:27, 31 July 2009 (UTC) So which "version" of Kombucha did you magnify? Before I would give credence to either your statements or the other we need to establish a consistent beverage for testing. We also apparently need to establish what is meant by suspension! So you state yeast and bacterium are clearly visible. This does not preclude suspension! Are you stating yeast and bacterium are not suspended in the liquid? I personally believe that is exactly what the author was referring to. Example for clarity. If I mix milk with chocolate to create chocolate milk the final product appears - Brown... This is due to the chocolate being suspended in the milk, however if you are referring to the scientific definition of suspension you have taken this to a different level. You could go to the section of Wiki on vinegar and oil salad dressing and tear into the use of the word suspension there as well.. Some discretion is required concerning definition of the words used to describe a beverage versus chemical analysis. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 75.17.201.107 (talk) 03:39, 8 September 2010 (UTC)

Actually, whether or not the bacteria are "in suspension" is not relevant. The "milky" appearance is due to the limited depth of field at 400X. The liquid being observed has a very clear appearance to the unaided eye. If you were to look at a glass of the same tea it wouldn't appear to be milky. The liquid towards the bottom is blurred because of the magnification and that is what gives the magnified view a milky appearance. John Elson (talk) 03:59, 8 September 2010 (UTC)

Mycoderma aceti

In Schlegel (2008) Microbiology you can read, that if you infest an alcoholic fluid with acid bacteria, e. g. with Acetobacter xylinus, after some time a skin upon the surface of the fluid forms, the so called Mycoderma aceti. Thus the "mother" does not exist of but is called Mycoderma aceti, it's just latin. --Osmodi (talk) 16:47, 29 September 2009 (UTC)

Ad?

Kombucha “mother” Culture w/ Starter tea This image is so tiny as to be unusable, and the wikimedia description leads to a page that sells the item in the picture. How could this not be considered an ad? John Elson (talk) 16:41, 2 October 2009 (UTC)

Section "Kombucha mother and the symbiotes"

This seems like a poorly written summary of the rest of the article... In particular, the use of the non-word "symbiote" in the title seems suspect. I think this should be removed. ~XarBioGeek ^(talk) 20:15, 1 March 2010 (UTC)

I moved the information here into other sections as part of a [major reorganization and rewrite] of the article. ~rezecib ^(talk) 21:48, 25 May 2010 (UTC)

Pseudoscience edits

I reverted two pseudoscience-heavy edits by 72.177.100.229. Here's a point-by-point breakdown of why:

• 2000 years of anecdotal evidence is still anecdotal evidence. "Often imbibed for medicinal purposes" covers this with greater neutrality and specificity. There are probably 2000+ years of anecdotal evidence for alien abductions, but that doesn't make it something we take seriously, does it?
• "kombucha detoxifies the body and energizes the mind" is a vague claim. A specific claim would involve providing a mechanism of action, chemical components responsible, and specific bodily conditions.
• Acid "serves as fuel for many of the bodies organs"? What? Really? Okay... Let's see... if you had to settle on a specific chemical, it would be glucose. "Acid" is a blanket term for a virtually infinite number of different chemicals. Kombucha contains a few of those, which do have biochemical roles, but their mechanisms (and utility) are mostly unclear in humans.
• "glucosamine and vitamin B … anecdotally benefit …" - First, there are many B vitamins. Second, if this is just more anecdotal evidence, then the current explanation of "proponents commonly claim …" is fine, because it's saying exactly that, but is less misleading (people get excited when they hear/see "evidence").
• " … unverified by Western medicine" - Western medicine is defined by verification. Other schools of medicine only use anecdotal evidence. We're talking about health claims here, and we've already said that it's "proponents commonly claim" ("people think it might", basically equivalent to "anecdotal evidence")

I will, however, reincorporate the improvements to wording in the list of purported benefits.

I think this may begin to raise the issue of protection--I've seen this page get a lot of spam links for stores selling kombucha, as well as pseudoscientific edits like this, and it seems to me that this page might benefit from a low level of protection. ~rezecib ^(talk) 13:39, 17 June 2010 (UTC)

Objectivity issue

Does anyone else think this statement "Some kombucha producers make vague claims such as 'kombucha detoxifies the body and energizes the mind',[11] but do not make specific claims because there is little published research on the health benefits of kombucha" is heavily one sided? Whatever the case, this article needs serious objectivity work. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 208.123.31.144 (talk) 01:54, 8 November 2010 (UTC)

Before I rewrote those edits it read like pseudoscience propaganda. It's not one sided; it notes the claim, but also notes that there isn't much support for them yet. If that has changed, I'd love to see the citations and would gladly incorporate them. My concern is that this article was previously providing unsupported claims as if they were facts, which is a serious problem if we want Wikipedia to be taken seriously. ~rezecib ^(talk) 02:20, 8 November 2010 (UTC)

2010 shortage

most people in the US are aware that there was a shortage this past summer due to concerns about the alcohol level. Is this worthy of inclusion here?--76.124.53.220 (talk) 22:58, 14 November 2010 (UTC)