Kombucha: Overview, Uses, Side Effects, Precautions, Interactions, Dosing and Reviews

Overview

Kombucha is made by fermenting tea (black, green, red, or white) with sugar and other ingredients with specific types of bacteria and fungi.

Kombucha contains alcohol, vinegar, B vitamins, caffeine, sugar, and other substances. The cultures used to make kombucha are called SCOBY (Symbiotic Culture of Bacteria and Yeasts). They commonly contain bacteria and yeast such as Acetobacter, Gluconobacter, and Saccharomyces.

People use kombucha for aging, diabetes, memory, obesity, and many other conditions, but there is no good scientific evidence to support these uses.

Uses & Effectiveness

We currently have no information for Kombucha overview.

Side Effects

When taken by mouth: Kombucha that is made properly and in clean conditions is possibly safe. Side effects might include stomach upset.

Kombucha that is made under conditions where it can be contaminated is possibly unsafe. Kombucha that is made in containers that contain toxic chemicals, such as the lead in pottery glazes, is likely unsafe. These chemicals can get into the kombucha and might cause serious side effects or poisoning.

Special Precautions and Warnings

Pregnancy and breast-feeding: Kombucha is possibly unsafe when taken by mouth while pregnant or breast-feeding. Stay on the safe side and avoid use.

Alcohol use disorder: Kombucha contains alcohol. People with alcohol use disorder should avoid kombucha.

Diarrhea: Kombucha contains caffeine. The caffeine in kombucha, especially when taken in large amounts, can worsen diarrhea.

Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS): Kombucha contains caffeine. The caffeine in kombucha, especially when taken in large amounts, can worsen diarrhea and symptoms of IBS.

Surgery: Kombucha seems to affect blood glucose levels. This might interfere with blood glucose control during and after surgery. Stop using kombucha at least 2 weeks before a scheduled surgery.

Weak immune system: Don't use kombucha if you have a weakened immune system. Kombucha can support the growth of bacteria and fungus that can cause serious infections.

Interactions

Moderate Interaction

Be cautious with this combination

Medications for diabetes (Antidiabetes drugs) interacts with Kombucha
Kombucha might lower blood sugar levels. Taking kombucha along with diabetes medications might cause blood sugar to drop too low. Monitor your blood sugar closely.

Minor Interaction

Be watchful with this combination

Disulfiram (Antabuse) interacts with Kombucha
Kombucha contains alcohol. The body breaks down alcohol to get rid of it. Disulfiram decreases the break-down of alcohol. Taking kombucha along with disulfiram can cause a pounding headache, vomiting, flushing, and other unpleasant reactions. Don't drink any alcohol if you are taking disulfiram.

Dosing

Kombucha is made by fermenting tea (black, green, red, or white) with sugar and other ingredients with specific types of bacteria and fungi. The fermentation process takes 7-14 days at room temperature.

There isn't enough reliable information to know what an appropriate dose of kombucha might be. Keep in mind that natural products are not always necessarily safe and dosages can be important. Be sure to follow relevant directions on product labels and consult a healthcare professional before using.

View References

REFERENCES:

The Review of Natural Products by Facts and Comparisons. St. Louis, MO: Wolters Kluwer Co., 1999.

Phan TG, Estell J, Duggin G, et al. Lead poisoning from drinking Kombucha tea brewed in a ceramic pot. Med J Aust 1998;169:644-6.

FDA Talk Paper. FDA Cautions Consumers on "Kombucha Mushroom Tea." Available at: www.vm.cfsan.fda.gov/~lrd/TPMUSHRM.html

Sadjadi J. Anthrax associated with the Kombucha mushroom in Iran. JAMA 1998;280:1567-8.

Kombucha-toxicity alert. Crit Path AIDS Proj, 1994;30:31-32 1994-5.

Gamundi R, Valdivia M. The Kombucha mushroom: two different opinions. Sidahora 1995;90:34-5.

Majchrowicz M. Kombucha: a dubious "cure". GMHC Treat Issues 1995;9:10.

CDC. Unexplained severe illness possibly associated with consumption of Kombucha tea-Iowa, 1995. MMWR Morb Mortal Wkly Rep 1995;44:892-3,899-900.

Srinivasan R, Smolinske S, Greenbaum DJ. Probable gastrointestinal toxicity of Kombucha tea: is this beverage healthy or harmful? J Gen Intern Med 1997;12:643-4.

Sreeramulu, G., Zhu, Y., and Knol, W. Kombucha fermentation and its antimicrobial activity. J.Agric.Food Chem. 2000;48(6):2589-2594.

Sai, Ram M., Anju, B., Pauline, T., Dipti, P., Kain, A. K., Mongia, S. S., Sharma, S. K., Singh, B., Singh, R., Ilavazhagan, G., Kumar, D., and Selvamurthy, W. Effect of Kombucha tea on chromate(VI)-induced oxidative stress in albino rats. J.Ethnopharmacol. 2000;71(1-2):235-240.

Hartmann, A. M., Burleson, L. E., Holmes, A. K., and Geist, C. R. Effects of chronic kombucha ingestion on open-field behaviors, longevity, appetitive behaviors, and organs in c57-bl/6 mice: a pilot study. Nutrition 2000;16(9):755-761.

Gamundi, R. and Valdivia, M. [The Kombucha mushroom: two different opinions]. Sidahora. 1995;34-35.

Pauline, T., Dipti, P., Anju, B., Kavimani, S., Sharma, S. K., Kain, A. K., Sarada, S. K., Sairam, M., Ilavazhagan, G., Devendra, K., and Selvamurthy, W. Studies on toxicity, anti-stress and hepato-protective properties of Kombucha tea. Biomed.Environ.Sci. 2001;14(3):207-213.

Ernst, E. Kombucha: a systematic review of the clinical evidence. Forsch.Komplementarmed.Klass.Naturheilkd. 2003;10(2):85-87.

Dipti, P., Yogesh, B., Kain, A. K., Pauline, T., Anju, B., Sairam, M., Singh, B., Mongia, S. S., Kumar, G. I., and Selvamurthy, W. Lead induced oxidative stress: beneficial effects of Kombucha tea. Biomed.Environ.Sci. 2003;16(3):276-282.

Derk, C. T., Sandorfi, N., and Curtis, M. T. A case of anti-Jo1 myositis with pleural effusions and pericardial tamponade developing after exposure to a fermented Kombucha beverage. Clin.Rheumatol. 2004;23(4):355-357.

Sabouraud, S., Coppere, B., Rousseau, C., Testud, F., Pulce, C., Tholly, F., Blanc, M., Culoma, F., Facchin, A., Ninet, J., Chambon, P., Medina, B., and Descotes, J. [Environmental lead poisoning from lead-glazed earthenware used for storing drinks]. Rev.Med.Interne 2009;30(12):1038-1043.

Cetojevic-Simin, D. D., Bogdanovic, G. M., Cvetkovic, D. D., and Velicanski, A. S. Antiproliferative and antimicrobial activity of traditional Kombucha and Satureja montana L. Kombucha. J.BUON. 2008;13(3):395-401.

Murugesan, G. S., Sathishkumar, M., Jayabalan, R., Binupriya, A. R., Swaminathan, K., and Yun, S. E. Hepatoprotective and curative properties of Kombucha tea against carbon tetrachloride-induced toxicity. J.Microbiol.Biotechnol. 2009;19(4):397-402.

SungHee, Kole A., Jones, H. D., Christensen, R., and Gladstein, J. A case of Kombucha tea toxicity. J.Intensive Care Med. 2009;24(3):205-207.

Gharib, O. A. Effects of Kombucha on oxidative stress induced nephrotoxicity in rats. Chin Med. 2009;4:23.

Bhattacharya, S., Gachhui, R., and Sil, P. C. Hepatoprotective properties of kombucha tea against TBHP-induced oxidative stress via suppression of mitochondria dependent apoptosis. Pathophysiology. 2011;18(3):221-234.

Banerjee, D., Hassarajani, S. A., Maity, B., Narayan, G., Bandyopadhyay, S. K., and Chattopadhyay, S. Comparative healing property of kombucha tea and black tea against indomethacin-induced gastric ulceration in mice: possible mechanism of action. Food Funct. 2010;1(3):284-293.

Bhattacharya, S., Manna, P., Gachhui, R., and Sil, P. C. Protective effect of kombucha tea against tertiary butyl hydroperoxide induced cytotoxicity and cell death in murine hepatocytes. Indian J.Exp.Biol. 2011;49(7):511-524.

Aloulou, A., Hamden, K., Elloumi, D., Ali, M. B., Hargafi, K., Jaouadi, B., Ayadi, F., Elfeki, A., and Ammar, E. Hypoglycemic and antilipidemic properties of kombucha tea in alloxan-induced diabetic rats. BMC.Complement Altern.Med. 2012;12:63.

Kwanashie, H. O., Usman, H., and Nkim, S. A. Screening of 'kargasok tea.' I: Anorexia and obesity. Biochem.Soc.Trans. 1989;17(6):1132-1133.

Perron, A. D., Patterson, J. A., and Yanofsky, N. N. Kombucha "mushroom" hepatotoxicity. Ann.Emerg.Med. 1995;26(5):660-661.

McNaughton, C. and Eidsness, L. M. Ethics of alternative therapies. S.D.J.Med. 1995;48(7):209-211.

No author. Unexplained severe illness possibly associated with consumption of Kombucha tea--Iowa, 1995. From the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. JAMA 1-10-1996;275(2):96-98.

Sadjadi, J. Cutaneous anthrax associated with the Kombucha "mushroom" in Iran. JAMA 11-11-1998;280(18):1567-1568.

Gedela M, Potu KC, Gali VL, Alyamany K, Jha LK. A case of hepatotoxicity related to kombucha tea consumption. S D Med 2016;69(1):26-8.

Jakubczyk K, Ka&lstrok;du&nacute;ska J, Kochman J, Janda K. Chemical Profile and Antioxidant Activity of the Kombucha Beverage Derived from White, Green, Black and Red Tea. Antioxidants (Basel). 2020;9(5):E447. doi: 10.3390/antiox9050447.

Wang P, Feng Z, Sang X, et al. Kombucha ameliorates LPS-induced sepsis in a mouse model. Food Funct 2021;12(20):10263-80.

Jang SS, McIntyre L, Chan M, Brown PN, Finley J, Chen SX. Ethanol concentration of kombucha teas in British Columbia, Canada. J Food Prot 2021;84(11):1878-83.

Yang J, Lagishetty V, Kurnia P, Henning SM, Ahdoot AI, Jacobs JP. Microbial and chemical profiles of commercial kombucha products. Nutrients 2022;14(3):670.

Xu S, Wang Y, Wang J, Geng W. Kombucha reduces hyperglycemia in type 2 diabetes of mice by regulating gut microbiota and Its metabolites. Foods 2022;11(5):754.

Moreira GV, Araujo LCC, Murata GM, Matos SL, Carvalho CRO. Kombucha tea improves glucose tolerance and reduces hepatic steatosis in obese mice. Biomed Pharmacother 2022;155:113660.

Costa MAC, Dias Moreira LP, Duarte VDS, et al. Kombuchas from Green and Black Tea Modulate the Gut Microbiota and Improve the Intestinal Health of Wistar Rats Fed a High-Fat High-Fructose Diet. Nutrients 2022;14(24):5234.

Isakov VA, Pilipenko VI, Vlasova AV, Kochetkova AA. Evaluation of the efficacy of kombucha-based drink enriched with inulin and vitamins for the management of constipation-predominant irritable bowel syndrome in females: A randomized pilot study. Curr Dev Nutr 2023;7(12):102037.

Mendelson C, Sparkes S, Merenstein DJ, et al. Kombucha tea as an anti-hyperglycemic agent in humans with diabetes - a randomized controlled pilot investigation. Front Nutr 2023;10:1190248.

Atkinson FS, Cohen M, Lau K, Brand-Miller JC. Glycemic index and insulin index after a standard carbohydrate meal consumed with live kombucha: A randomised, placebo-controlled, crossover trial. Front Nutr 2023;10:1036717.

Costa MAC, da Silva Duarte V, Fraiz GM, et al. Regular consumption of black tea kombucha modulates the gut microbiota in individuals with and without obesity. J Nutr 2024.

Erol Z, Özmen Ö. A comparative approach on the prophylactic impact of fermented beverages on acute ulcerative colitis in mouse model. Pol J Vet Sci 2024;27(4):611-620.

Fraiz GM, Bonifácio DB, Lacerda UV, et al. The impact of green tea kombucha on the intestinal health, gut microbiota, and serum metabolome of individuals with excess body weight in a weight loss intervention: A randomized controlled trial. Foods 2024;13(22):3635.

Sannapaneni S, Philip S, Desai A, Mitchell J, Feldman M. Kombucha-induced massive hepatic necrosis: A case report and a review of literature. Gastro Hep Adv 2022;2(2):196-198.

CONDITIONS OF USE AND IMPORTANT INFORMATION: This information is meant to supplement, not replace advice from your doctor or healthcare provider and is not meant to cover all possible uses, precautions, interactions or adverse effects. This information may not fit your specific health circumstances. Never delay or disregard seeking professional medical advice from your doctor or other qualified health care provider because of something you have read on WebMD. You should always speak with your doctor or health care professional before you start, stop, or change any prescribed part of your health care plan or treatment and to determine what course of therapy is right for you.

This copyrighted material is licensed from Therapeutic Research Center, LLC. Information from this source is evidence-based and objective, and without commercial influence. For professional medical information on natural medicines, see Natural Medicines Comprehensive Database Professional Version.
Licensed from Therapeutic Research Center, LLC
Copyright © 1995-2025 by Therapeutic Research Center, LLC. All Rights Reserved.