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Kombucha refers to any of a variety of fermented, lightly effervescent sweetened black or green tea drinks that are commonly used as functional beverages for their unsubstantiated health benefits. Kombucha is produced by fermenting tea using a "symbiotic 'colony' of bacteria and yeast" (SCOBY). Actual contributing microbial populations in SCOBY cultures vary, but the yeast component generally includes ''Saccharomyces'' (a probiotic fungus) and other species, and the bacterial component almost always includes ''Gluconacetobacter xylinus'' to oxidize yeast-produced alcohols to acetic and other acids. The geographic origin of kombucha is unknown,〔 and its etymology is uncertain.〔 Historically, kombucha has been home-brewed or locally brewed, but in the late 1990s, commercially bottled kombucha became available in North American retail stores. It is known in Chinese as chájūn (茶菌), Japanese as kōcha-kinoko (紅茶キノコ), Korean as hongchabeoseotcha (홍차버섯차) and Russian as chaynyy grib (чайный гриб). These names translate literally to "tea fungus" or "tea mushroom." Kombucha has been claimed to cure many diseases and to have a wide range of health benefits; however, there is a lack of high-quality evidence to support such claims.〔〔 There are several documented cases of serious adverse effects, including fatalities, related to kombucha drinking, and there is the potential for contamination during home preparation.〔〔 Since the mostly unclear benefits of kombucha drinking do not outweigh the known risks, it has not been recommended for therapeutic use.〔 == Health claims == Kombucha has been promoted with claims that it can treat a wide variety of human illnesses including AIDS, cancer, and diabetes, and that it provides other beneficial effects such as stimulation of the immune system, boosting the libido, and reversal of gray hair.〔 However, evidence of kombucha's beneficial effects in humans is lacking.〔〔 In particular, although animal and ''in vitro'' experiments suggest that kombucha consumption may be beneficial, no controlled human trials have been conducted.〔〔〔 In a 2003 systematic review, Edzard Ernst characterized kombucha as an "extreme example" of an unconventional remedy because of the great disparity between implausible, wide-ranging health claims lacking evidentiary support, and the potential for harm the preparations seem to hold.〔 Ernst concluded that the unsubstantiated list of proposed therapeutic benefits did not outweigh the known risks, and that Kombucha should not be recommended for therapeutic use.〔 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「kombucha」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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