My Love Affair With ?Kombucha? ? The Boogalafini Vegan?Organic ...

In preparation for my ?KOMBUCHA??making workshop, I am diligently researching and working on my beautiful power point presentation. And?in the middle of working on it, I decided that this week?s blog post?should be about ?KOMBUCHA? and my love affair with it.

About seven years ago, after a year or so of living in Las Vegas, a friend of mine says to me ?I saw Baba Saadiq*?and he looks AMAZING!?I asked him, ?what was he doing? and?he told?me about this health tonic that he drinks everyday that is made from some kind of fermented ?mushroom called KOMBUCHA!? He said, ?it has given him a new outlook on life.? He said that his health?has improved 100 percent? since?he started making and drinking?KOMBUCHA Tea everyday?without the aid of doctors and ?pharmaceutical medicine.??Of course, my immediate response was??really? all of this from a mushroom??? I could not see or understand how any type of ?mushroom? could produce a health tonic tea yielding those type of results.

I mean, as a?plant-based foods eating vegan,?I eat and adore cooking and preparing mushrooms various ways? AND I know and understand that mushrooms are a spore-bearing fruiting body of a fungus, so, I couldn?t imagine, even in my WILDEST?dreams that any?type of ??mushroom? could produce a health tonic tea, responsible for our friend, Baba Saadiq?s*?improved health and new outlook on life at?70 plus?years old!!!!!

Then that faithful day came when, 2 years later, I now was at Baba Saadiq?s* home and he was asking me??would you like a taste of KOMBUCHA?? Knowing what I knew at the time (about the fermentation process and all), I was a bit skeptical. However, being the ?worldly? person that I consider myself to be, I wanted to explore the possibilities?so, I kindly accepted his offer.

And to my surprise, not only was it GREAT tasting, I immediately felt?something?I don?t know what. Nor can I describe it. But I felt?something. And it was good!? So good that I wanted more. Unafraid, I asked for more. Reluctantly, he gave me more, with the unspoken understanding that ?this is all you are going to get!?LOL!? That was the beginning of ?My Love Affair with ?KOMBUCHA!?

He (Baba Saadiq*) then showed me the ?mushroom? from which he makes his prized ?KOMBUCHA.? Explained the ?KOMBUCHA? making?process and gave me about a half gallon to take with me? (he had so much and so many fermenting that he could spare a half gallon or two?thank GOD) suggesting I drink at leat 4 ounces everyday and call him if I needed more. Really?? Well..okay! And so I did.

A week later I was calling Baba Saadiq* asking if he had any more KOMBUCHA he could give me? And a week after that?I called again. Finally, he said, ?I do AND?actually, I have a ?mushroom? I could give you and show you how to make your own.?? Whaaaat?? Are you serious?? I couldn?t believe it! BUT, even though I wanted to drink it and was feeling the (amazing) benefits from drinking it, I wasn?t sure I wanted to make it.? I think?I thought?that the process of making it may be a little too much (or difficult) ?and I might be turned off from the process. OR?in reality?maybe I was just being lazy because it was easier for him to make it and me to pick it up. Yeah?I think that was it.

Anyway, he gave me a ?mushroom,? explained how to make it?and gave me written instruction on how to make it.? Well, I had never seen anything that looked like that before. And even though I took it?I didin?t do anything with the first one he gave me, but? leave it in the refrigerator and let it become moldy (not a good idea).

As time passed, my friend who initially told me about?Baba Saadiq* and his ?mushroom? producing health tonic tea, was still drinking it because he was getting it directly from Baba Saadiq* and because I was embarrassed about the fact that I had a ?mushroom? and the instructions but didn?t make the tea, I decided to get mine from ?my friend? not ?Baba Saadiq*? and after a while he said, ?YO?you need to start making your own.??After which I just stopped drinking it.? Then I started noticing the change in my emotional and physical body.

The first thing I noticed was the weakness in my hands and my emotional instability. I couldn?t even open a jar of peanut butter?and THAT?for?me..?is a problem; because I LOVE peanut butter (but that?s another subject?for another time! LOL)!?So, humbly and without pride, I went back to Baba Saadiq* and asked for another ?mushroom? and the instructions on how to make it.? And he?without hesitation?gave them to me again. Give Thanks.

Unbelievably, less than two weeks later I noticed that the pain and lack of strength in my hands had subsided, and I had more energy. Not to mention that my digestive system had improved and I had lost a few pounds?go figure?LOL! ?From that day until now, I am a regular ?KOMBUCHA? tea producer,?drinker and promoter/sharer.

Of course ,?I?ve done my research and found out that not only is it a health tonic, but because it?s a health tonic, producing astounding results, it is also?being mass produced?(?KOMBUCHA? is being marketed and sold in most health food stores across the country) in different forms and flavors.?And after trying one or two of those different forms and flavors, I?ve found that I like and prefer the ?homemade? version better.

What is ?KOMBUCHA? Tea??

Sacred to the Japanese, ?KOMBUCHA? is called a ?mushroom/culture?, when, in fact, it is a fermented tea that is often drank for medicinal purposes. Simply made (a ?mother mushroom/culture,? 1/2 cup of already made ?KOMBUCHA?, 1 cup of sugar, 5 to 6 bags of black tea and a seven day fermention process) and available for around $3 a bottle at health food stores and natural markets, it?s a tart, bubbly drink/tea (don?t worry, it?s alcohol-free) brewed using an ancient Japanese method. ?A collection of yeast and bacteria often grown in black tea, the ?mushroom/culture? itself is never eaten; instead, the liquid portion is drank. It is claimed to be a detoxifier and used for weight loss and to stimulate the immune system. It has also been used for bronchitis, asthma, arthritis, increase energy, and to restore hair loss.

However, there has been some controversy surrounding the making of ?KOMBUCHA? tea.?Some people, like me,?who?brew their own?tea at home, using their own starter ?mother mushrooms/cultures?,?can, if handled improperly?cause dangerous side effects. And according to?the FDA due to?lack of pasteurization brewing??KOMBUCHA? tea also has the potential to?cause dangerous side effects.

Consequently, for the past six years?plus, I?ve been brewing, drinking and sharing my??KOMBUCHA? tea and ?mushroom/culture??from home without??pasturization???and me nor any of my friends whom I?ve shared it with have experienced ANY dangerous side effects?I?m just sayin?!

In conclusion, for improved physical and?emotional stability,?I highly recommend drinking and sharing ?KOMBUCHA? on a regular basis. And even though you can purchase it in natural and health food stores, I suggest?connecting with someone who has an extra ??mushroom/culture? that they can share with you so that you can make your own. That way you can (always) have plenty for yourself AND share it?with someone else (a ?mushroom/culture? and the process of making it). Thus, ultimately contributing to the Boogalafini Vegan?Organic Soul Kitchen concept of ?Changing the World!?

And?should you need further endorsement regarding the benefits of this wonderful health tonic/tea, you can click on the Dr. Oz video at http://www.doctoroz.com/episode/turbocharge-your-metabolism and/or visit the www.wonderdrink.com website. Let me know your thoughts.

Thanks and until we connect again?I?ll look forward!

Peace, Love and Blackeyed Peas,
A. Chef Ifayomi Victory*
The names have been changed.

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