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Kombucha

Kombucha as a functional food: what reviews cover (production and microbiology), why proper evidence for health effects was not found, and cautions.

Content last updated . This page has not been medically reviewed.

Safety first. Supplements can cause side effects and interact with medicines. Read mushroom safety and interactions before you use any mushroom product.

Overview

Kombucha is a fermented tea drink. Reviews we read describe how it is made and what microbes are involved. [1][2]

What the research shows

The reviews we found cover production and microbiology, not health outcomes in people. [1][2] PubMed lists a small number of records tagged as randomized trials that mention kombucha (see Research), but we did not read each one and proper evidence for health effects was not found in the sources we reviewed. Claims that kombucha detoxifies, cures or restores gut flora are not supported by anything we read.

Probiotic claims

ISAPP does not treat fermented foods as probiotics unless a strain is shown to give a benefit. [3] Whether a bottle holds live cultures depends on the product and the label.

Safety and individual considerations

  • Kombucha is brewed from tea, so it is tea-based; ask what is in the product if you avoid caffeine. We did not find a source stating typical caffeine content, so we give no figure.
  • If you are pregnant, immunocompromised or take an MAOI, ask a clinician; we did not find kombucha-specific guidance to quote.
  • We do not give home-brewing instructions.

Related

Black tea · Fermented foods vs probiotic supplements

Frequently asked questions

Does kombucha help digestion?

Proper evidence was not found in the sources we read; the reviews cover production and microbiology. [1]

Is kombucha a probiotic?

Not automatically. [3]

References

  1. Villarreal-Soto SA et al. Understanding Kombucha Tea Fermentation: A Review. J Food Sci 2018. PMID 29508944.
  2. Wang B et al. Kombucha: Production and Microbiological Research. Foods 2022. PMID 36360067.
  3. Marco ML et al. The International Scientific Association for Probiotics and Prebiotics (ISAPP) consensus statement on fermented foods. Nat Rev Gastroenterol Hepatol 2021. PMID 33398112.
Education, not medical advice. This page is for general information. It does not diagnose or treat any condition and is not a substitute for care from a qualified health professional. Natural does not automatically mean safe. Ask a clinician or pharmacist before changing your care, especially if you take medication, are pregnant or breastfeeding, or have a health condition.