A time has come to add a new Kombucha to our Special Line.
The Special Line features Kombuchas made with botanical substances that have amazing health benefits.
In this line we already have three exceptional Kombuchas - Chaga, Schisandra and Jiaogulan (each one is a powerful adaptogen), a Hemp Kombucha (made with 4% CBD Hemp) and Kombucha made with Lapacho (Pau d'Arco).
And now, starting this month, we also have Ivan Chai Kombucha.
So what exactly is Ivan Chai?
Ivan Chai is an herb. Its Latin name is Chamerion angustifolium, but is better known as Fireweed.
Altay Teas from San Jose, California describes the history of this unusual herb in this way:
"The story of this herb goes back for thousands of years, into the depths of Ancient Vedic culture, when old tribes, who lived on hills of the lower Ural Mountains, by the Coast of Kara Sea, discovered the healing properties of this incredible plant. Through the ages, “Ivan Chai” became an everyday drink of Ancient Tartariya and an important part of the Russian culture. When land is devastated by fire, this plant comes first, healing the ground and preparing the conditions for future settlement of other plants. It’s a true healer and caregiver of the land. “Ivan Chai” is not only a delicious drink that can be drunk at any time of the day, every day, but also a source of well being. Entire books have been written about the benefits of this plant. This herb not only has an pleasant aroma and thirst-quenching abilities, but also has many natural benefits. “Ivan Chai” is a very soft and non-addictive herb. At the same time, regular consumption of this amazing herb helps to raises the energy, rejuvenate the body, lower fatigue, and improve endurance. It has no caffeine, taurine, purine, oxalic acid or uric acid – the main damaging components of regular teas (which adversely affect the metabolism and brain functions, are very harmful to the human digestion system, and can lead to the development of kidney stones). It has a very high DNA protein number, which, in biology, indicates anti-inflammatory properties of a substance. This number gets even higher when the leaves are crushed and fermented properly."
Here's how it looks like, when it grows out in nature.
We captured this one in Schmilka - Bad Schandau, Sächsische Schweiz, South Germany. .
There are many sources of information about Ivan Chai. One of them is Harmony.
As a tea, Ivan Chai was and still is, very popular in Russia. In the 19th century, it was considered to be the tastiest tea throughout Europe. Soon it became Russia's no.2 export. That lasted to the time of the Bolshevik revolution. That "event" disrupted the exports
And it is not only the taste that makes this particular herb exceptional.
Here's a bit more about ir, from Altay Teas:
"The unique composition of the micro-elements determines the natural benefits of “Ivan Chai”. This is a mild laxative, emollient, enveloping, wound healing, analgesic, antispasmodic effect. It is scientifically proven that “Ivan Chai” has highest anti-inflammatory index among the commonly known plants, due to the very rich content of flavonoids, tannins, carotenoids, vitamin C, organic acids, triterpenoids, etc."
The way how the Fireweed is processed (fermented), is very similar to the production technology of Chinese teas. And it even looks like a tea:
As far as health benefits go, here's the summary from Altay Teas:
" To sum up, when used consistently, “Ivan Chai” is used as supporting herb in case of:
- Disturbances in the nervous system – neuroses, alcoholic psychosis, hysteria, depression, epilepsy, increased psycho-emotional pressure and chronic stress
- Alcoholism and as a relief for hangovers
- Constant tiredness and fatigue
- Vitamin deficiency (especially vitamin C, B, K)
- Endocrine disorders in women of various origins (menstrual problems, uterine bleeding, menopause, premenstrual syndrome)
- As a supportive herb in cancer therapy
- When treating blood disorders, like leukemia and lymphogranuloma
- Immunodeficiency
- Intestinal dysfunctions, gastritis, ulcers, enterocolitis, colitis, and pancreatitis
- Urinary system inflammatory diseases in men (prostate adenoma and prostatitis) - Infertility, regardless of gender
- Female diseases – removes pain and inflammation, reduce bleeding, and relieves painful menstrual syndrome
- High blood pressure of various origins
- Urolithiasis, including inflammation and lesions in the bladder and kidneys
- Problems in the respiratory system: tracheitis, pharyngitis, bronchitis, sinusitis, and pulmonary tuberculosis
- Spleen dysfunction Inflammatory diseases of the skin
- Herpes
- Heavy body intoxication (perfect as a detox agent)
- Acidic blood (alkalizes blood and thereby restores power with all sorts of exhaustion) - Lactation issues (improves lactation, prolongs breastfeeding, thereby improving the health of babies)
- Viral infections and allergies
- Weak hair roots
- Water and electrolyte imbalance
- Sleep problems"
Ivan Chai contains 16 amino acids and a high amount of magnesium, a range of B vitamins, a high amount of C vitamins and many other minerals and nutrients.
To get more details, please check the above mentioned articles and particularly the one from Altay Teas, as it contains a list of 94 references, backing all the information listed there.
We were also able to find some Fireweed locally on the outskirts of Berlin.
We also did some trial batches to pick the best and highest quality Ivan Chai for our Kombucha. Here's one of those batches:
After a bit of experimentation and tastings, we think we picked the best one!
So, if you want to see how it came out, you'll have to visit our Kombucha Café in Berlin.
We love it, and Scobies love it, too.
Here's just one of them that grew beautifully during the process of fermentation.
A note!
As far as we know, we are just the second company in the world making Kombucha out of Ivan Chai. The first one is not surprisingly located in Russia.
Cheers, Prost, and для здоровья!
Ingredients: Filtered and Revitalized Water, Live Kombucha Cultures, Unrefined Brown Sugar, and Ivan Chai Tea
Disclaimer: All medical information in this post is merely information & not advise. If you need medical advice, please consult your doctor or other appropriate medical professional.
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