Many people traditionally start their day with a cup of reviving tea. But today, more and more enthusiasts are switching to a very different brew: Kombucha, a natural health tea-drink which has been popularly described as the elixir of life. Kombucha is an ancient remedy, known revered as an immune-boosting treatment for centuries in the East, but now enjoying an upsurge of interest in the West. What is it and how does it work? The Kombucha fungus itself resembles a flat pancake. This is floated on top of a bowl of sweet tea and left to ferment for about a week. The resulting brew is a pleasant, slightly zingy and refreshing beverage, containing a wide range of vitamins, enzymes, minerals and organic acids. Drunk daily, it offers a host of well-documented benefits. As a bonus, Kombucha continually reproduces itself, forming a new culture every week, which means that there is always a spare one available to pass on to others. It provides an opportunity for networking. In America, AIDS and HIV-positive people have been helped to regain health and strength through drinking it. So much so, that Kombucha-sharing has become an established way of life there. Many more people around the world have also disovered its extraordinary powers as a wonderful way of giving each other a free gift from nature. This updated, international edition is packed with historical background, accounts of a wide range of Kombucha health benefits, case histories, detailed instructions on how to make and store it, plus helful recipes and uses. Also included is information on The Kombucha Network, a British-based service set up to help those who would like to obtain a culture for themselves and, by so doing, to join the world's growing family of confirmed Kombucha drinkers.