Kombucha Journal

In April 1996 this question arose in the Internet. I will pass on three postings that will help to clarify the question whether children should be given Kombucha.

Collen Allen wrote: "In my opinion, there doesn't appear to be any reason why you should not give your child kombucha tea. Since to date, there is no published data regarding the affect of administering kombucha tea to children, this decision has to be made by the parents of the child, and as such, that is where the responsibility lies.

Personally, I would have to say that if kombucha tea had been available to me when my children were young, I would not have hesitated to give it to them, at any age, even when they were babies. I know of several people who give their children Kombucha Tea on a daily basis. These children, (and adults), appear to be less prone to developing colds, and when they do get one, these colds are not as severe and last a much shorter time than they did before they started drinking Kombucha Tea. I do not have scientific data to support this, but I personally feel that kombucha tea is safe to be drunk by anyone who does not have a food allergy to any of the constituents in it. If, on the other hand, the child is prone to food allergy, the best approach to use would be a cautionary one.

Like any new food being introduced to a person who has allergic tendencies, a child (or adult), it is always best to start off with just a very tiny amount, a tablespoon a day for a few days and watch for any unusual reaction. In most cases, if there is going to be an allergic reaction, it will make itself known in a very short time after the initial introduction of the new food, in this case kombucha tea."

My own reply was: "Colleen, I also do not have any concern to give the Kombucha tea to children. It has been established that there is nothing harmful to children in Kombucha Tea. A mother even reported me that she gave her baby K-tea by spoonfuls und thus healed her baby from milk crust on its scalp. The alcohol content is as low as in fruit juice which we give our children without hesitation, too. Certainly we have to treat our children very cautiously and gingerly and reduce the dosage corresponding their age, just like we do it with other remedies, too. Parents are asked to use their own common sense while making decisions concerning what they allow their children to eat or drink. By the way: Kombucha is good for teenagers with acne.

Jack Barclay supplemented: "I caution people about giving kombucha tea to children under one year of age. Doctors tell everyone not to give honey to babies under a year in age. The bacteria and enzymes in the honey are too much for their intestinal system and their immune system is not fully developed. After a baby comes out of the womb, the internal organs continue to grow and develop. Kombucha tea also has bacteria and enzymes that would be hard on a babies intestinal tract that is still forming. Kombucha tea has laxative qualities that might be hard on a wee ones intestinal tract. I would not encourage the use of kombucha tea in new borns up to a year. I think that a rule of thumb could be that when a baby is old enough for honey, he is old enough for k-tea."