Tami Grant brews a beverage in her kitchen that has been consumed in China for more than 2,000 years.Kombucha is a beverage made from sweetened tea that’s been fermented by a symbiotic colony of bacteria and yeast called a “scoby” or “mother” because of its ability to reproduce, or “mushroom” because of its appearance.It was used by the ancient Chinese to treat and heal a variety of ailments.Grant, Warrenton, who worked in gastronomy until 1995, started having problems in her digestive system.“I had palpable masses all over my colon and I started having symptoms of that as well,” she said. “I had obstruction. I would eat very little and feel full and it was painful.”Grant’s sister had died of cervical cancer, and Grant, who said she was afraid of getting cancer herself, started praying about her situation and asked God for guidance.“He gave me a dream,” she said. “He said ‘miracle water.’ ”Grant started ionizing distilled water and drinking it. Then she said she had another dream.“God told me Gary (Grant’s husband) had the cure for cancer,” she said. “Gary works for Coca-Cola, but in his spare time he makes wine. That’s fermented beverages.”Grant said she knew that wine has too much sugar, which she said penetrates cancer cells and spreads them.“Then I came across kombucha,” she said.BrewingKombucha is brewed in two stages, the first stage, the fermentation process, creates the scoby, which takes about 14 days to form.“You start by just putting grape juice, with no added sugar, and put it on the counter with a towel over it, and it will form a little tiny scoby,” she said. “It has to be at room temperature because it’s a live food.”Grant likes to do a second fermentation to add more carbonation.The drink can be made with any type of tea, and once the scoby culture has formed, it is ready to decant.The liquid is placed in a container with an airtight lid. Fruit, juice or even flowers can be added at this stage.The bottles are stored for one to three days at room temperature, but Grant said they must be “burped,” every few hours to release the pressure that builds up inside because of the carbonation.“If you don’t unscrew the lid and release the pressure it can build up and explode and that makes a big mess,” she said. “I’ve had glass go off like a cannon. I burp mine four to six times a day.”Burping the brew also makes it more “fizzy,” Grant said.When the brewing is complete, putting the concoction in the refrigerator will stop the fermentation.BenefitsGrant claims drinking three 8-ounce glasses of kombucha daily, along with eating healthy and drinking plenty of miracle water, has cured her digestive problems.She said she has also lost 20 pounds in recent months.Kombucha, she claims, has many other benefits.“The No. 1 thing that it does is cleanse your liver,” she said. “Once your liver is detoxified from all the medications, pollutants and pesticides, all the stuff that is in our atmosphere, it can overcome diseases.”Grant also claims it also will cleanse the colon, increases metabolism and energy, alleviates arthritis, lowers blood sugar and blood pressure, and much more.A helpful person by nature, Grant said she gives her drink to family and friends with ailments, but would some day like to open a “kombucha bar.”“I’d like to have it on tap,” she said.

CHEERS! Tami Grant raises her glass of kombucha, an ancient Chinese fermented drink said to have a wealth of health benefits to the human body. Grant drinks about three 8-ounce glasses per day, and claims it has healed her of digestive problems.

Sarah Johnson Photo