caffeine

[Guest guest]

Friends,

We are having this same discussion here in our kombucha-woods.

> When we drink

> tea (black or green) late at night, it will keep us awake for several

> hours. Kombucha, on the other hand, has no effect on our sleep. It

> does not cause us the other normal caffeine responses, like

> jitteriness, hyperness, etc

> I too have noticed the same thing.

> that night. However with the Kombucha, I can drink it anytime, including

> just before bed, with no problems.

Some folks are drinking my k-tea who swear they can not and will not touch

caffeine.

" make me crazy " " makes me sleepy " " gives me heart palpitations " . So what really

is happening

to the stuff. I have read here that some folks use de-cafe tea, but when we did

that we got little or no

fermentation (we are at 8 days with that batch). I have been looking all around

for some

information on this but I can find none.

I contacted GT Dave and asked them and they just said that the caffeine was

" used up " in the

process by the scoby. What gives? More over has this already been talked out and

there is

some simple answer out there we are missing.

OH wise one(s) enlighten us please .

Peace and Kombucha,

Jen

[Guest guest]

Hi, I too am very sensitive to caffeine, it will make me wide awake

for about 8 hours after drinking it. However, I have no problems

with kombucha. When I drink it during the daytime, it gives me extra

energy, but if I drink some before bedtime, I go right to sleep,

quite something for this old insomniac!!! From what I have read, the

caffeine in kombucha is almost completely used up in the brewing

process, however, if someone is still sensitive to the minute amount

still in the tea after brewing, you can take a pan of boiling water,

put the teabags in that water for about 1/2 to 1 minute, and most of

the caffeine will be removed, as the caffeine is what comes out of

the teabag at the onset of putting it in boiling water. Once you have

done this, you can then put the teabags into the measured boiling

water for your sweet tea mix, and proceed as usual. At the end of the

brewing process, you will have almost 100% decaffeinated k-tea. The

store bought decaffeinated teas are not recommended because the

majority of companies use harsh chemicals to strip the caffeine out

of the tea, which perhaps explains the problem with brewing k-tea

with store bought decaffeinated teabags. Hope this was somewhat

helpful. Jeani

>

> Friends,

> We are having this same discussion here in our kombucha-woods.

>

> > When we drink

> > tea (black or green) late at night, it will keep us awake for

several

> > hours. Kombucha, on the other hand, has no effect on our sleep.

It

> > does not cause us the other normal caffeine responses, like

> > jitteriness, hyperness, etc

>

> > I too have noticed the same thing.

> > that night. However with the Kombucha, I can drink it anytime,

including

> > just before bed, with no problems.

>

> Some folks are drinking my k-tea who swear they can not and will

not touch caffeine.

> " make me crazy " " makes me sleepy " " gives me heart palpitations " .

So what really is happening

> to the stuff. I have read here that some folks use de-cafe tea, but

when we did that we got little or no

> fermentation (we are at 8 days with that batch). I have been

looking all around for some

> information on this but I can find none.

> I contacted GT Dave and asked them and they just said that the

caffeine was " used up " in the

> process by the scoby. What gives? More over has this already been

talked out and there is

> some simple answer out there we are missing.

> OH wise one(s) enlighten us please .

>

> Peace and Kombucha,

> Jen

>

>

>

>

[Guest guest]

See Olmstead's post.

3 hours or so from now.

Subject line reads:-

Upon caffeine and green tea

jenkran@... wrote:

> Friends,

> We are having this same discussion here in our kombucha-woods.

>

>

>> When we drink

>> tea (black or green) late at night, it will keep us awake for several

>> hours. Kombucha, on the other hand, has no effect on our sleep. It

>> does not cause us the other normal caffeine responses, like

>> jitteriness, hyperness, etc

>>

>

>

>> I too have noticed the same thing.

>> that night. However with the Kombucha, I can drink it anytime, including

>> just before bed, with no problems.

>>

>

> Some folks are drinking my k-tea who swear they can not and will not touch

caffeine.

> " make me crazy " " makes me sleepy " " gives me heart palpitations " . So what

really is happening

> to the stuff. I have read here that some folks use de-cafe tea, but when we

did that we got little or no

> fermentation (we are at 8 days with that batch). I have been looking all

around for some

> information on this but I can find none.

> I contacted GT Dave and asked them and they just said that the caffeine was

" used up " in the

> process by the scoby. What gives? More over has this already been talked out

and there is

> some simple answer out there we are missing.

> OH wise one(s) enlighten us please .

>

> Peace and Kombucha,

> Jen

>

>

>

>

[Guest guest]

>

> http://www.jonbarron.org/baseline-health-program/2009-03-30.php

>

Great article, Bev. Thanks for sharing it.

[Guest guest]

The page is gone I get a 404 error every time I try to go there. I even

did a search for Caffeine on the site and it very happily gives this

link, but when I click on it the blasted 404 error comes up. ???

zoe

> http://www.jonbarron.org/baseline-health-program/2009-03-30.php

> Peace, Love and Harmony,

> Bev

> 

>

>

[Guest guest]

The page still works for me.. but here is the article for you.

Caffeine: Health Benefits, Health Risks

Date: 3/30/2009

Posted By: Jon Barron

[image: Click here to subscribe to Jon Barron's FREE

newsletter!]<http://www.jonbarron.org/newsletters/sign_up.php>

Caffeine -- it's the world's most popular drug. People drink it with alcohol

to ramp up the effect. They drink it after alcohol to sober up. They take it

to get rid of headaches, cure cancer, and prevent Parkinson's. Then again,

the state of California is looking to put warning labels on any product that

contains added caffeine. So what gives -- is caffeine saint or sinner,

miracle drug or prenatal nightmare?

In truth, it's all of the above. The devil, as usual when it comes to

natural substances, lies in the details. And that's what we're going to

explore in this newsletter, the truth behind caffeine.

The world's most popular drug

Pure caffeine is a bitter-tasting white powder that looks a lot like

cornstarch. It is moderately soluble in water at body temperature and

readily soluble in boiling water. It was first isolated from coffee in 1820,

after which it was quickly recognized that the mood-and-behavior-altering

properties of both coffee and tea depended upon caffeine. Whether it's in

the form of coffee, tea, chocolate, kola nut chewables, guarana, or yerba

matte, hundreds of millions of people around the world start their days

(including 90% of Americans) -- each and every day -- with a jolt of

caffeine or use a jolt during the day to keep them " going. " And yet, almost

no one who consumes it knows much about it. As a point of clarification, not

all forms of caffeine are the same. Depending on what other alkaloids and

antioxidants come with it or how it's bound with fiber, the " caffeine

experience " can be quite different from beverage to beverage. Each caffeine

complex actually has a different name depending on its source such as

guaranine as found in guarana, mateine as found in mate, and theine as found

in tea, Another point of distinction is that not all caffeine is actually

caffeine. Chocolate, for example, contains theobromine, a very close

relative of caffeine -- but only 1/10 as stimulating.

[image: Negative Effects Caffeine]

Although caffeine is not addictive in the same sense that many hard drugs

can be considered addictive, it definitely affects the brain and body and

stimulates them in a manner similar to the amphetamines such as cocaine.

They all work by blocking adenosine's ability to slow nerve cell

activity<http://ajpregu.physiology.org/cgi/content/full/284/2/R399>in

preparation for sleep, and instead increase the speed of nerve cell

activity and of the neuron firing in the brain. (The caffeine molecule is

structurally similar to adenosine, and binds to adenosine receptors on the

surface of cells without activating them -- an " antagonist " mechanism of

action.) And if this were not enough by itself to keep you awake, the

increased neuron firing in the brain causes the pituitary glands to release

hormones that tell the adrenal glands to produce adrenaline, which gives

your body a boost, so it can remain active and alert.

Another effect of blocking adenosine is that it causes blood vessels in the

brain to constrict, which also serves to prevent the brain and body from

sleeping. (As a side note, it's probably worth mentioning that the ability

of caffeine to close blood vessels in the brain is why many pain relievers

contain

caffeine<http://www.webmd.com/migraines-headaches/guide/triggers-caffeine>.

If you have a vascular headache, the caffeine in Anacin, for example, will

shut down the blood vessels, thus easing the pain.) And finally, both

caffeine and cocaine increase dopamine production in the brain, so you

experience a temporary " high. " Dopamine is a neurotransmitter that activates

" pleasure centers " in the brain, and quite simply makes you feel " good. "

Naturally, the pleasurable effect produced by dopamine manipulation plays a

major role in caffeine addiction.

And speaking of addiction, as I mentioned in the last paragraph, caffeine is

not an addictive drug in the same sense as cocaine and/or heroin.

Nevertheless, because of caffeine's role as an adenosine antagonist, anyone

who consumes as little as 300 mg of caffeine a day (the equivalent of just 3

cups of drip coffee) will suffer withdrawal symptoms if they abruptly cut

off their caffeine supply. The problem is that the bodies of individuals who

regularly consume caffeine adapt to the continual presence of the

drug<http://www.jci.org/articles/view/112280>by substantially

increasing the number of adenosine receptors in the central

nervous system in an attempt to compensate. This is known as the " tolerance

effect. " This makes the body much more sensitive to adenosine -- and

consequently less sensitive to caffeine. In effect, this forces you to

consume more and more caffeine over time to get the same stimulatory effect.

On the other hand, any reduction in caffeine intake will effectively

increase the normal physiological effects of adenosine because of the

increased number of receptor sites, resulting in unwelcome withdrawal

symptoms including fatigue, depression, irritability, tremors, jumpiness, not

to mention deprivation of deep

sleep<http://www.jonbarron.org/heart-health-program/12-03-2007.php>,

and, of course, headaches, as the blood vessels in the brain begin to once

again dilate.

Caffeine facts

[image: Problems Energy Drinks]Thanks to the popularity of energy drinks,

caffeine is now omnipresent, but its level of concentration can vary widely.

A piece of chocolate may contain as little as 5mg, whereas some energy

drinks may contain as much as 160 mg. And for that matter, some medications

and diet pills can run as high as 200 mg of caffeine. Buzz city!!!

One of the major problems with caffeine is that it can severely impact sleep

patterns. Yes, if you have a morning cup of coffee, 75% of it will clear

your body by the time you go to bed. But if you have a couple of cups of

drip coffee in the morning, that means you will still be going to sleep with

some 50 mg still percolating in your veins -- more than enough to disrupt

the depth and quality of your sleep. And if you drink coffee throughout the

day, or as an afternoon pick-me-up, the level in your blood at bedtime will

climb dramatically. So while, yes, you may yet fall asleep, it is likely the

quality of that sleep will not be up to

par<http://www.jonbarron.org/heart-health-program/12-03-2007.php>

..

Another problem is that caffeine is a diuretic and can dehydrate you. Some

experts claim that the fluid you consume in drinking coffee or energy drinks

more than compensates for the fluid you lose through extra urination, but

the facts don't bear that out. Claims to the contrary are based on erroneous

studies on dehydration and misleading sound

bites<http://www.jonbarron.org/baseline-health-program/04-14-2008.php>

..

Caffeine and alcohol don't

mix<http://media.www.quchronicle.com/media/storage/paper294/news/2005/04/27/Life\

styles/Studies.Show.That.Combining.Caffeine.And.Alcohol.Can.Have.Harmful.Effects\

-939144.shtml>--

either while drinking, or for sobering up after drinking. The problem

is

that caffeine is a stimulant, whereas alcohol is a depressant -- complete

opposites. That means that caffeine doesn't negate the effects of alcohol;

it only makes you " think " it does. Consuming caffeine creates the

impression that you're getting sharper and more sober. But the truth is your

reaction time and judgment are still impaired. Mixing alcohol and caffeine

make you more likely to have accidents -- either in your car or while

operating heavy machinery.

There is also the problem that there are at least 32 epidemiological studies

of

caffeine<http://www.oehha.ca.gov/prop65/CRNR_notices/state_listing/pdf/dart09070\

7_5.pdf>that

have found an increased risk of adverse developmental or reproductive

outcomes. To put that in layman's terms, studies have linked caffeine to

both lowered birth weight and a significant increase in birth

defects<http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/01/080121080402.htm>

..

And caffeine is a growing problem for kids. The consumption of soft drinks

by children has literally doubled in the past 35 years, with soda replacing

milk. A 2003 study of Columbus, Ohio middle schoolers found some taking in

an astounding 800 milligrams of caffeine a

day<http://health.usnews.com/usnews/health/articles/070415/23caffeine.htm>--

more than twice the recommended maximum for adults of 300 milligrams.

And

that was in 2003, before the energy drink craze hit full bore. With the

advent of energy drinks in the last five years, those numbers have only

grown.

So how much caffeine is too much?

According to the Mayo

Clinic<http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/caffeine/NU00600>,

for most adults, moderate doses of caffeine -- 200 to 300 milligrams (mg),

or about two to four cups of brewed coffee a day -- aren't harmful. But

heavy use -- more than 500 to 600 mg a day, or about four to seven cups of

coffee -- can cause a whole host of problems, including: [image: Problems

Caffeine]

- Insomnia

- Nervousness

- Restlessness

- Irritability

- Nausea or other gastrointestinal problems

- Fast or irregular heartbeat

- Muscle tremors

- Headaches

- Anxiety

Caffeine and the law

There's a popular song from the last 40 years that goes, " I fought the law,

and the law won. " When it comes to caffeine and caffeinated drinks, that may

turn out to be remarkably prescient. A couple of years ago, the State of

California announced that state environmental health officials were

considering whether or not the caffeine found in soda and energy drinks was

harmful to your health, especially for pregnant women. In addition, the

California Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment is considering

placing warning labels on caffeine enhanced drinks if California Health

Officials actually conclude that caffeine is a harmful substance.

And if that were not enough, the State of Utah announced earlier this month

that they are considering taxing

caffeine<http://www.nbclosangeles.com/around_town/dining/Lawmaker-Jolts-Utah-Wit\

h-Caffeine-Tax-Proposal.html>as

a new stream of revenue for the state.

Make no mistake -- whether either of these initiatives ever goes live or not

is irrelevant. The bottom line is that caffeine is now in legislative

crosshairs around the world. Europe already requires a warning label on high

caffeine energy drinks, and France actually has banned Red

Bull<http://www.beveragedaily.com/Industry-Markets/Drinks-with-caffeine-need-war\

ning-labels-study>

..

Caffeine -- the miracle drug?

So much for the negatives. Caffeine also has a bright side. At least

six studies

have shown that people who drink coffee on a regular basis are up to 80%

less likely to develop

Parkinson's<http://www.bmj.com/cgi/content/extract/320/7248/1492/a?maxtoshow= & HI\

TS=10 & hits=10 & RESULTFORMAT= & fulltext=coffee+parkinson & searchid=1 & FIRSTINDEX=0 & re\

sourcetype=HWCIT>,

with three studies showing the more they drink, the lower the risk. Other

research has shown that drinking coffee can reduce the risk of colon and

liver cancer <http://www.medpagetoday.com/Gastroenterology/ColonCancer/518>by

some 25%, slash

the risk of skin cancer

<http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,500924,00.html>by some 40%, drop

the risk of liver

cirrhosis<http://www.webmd.com/mental-health/alcohol-abuse/news/20060612/coffee-\

might-curb-alcoholic-cirrhosis>by

22%, and lower

the risk of

gallstones<http://grande.nal.usda.gov/ibids/index.php?mode2=detail & origin=ibids_\

references & therow=614392>by

nearly half.

Coffee might even offset some of the damage caused by other vices. Some

research indicates that people who smoke and are heavy drinkers have less heart

disease<http://www.jonbarron.org/heart-health-program/heart_health_program.php>a\

nd

liver damage when they regularly consume large amounts of coffee

compared to those who don't.

There's also some evidence that coffee may help manage

asthma<http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/11687099>and even control

attacks when medication is unavailable, stop a headache,

boost mood, and even prevent

cavities<http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2002/03/020307074142.htm>

..

And of course, caffeine is widely used for its stimulating and alertness

properties, as well as its ability to enhance athletic performance.

Note: not all of the benefits associated with drinking coffee or tea can

necessarily be attributed to caffeine. In many cases, they might be specific

to the

antioxidants<http://www.jonbarron.org/anti-aging-program/03-01-2004.php>found

in those beverages (see below).

So, caffeine yes -- caffeine no?

As I mentioned at the top of the newsletter, when it comes to caffeine, the

devil is in the details. With that in mind, let me offer my recommendations.

- Natural caffeine is preferable to " added " caffeine. Natural caffeine

comes packaged with a number of powerful antioxidants such as:

- *Chocolate*: flavonoids, procyanidins, epicatechin, cocoa phenols.

- *Tea*: epigallocatechin, epicatechin gallate, and epicatechin. Not

to mention

theanine<http://www.amazing-green-tea.com/theanine-health-benefits.html>,

which is not an antioxidant, but rather, a profoundly beneficial

amino acid.

- *Coffee*: chlorogenic acid, caffeic

acid<http://www.cosic.org/coffee-and-health/antioxidants>,

and melanoidins <http://pubs.acs.org/doi/abs/10.1021/jf025686o>.

- The Mayo Clinic says under 300 mg a day is fine. I set the figure much

lower -- at about 100 mg a day. That still allows for 3 cups of green tea a

day. The exception to this guideline is that if you take your caffeine bound

to fiber, as in guarana (not guarana extract), the caffeine releases over

time rather than in powerful bursts, which allows you to consume more

without the negative side effects.

- Don't use caffeine as part of a daily ritual such as " every morning " to

start the day. Use it selectively, if possible, to get a boost only when

needed. And take at least two days off each week -- totally caffeine free --

to allow all caffeine to clear from your body on a weekly basis.

- And as much as possible avoid consuming caffeine while pregnant.

Incidentally, one of the reasons for this newsletter is that this past month

has been Caffeine Awareness

Month<http://www.gazette.net/stories/03192009/laurnew111612_32485.shtml>.

And speaking of caffeine awareness, check out the caffeine

calculator<http://www.caffeineawareness.org/calcu.php>at

CaffeineAwareness.org, which will calculate how much caffeine you

personally are consuming each day.

On Tue, Mar 31, 2009 at 12:47 PM, zoe w <mtnwalker2b@...> wrote:

> The page is gone I get a 404 error every time I try to go there. I even

> did a search for Caffeine on the site and it very happily gives this link,

> but when I click on it the blasted 404 error comes up. ???

>

> zoe

>

[Guest guest]

So far as I recall Gudrun, Green tea, white tea and black tea are all made from

Camelia sinensis (Posh for common or garden Tea plant).

Equally, I'm not aware that caffeine *is* a requirement for Kombucha.

No doubt ye Gurus will keep you right, but methinks that there's, probably, no

reason not to use any " de-caff " tea ( Not to be confused with " Caffeine -free "

such as Rooibos, which ain't a " proper tea " ) tho' I often bung in 1/3 Rooi :2/3

tea seems to make a handsome SCOBY.

HTH

.

(UK)

________________________________

From: gudrun45 <gudrun.schindler@...>

kombucha tea

Sent: Wednesday, 20 May, 2009 17:15:51

Subject: caffeine

I understand that one has to use regular tea to make Kombucha. However, Gunther

states on his website that herbal tea can be used. Herbal tea generally

does not have caffeine. So would it be okay to use teas from Celestial

Seasonings, for example or decaffeinated green tea?

Thanks,

Gudrun

------------------------------------

[Guest guest]

I was looking for info on caffeine in kombucha recently, and one website --

can't find it again -- said that the content in kombucha is about as low as

decaf coffee. However, I'm not sure if that was THEIR kombucha or KT i

general. I also found this:

<<Getting Rid of Caffeine

All teas, black green and white, contain caffeine. If you are concerned

about the amount of caffeine in your tea or in your kombucha you can get rid

of much of the it by pre-steeping the tea. Caffeine is highly soluble, so

usually 80% of the tea's caffeine content is released from the leaf within

the first 20 to 30 seconds of steeping. You can have virtually caffeine-free

tea, without sacrificing much flavour, by discarding the water after the

first 30 to 60 seconds of steeping and adding fresh hot water to the

now-decaffeinated leaf. This will not affect the flavonoid content of the

tea. Flavonoids develop over a period of minutes. Steeping the tea for five

minutes or more will allow the flavonoids to develop.

http://www.seedsofhealth.co.uk/fermenting/kombucha_teas.shtml>>

I would imagine that if you're concerned about the strength of the tea, you

could use an extra bag or two to make up for what you chuck.

[Guest guest]

Hi, Kathleen...cannot even drink green tea after 4 oclock,i toss and turn, but

KT i can sleep on...Jahjet

>

>

>

>

>

>

> Caffeine

> Posted by: " Teresita " teretorre@... teretorre

> Mon Mar 15, 2010 1:36 am (PDT)

>

>

> Norman, I posted my caffeine test results a few weeks ago. Do a search on the

messages site.

>

> Basically the results are this. If your original tea has caffeine in

> it, then your KT will have the same amount. The scoby does nothing to

> caffeine in the tea.

>

> Teresita

> I am very sensitive to caffeine and would never be able to go to sleep and

stay asleep if I drink caffeine in the late afternoon or evening, not even a cup

of black tea or quality high cocoa content chocolate. But I can drink KT before

bed and sleep uninterrupted all night. This makes me think that the caffeine

test strips may not be accurate. In my earlier research on KT before I started

drinking it I found studies that the caffeine had been consumed and converted by

the Scoby leaving little caffeine in the finished KT. Can anyone add to this

subject of caffeine and KT?

>

> Kathleen

>

>

[Guest guest]

Hi, Kathleen...cannot even drink green tea after 4 oclock,i toss and turn, but

KT i can sleep on...Jahjet

>

>

>

>

>

>

> Caffeine

> Posted by: " Teresita " teretorre@... teretorre

> Mon Mar 15, 2010 1:36 am (PDT)

>

>

> Norman, I posted my caffeine test results a few weeks ago. Do a search on the

messages site.

>

> Basically the results are this. If your original tea has caffeine in

> it, then your KT will have the same amount. The scoby does nothing to

> caffeine in the tea.

>

> Teresita

> I am very sensitive to caffeine and would never be able to go to sleep and

stay asleep if I drink caffeine in the late afternoon or evening, not even a cup

of black tea or quality high cocoa content chocolate. But I can drink KT before

bed and sleep uninterrupted all night. This makes me think that the caffeine

test strips may not be accurate. In my earlier research on KT before I started

drinking it I found studies that the caffeine had been consumed and converted by

the Scoby leaving little caffeine in the finished KT. Can anyone add to this

subject of caffeine and KT?

>

> Kathleen

>

>

[Guest guest]

This is an article about how caffeine and cortisol interact, in very simple and

easily understood terms not a medical paper

http://www.cheeseslave.com/2010/12/03/30-reasons-to-quit-coffee/?utm_source=feed\

burner & utm_medium=email & utm_campaign=Feed%3A+Cheeseslave+%28CHEESESLAVE%29 & utm_c\

ontent=%21+Mail

love janet