Double extractions via kombucha

Certain herbal medicines are best extracted by both water and alcohol, because they contain active compounds with different solubilities. Usually this is done with hot water maceration, steeping a while, then alcohol maceration of the same menstruum, steeping, and combining the extractions if I recall correctly.

Any thoughts on shortcutting this method with kombucha? Could it possibly effect so complete an extraction as the tedious double-extraction of menstruum? I already use it to extract from cinnamon, black cumin, turmeric, ginger, black pepper, cayenne and schisandra berries. Because kombucha contains both alcohol and water and is an active ferment, I wonder at its extractive capabilities.

If so, at what stage would you introduce medicinal compounds? I'm considering experimenting with extracting reishi and chaga (I think chaga is a double-extractive?) via kombucha, introduced at the secondary ferment stage: remove the scoby, rack the kombucha, introduce medicinals and ferment at least 2 more days. But given the recommended weeks of steeping for reishi, I might leave the kombucha until it's practically vinegar. I'm curious whether something in medicinals will arrest fermentation too. Clearly I am way out of my biochemical depth! Good times.

That is exactly how you should do it! I brew 5 gallons of sweet tea and sugar and just when it gets a bit tart, (3 to 5 days in our tropical climate) i combine a super-concentrate of the herbs and shelf fungi (extracted with just enough hot water to cover) and kombucha in a food grade 5 gallon bucket with lid and let the herbs steep in the acid elixir for 24 more hours. I then strain and bottle... GOOD LUCK! send pictures!