Gut check

[Photo provided to China Daily]

Proponents of healthy foods - a trendy bunch these days - often urge us to pay attention to digestion. The latest is one of Beijing's hippest purveyors of tea, Martin Papp, whose Kombucha Challenge is "a six-day journey to gut health". If you've never heard of it, kombucha is a fermented tea beverage, naturally carbonated and served cold. "While maintaining your normal diet," he says, "drink a bottle of kombucha in the morning and one bottle in the evening for six consecutive days." That's enough to flush out the toxins and rejuvenate your gut bacteria. "Be prepared for noticeable improvements in bowel functions (don't think about this too much) and possible weight loss." Chock-full of probiotics (we don't know what they are, but they sound healthy), the drink is a traditional brew for detoxing - said to be invented for a Qin Dynasty (221-206 BC) emperor who sought "the tea of immortality". (Full disclosure: He ultimately died, but apparently with a fabulous collection of microflora in his gut.) Touted benefits include easing joint pain and boosting energy. The fermented product is not recommended for those who are very sensitive to alcohol or have stomach ulcers.

35 yuan ($5.25) per bottle or 349 yuan for a case of 12 on WeChat and at Papp's Tea Showroom in Topwin Center and Papp's Tea Lab in Sanlitun Soho.