PEOPLE DRINK THIS STUFF? Carol Sabo takes a close look at her Manchurian Mushroom. Supposedly the liquid the mushroom grows in will cure a wide variety of ailments, Those who've tied it say It tastes like stale cider. Fun with fungus THERE’S A NEW type of magic mushroam in town these days. It won't get you high, but it can cure a whole host of ailments from arthritis to allergies, say supporters. The mushroom in question grows in a mixture of black tea and sugar and resembles a dead, water-logged pancake — no cute smurf homes here. Scientists who have studied the Manchurian Mushroom say it is a fungus built in membrane form, a symbiosis of yeast cells and different bac- _ teria, , - But Carat Sabo just describes it Ss ‘‘pretly slimy looking.” She was given a baby mushroom by her sister-in-law in Quesnel. The mushroom grows and forms a baby every seven days, 50 starting new ones is very simple, You don’t actually eat the mushroom, you just drink the leftover liquid aficr seven days are up. A half a cup a day of “Kombucha tea’? is all that’s recommended, - It'sounds simple but there are a few strict procedures you have to follow. “You can’t touch it with metal supposedly,’” says Sabo. '‘And it must be able to breathe. A lid will kill it..And don’t feed it after - midnight,’ she adds, smirking sceplically. Despite following these proce- dure, Sabo is highly suspicious of the grayish growth, -“P’ve ingested lots of things in my lifetime, but I don’t know about this one,’’ she says. “T don’t do heebce geebee stuff.’”’ She says it’s been an interesting experiment for her, watching it grow, and collecting information about it’s alleged powers. But be- fore she tries it she’s going to feed it to her plants. Purportedly Kombucha tea can prevent certain kinds of cancer, help bronchitis, asthma, allergies and insomnia, It cleats up skin conditions, eliminates wrinkles, lowers cholesterol, eliminates grey hair, helps digestion and even increases sex drive. Or so belicvers claim. Other mushroom owners in Ter- Tace claim first-hand knowledge of its curative properties, but don't wish to be identified public- ly, One middle-aged Terrace woman claims her psoriasis cleared up after completely after starting lo drink the tea in the be- ginning of February. Another woman says she watched the hair of a Quesnel rel- ative tum dark again after being snowy white. She has also seen a Man with arthrids improve noticeably, Laura and Les Lanterman started drinking Kombucha tea at the beginning of April. “IT haven’t noticed any im- provements in my health, but then again, you probably wouldn't nutice anything right away,” says Laura Lanterman, ‘‘I think ] have a little more energy, but that could just be in my head.’’ ‘We started doing it as a pre- ventative measure,” she says. ‘Sort of like taking vitamins, But vitamin makers don’t have to worry. Gray slimy pancakes will probably never replace chew- able vitamin Cs. Water Facts Your Aquarium Fish Like Clean Water iy aquarium it may be the resuit of contaminants in the water, Tropical fish and goldfish are sensitive to _ contaminants in their environment. Chlorine, pH and mineral content can all have a negative effect on your water friends. To keep your fish happy and swimming upright be sure to change your carbon filter regularly, condition and adjust the pH of your water before adding the fish. Another option is to give your fish purified water to swim in. Just let the water aerate for about 30 minutes before adding the fish. The Terrace Standard, Wednesday, May 17, 1995 - B3_ a halieane helene lees | SPRING CLEANING SPECIAL § Terrace Art G Association’s ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING MAY 29, 1995 ~ 7:30 p.m. at the Terrace Art Gallery 4610 Park Ave. - Lower Level at Library Everyone is welcome to attend. S May 31, 1995 QUALITY 58. DRYCLEANING > & REPAIRS 736 Lakalse Ave, Terrace, B.C. V8G 1R6 635-2820 ee ALG PURE CHICKEN STEAK BEEF BURGERS BEEF BREASTS Or Wing Steak, Reqular or Seasoned. Regular quality. Sold in Fillet removed. Previously frozen. Frozen. Sald in a 5 lb opprox. 10 Ib bag. Boneless. Skinless. Box far $9.40. Lucerne. UMIT OF. 8.77 kg/lb Works out to Approx, Each 2.16 kg/tb @ 8.77 kg/Ib = 1 are AIR Mes . ae » vlzavel mile with eaih phg pure hated. FRESH ORANGE POTATO SIDE RIBS 68 STRAWBERRIES (4 ICE CHIPS Whole. Fresh or Product of U.S.A. Or Grapefruit Juice. Assortod varieties. previously frozen. No. | Grade. Bebair Fozen conceniiote. Cld Dutch. ; UMIT OF 2. @ 3.70 kg/Ib 2.18 kg/Ib @ 355 mt Ey] 200 g