After a very long night in New York City a few years ago a friend picked my very hung-over self from the train station near my home. It was three in the afternoon but I couldn't shake those dehydration inspired, alcohol induced brain melting feelings that can only be likened to that of a hangover.
My friend saw the desperate look in my tired eyes, only slightly veiled by the rim of a "Top Gun" hat that I had "borrowed" from the top of an acquaintance's head that morning in an attempt to seem a bit less conspicuous, as the ensemble that I was still donning from the previous night's acts of reckless alcohol consumption and abandonment, seemed uncharacteristic for the time of day that I was wandering ill-kempt and probably reeking like a sailor lost at sea, through the underground maze that is the subway system.
As my friend gazed upon my state of obvious misery and cold-sweats, I complained that I was so dehydrated that I had the resulting symptoms of a UTI, she knew she needed to help.
"It smells bad, but just drink it down." My dear friend stated knowingly and selflessly as she handed me from her car's cup holder a glass bottle of seaweed green colored liquid with chunks of solid settlement and strands of culture from fermentation. I nearly gagged at the sight, but the pretty label had me assume that what ever she had in that bottle was not what the label was advertising.
"What in the hell is that!?" I asked looking as green as the algae steeped contents of the bottle still in her hand hovering over the center console.
"It's Kombucha! Its from the health food store. You defiled your insides last night, obviously, as I can glean by the looks of you and that ridiculous hat, when did they make a "Top Gun" hat with a glitter plastic logo anyway? Now, this stuff is fermented tea, and there's Spirulina in here, that's a blue green algae..."
"You don't say..."I facetiously mocked her explanation of the daunting darkly tinted opaque swamp water.
She rolled her eyes at me and loosened the cap to expose a hissing sound and sudden eruption of foam and natural effervescence to nearly spill over the mouth of the thick glass container, and almost poured it down my throat in a motherly nurturing know-it-all sort of way.
Now, I'm not saying that it cured me, but I did immediately feel a feeling I can only describe as giddy. The flavor was not unlike a watered down sweetened apple cider vinegar, and the texture that the culture and Spiralina powder created was not distracting me from my ability to be pleasantly surprised by this magical potion. I was hooked!!!
For those of you who want to re-balance your body's chemistry whether it be due to a self-inflicted hang-over, or years of eating fast and processed food, or hey- the stuff has even helped in the battle against cancer, although not approved by the FDA as a cure, mind you, you can make it yourself, if you can wait a month or so for fermentation. Although I plan on learning the intensive brewing process, I know that if I had the wherewithal to have it ready, I would also have the wherewithal to not get into a bind wherein I have to take recuperative measures.
Read more on Wikipedia to enlighten yourself even more about what exactly Kombucha is:Click here for knowledge:)
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