This story is a work of fiction, or perhaps not, there may be historical inaccuracies, nevertheless, it was delivered to me in a dream, and just like the protagonist, I made a commitment to share it as a gift from heaven. I hope you enjoy it.
To me, Kombucha, like all the other superfoods I write about, is a kind of “Mana,” a saving and healing food that has existed for hundreds, perhaps thousands of years. It was born in a natural or rather miraculous way, and it was probably first tasted by a thirsty man in the mountains, or even one on the brink of death. He probably detested the sour or already vinegar-like taste of this liquid, but it saved his life. Then he realized it was beneficial for other things as well, so he continued drinking and reproducing it for a long time. He passed on the information and recipe to his children, grandchildren, and thousands of years later, it has helped and perhaps saved the lives of thousands of people all over the planet.
And if I let my imagination soar even further, just as in the biblical story, “Mana” fell from the sky every morning to feed the lost Israelites in the desert after the exodus, I can also imagine angels delivering Kombucha, Kefir, cheese, sourdough, jerky, honey, various ferments, and even the earliest types of wine and beer to beings who were in need or on the verge of death from starvation, but who cried out to heaven for help and received these celestial gifts and were saved… And to me, those are heavenly gifts. Because let me ask you something, in your right mind, who would think of leaving a tea with sugar fermenting for ten days and then, upon seeing a kind of alien-looking fungus floating inside, drink it to see if it’s good or not?… I mean, not me, and I believe people in ancient times wouldn’t have done it unless they found themselves in an extreme situation like the one I described before.
Well, now that I’ve shared my very personal belief regarding the origin of these foods, you can either keep it or explore other theories. For now, let’s focus a little more on this particular story about the origin of kombucha.
So, this man who was on the verge of dying of dehydration drank the jar with the kombu he found in an abandoned shelter in the mountains. It was sour and highly fermented, but he drank it as if it were a Gin and Tonic with ice on a summer afternoon. He found it delightful and thanked the heavens without realizing that a little angel was observing him with satisfaction from a distance, hidden behind the rocks.
When the man felt better and recovered after a good rest, he got up to resume his journey and finish crossing the mountain. He was much closer to his home now. As the angel saw him resume his route, panic set in. Without thinking twice, the angel whispered to the wind, “Don’t forget your Kombucha…..” The man stopped and felt his body tremble as he was enveloped in a fresh mountain breeze. His hair stood on end, he took a deep breath, and he remembered the clay jar with the sour liquid that had saved his life. He went back to retrieve it and saw that only a little of the liquid and a kind of plant were left floating in it. He hung the jar in his backpack or whatever they used in those times, and he continued his march towards his village.
The angel, seeing that his rescue mission had been a complete success, felt happy and returned to heaven. Once back in their celestial domain, the angel took out their laptop and began to write some recipes that they would have to send to the pilgrim they had saved in the mountains. These recipes would help him with the health problems afflicting his village, problems that the angel knew would later afflict all of humanity. However, during that time, thousands of years ago, there was no internet or Wi-Fi on Earth, so the angel couldn’t send the pilgrim an email with instructions on how to prepare Kombu. This posed a challenge. The angel realized they would have to return to Earth and find a way to deliver this information to the pilgrim.
When the pilgrim finally arrived in his village, his family was overjoyed. They had already given him up for dead after such a long delay in crossing the mountains. He told them about the miracle of the sour drink that not only saved his life but also gave him enough energy to cross the mountain. He had brought the remains of the drink to see if it was possible to replicate it.
The pilgrim’s wife, parents, and grandparents took a sip of the drink, but none of them could say what it could be. It didn’t taste like anything they were familiar with. The man, somewhat puzzled, stared at the viscous plant-like substance at the bottom of the clay jar and asked, “What are you? You saved my life, and now it’s my turn to save yours.” So the pilgrim put some fresh water in the jar and left it on a table. Then, overcome by fatigue, he went to sleep.
At this point in the story, if you’re still reading, you might be wondering why I refer to the protagonist as the “Pilgrim.” Well, if you arrived at my site in search for information about healing an illness or to learn about healthy foods, you probably have some idea… or not?… Just warming up… Well, if you don’t have an idea yet, pour yourself a glass of ice-cold kombucha. And if it’s winter, prepare yourself a hot ginger tea, wrap yourself in a blanket, and keep reading because things are about to get really interesting.
In those ancient times, approximately 2,500 years ago, in the Tibetan mountains or somewhere in Eastern Asia, there were no medicines or doctors. Only healers and herbalists existed, who, although they knew a lot about naturopathy because it was the original form of healing in the world, didn’t always have all the knowledge or the necessary herbs to cure an illness. Often, they didn’t even know what diseases they were dealing with, let alone how to treat them. In those cases, when the healer, often times a monk, couldn’t find a way to help the sick person, the next step was to send them on a pilgrimage to a sacred sanctuary and entrust themselves to the gods. And really, if you think about it, this hasn’t changed much with modern medicine. For many of the diseases that take people’s lives today, the last resort is faith, trusting that the universe itself will provide a new opportunity.
Now, shall we continue?
Well then. Our pilgrim was already returning from his pilgrimage (what else?) to the “Sacred Mountain of the Gods Beyond.” The monks sent him there when they realized he had a skin disease, much like leprosy, that couldn’t be cured with the herbs and treatment they provided.
After several days of praying and meditating on the mountain, the man felt that his prayers had been strong enough, and he made a commitment to the gods to help other sick people for the rest of his life if his own illness was healed. Feeling grateful, he set off on the journey back to his village. At his last stop by a river, before embarking on the mountain crossing, the man filled his water bag, which was nothing more than a patched-up cow’s stomach, and began the long trek of several days to return home.
After two days of climbing, when fatigue was already setting in, the pilgrim stumbled on some stones, slipped, and the water bag punctured on a thorn. The pilgrim managed to fold the bag to prevent all the water from spilling out, but he didn’t have enough left to make it back or to finish the mountain crossing. Looking up at the sky once again, he said, “If you have listened to me and blessed me with my healing, then I trust you to help me reach home with the water I have left. Otherwise, please take care of my loved ones and of my soul when my life departs!” The pilgrim got up and continued his journey without looking back.
In heaven, one of the archangels frowned and said, “Hey… this doesn’t make any sense. The Boss approved the pilgrim’s healing, so why did he lose his water and now he is facing mortal danger?” The other angels in the room looked perplexed. That wasn’t part of the plan. The pilgrim had already suffered enough and was ready for his mission.
“I believe it was a dark force that interfered and tripped him!” exclaimed one of the angels. The other angels burst into laughter, but the archangel looked at him seriously and said, “Then it will be your new mission to ensure that the pilgrim reaches his home alive and completes his mission!! You must take care of him, his life, and provide him with the necessary tools to fulfill his objective. Moreover, you will be tasked with watching over all the human beings who follow the same path throughout the ages, until humans awaken and no longer need healing.”
The angel felt immensely honored and happy with the new mission entrusted to them. They thanked the archangel for their new assignment and quickly descended to Earth to help the pilgrim, whose water had already run out, and he was struggling to walk, knowing that several more days of the journey still lay ahead to cross the mountain.
He was only a few meters away from reaching the highest area and starting the descent toward his village. However, fatigue overwhelmed him. Thirst and hunger became unbearable, and his vision blurred, occasionally feeling like he was losing consciousness.
After a few more meters, as he turned behind some large rocks, the pilgrim caught sight of a small, ancient stone shelter. Thinking his eyes were deceiving him, he was certain he saw the figure of a being emerging from the place. “Thank you, dear Gods!” he thought, and he walked as fast as he could, calling for help.
Upon arrival, all he found was an empty shelter with some wooden stools and a clay jar on the floor. Without a second thought, he drank what liquid remained inside the jar and collapsed onto the ground, where he slept long enough for his body to recover.
Not far away, the angel observed the scene with satisfaction and stayed by the pilgrim’s side for nearly two days until he finally woke up.
The pilgrim slowly opened his eyes, thinking he had died and found himself in heaven. Gradually, he began to see the clouds in the sky and feel the warm spring breeze of the mountain. When he realized he wasn’t dead but lying on the ground and feeling much better, he sat up slowly, inspected his hands, his body, and the surroundings. He felt it was a beautiful day and thanked the gods for saving his life once again. He had no awareness of how long he had been asleep, but he could feel his body relieved and rested. There was much less road left to return home, so he stood up, dusted off his clothes, and promptly set off on his way.
A few steps later, he felt the mountain breeze whispering to him. He looked back and saw only the spot where he had rested and the clay jar that had saved his life. He went back for it, stared intently into its interior, finding a fair amount of liquid and that peculiar plant floating inside. The pilgrim knew that it had been a gift from the gods to save his life, but he had no idea what it could be. He believed that a gift like that should be cared for and cherished. So, he took the jar, wrapped it in leather, hung it in his backpack, and resumed his journey homeward.
Several days after the pilgrim’s arrival in his village, once he had recovered from his journey, he took the clay jar with the remaining liquid and headed to the temple of the monks who had sent him on the pilgrimage. Upon reaching the temple, he recounted his extraordinary adventure to the monks and how that celestial gift had saved his life. The monks were truly perplexed to see that the pilgrim had fully healed from his skin wounds and even more intrigued by the sour liquid that the gods had used to help him survive the mountain crossing.
Several monks tasted the liquid and examined the plant floating inside without having the slightest idea of what it could be. After a long discussion, the master monk said, “If this is a gift from the divine and the pilgrim’s mission is to help others, then we must enter into meditation for the divine to explain its meaning to us.” And so, the pilgrim and several monks entered a deep state of meditation to connect with the divine.
The angel of kombucha, who had now transformed into the pilgrim’s guardian angel, was delighted because this would simplify the way of delivering the information to the pilgrim. However, there was a big problem. For the pilgrim to replicate the sacred liquid, he would need at least sugar and black tea. But back then, those ingredients were centuries away from being available in such remote places. So, the angel would have to improvise a bit. After all, they knew their mission would last for several earthly millennia.
Once the pilgrim and the monks were in a profound meditation and connected with the light, the angel easily conveyed to them the images of the process to make kombucha. However, there were some modifications. Instead of sugar, they would have to use honey, and instead of black tea, they would have to use green tea, something only the monks had and treasured.
Upon returning from meditation, the monks and the pilgrim looked at each other. They were still in a state of deep devotion and gratitude for the great revelation that had been bestowed upon them. The green tea that was used only for very specific ceremonies was an elixir that the monks guarded jealously, as it only reached them in small quantities and at a distance through traveling monks who brought news and novelties from other remote villages. However, the angel who knew about this situation also sent them images of the tea flowing more regularly in the future.
Discovering the divine origin of this recipe, the pilgrim had no choice but to become a monk and dedicate his life to the preparation, teaching, and healing with this beverage. As its components were different from the original, and the dark drink turned into a yellowish-green color over time, it came to be called “Jun.” Centuries later, it would become “Kombucha” again, made from black tea and cane or beet sugar.
The “Monks of Jun” began using this sacred drink themselves, and as they reproduced larger quantities, they started sharing it with the sick people and those in need in the villages.
Once the pilgrim monk had become an expert in its preparation, he started traveling from temple to temple, teaching the history and preparation of the elixir. Years and centuries passed, and the use of Jun, and later Kombucha, began to spread from Asia to the West. As sugar and tea became more available, the monks distributed the scobys (Tibetan Mushroom at the time) to the people, and families incorporated this beverage into their diets.
The use of Kombucha expanded worldwide until the mid-19th century. Many families consumed it as an ordinary drink without knowing or understanding its divine origin. The angel of Kombucha had accomplished their mission, and after over 2,500 years, they could return to heaven and assume a new task.
After the Second World War, with the advent of the industrial era and the mass production of sodas and sweetened beverages, kombucha began to slowly fade away. People forgot about its health benefits and preferred the simplicity of Coca-Cola, instant tea, and coffee, as they required no effort or time to prepare. By the early 20th century, kombucha was almost extinct in most of the Western world, remaining only with naturalist and spiritual groups who continued to use it as a medicinal drink.
The adverse effects of the modern diet, high in sugars, fats, carbohydrates, and chemical elements, started causing serious health damage. Chronic autoimmune diseases and cancer began to rise exponentially, a spiral from which modern medicine and pharmaceutical companies, instead of helping to heal, took advantage to create drugs and fictitious procedures, generating unimaginable profits at the expense of human pain and suffering.
The angel of kombucha, overwhelmed with sorrow, saw how their work of thousands of years had been nearly destroyed in just a few decades. Overwhelmed and saddened, the angel went to speak with Archangel Raphael, the archangel of healing, seeking guidance on how to help humans once again.
Archangel Raphael looked kindly at the angel and said, “Do not worry. Humans are entering a period of light, and although the situation may seem critical and hopeless today, they will soon begin to awaken from a long slumber.” Then he added, “Go once more to Earth, work with those groups that still nourish themselves healthily, inspire books and texts that flow through the network, use today’s technology to reach millions of people… so they may return to eating well… so they can heal their bodies from the inside out… Go… and help them awaken.”
And so, the angel of kombucha returned to Earth to work with groups of people, spreading information not only about kombucha but also about all the divine foods that have been bestowed upon humanity at various moments in our existence.
If you have a scoby in your home today and drink kombucha or Jun, consume fermented foods, sourdough bread, kefir, tibicos, or other natural products, it means that you have likely been sick, just like the original pilgrim. You have reached out to the heavens for help, and you have not only received a response but also the blessings of the gods and the visit of the Angel of Kombucha who provided you with a gift from heaven..
Prepare and consume these foods with respect and devotion, share them with your family and friends, heal your body from the inside out… live in harmony with nature… AWAKEN!!!
THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU.
Learn to prepare your own Kombucha at home.
