The backpacking mixes · Just add hot water
MB1 · trail formTrail Tonic Awakening
MB1, backpacking form · just add water
The home version is water, fresh citrus, and salt sole. All three survive the trip to dry form almost perfectly — a saturated brine is just dissolved salt, and crystallized citrus fooled most tasters in a blind test against fresh-squeezed. Cold or warm water both work; this one doesn’t even need the stove.
Core mix — per serving (~4 g)
| Ingredient | Amount | Grams | Stands in for |
|---|---|---|---|
| True Lemon or True Lime crystallized citrus | 1 heaping tsp | 2.5 g | Juice of ~half a lemon |
| Redmond Real Salt, fine (or fine Himalayan/Celtic) | scant ¼ tsp | 1.3 g | 1 tsp salt sole |
Add 12–16 oz water, swirl, drink. A week of core mix fits in one snack-size bag (~28 g).
Full tonic mix — per serving (~20 g)
Everything above, plus the optional layers in Ed’s order of importance:
| Ingredient | Amount | Grams | Stands in for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Apple cider vinegar powder | 1 tsp | 3 g | ~1 tbsp liquid ACV |
| Shilajit powder (PrimaVie, ≥50% fulvic acids) or fulvic mineral powder | 1–2 caps, opened | 0.5 g | Fulvic & humic mineral drops |
| Coconut water powder (freeze-dried, unsweetened) | 1 rounded tbsp | 8 g | 8 oz coconut water |
| Pomegranate juice powder (freeze-dried) | 1–1.5 tsp | 4 g | A splash of pomegranate juice |
| Chlorophyllin capsule (water-soluble, alfalfa-derived) | 1 cap, opened | 0.35 g | Liquid chlorophyll |
The two side packets
- Baking soda — ~2 g (¼–½ tsp) per day for the after-tonic tooth swish. Pack it in its own mini vial or contact-lens case, separate from the mix — moisture plus citric acid means fizz, and a neutralized tonic.
- Probiotic capsule — the honest word on water kefir: there is no add-water equivalent of a living ferment. A shelf-stable spore-form probiotic (Bacillus coagulans) is the nearest stand-in, and it’s a distant one. Swallow it separately; don’t stir it into hot water.
Batch prep
- Multiply the table by your number of mornings.
- Blend everything except baking soda and probiotics in a bowl.
- Portion per-serving into mini zip bags — the citrus and pomegranate powders are hygroscopic and will clump in one big jar. If you must use a jar, add a food-safe desiccant packet.
- Five-day trip, full mix: about 110 g (~4 oz) plus the two side packets.
What’s lost vs. home
The living fizz of water kefir, and the fresh-cut brightness of real citrus — though crystallized citrus gets remarkably close (its cold-pressed lemon oil does the trick). Everything else is chemically the same drink.
Lazy option
Cure Hydration lemon packets are essentially this tonic’s core three ingredients (coconut water powder, pink salt, citrus) in one sachet — add a shilajit cap and you’re 80% there. Sweetened, though, which the home version isn’t.