Milk mushroom is not the most famous ingredient for home-made fermented milk products, but one of the most useful in the history of mankind. And the good taste and ease of preparing a drink based on it, make it easy to enter it into your daily diet.
What explains the benefits of milk mushroom and what it is
Sourdough for home-made fermented milk products is becoming increasingly popular for a number of reasons:
• guaranteed freshness, quality and naturalness of ingredients;
• satisfaction of personal tastes and freedom of experimentation with recipes;
• the ability to create a product that best meets the needs of a therapeutic or simply healthy diet.
Milk (Tibetan, kefir) mushroom gained popularity precisely in home kitchens, it is almost impossible to find anything industrial with it in stores.
This outwardly resembling lump of cottage cheese, an elastic substance of white-milky color is a symbiotic group of microorganisms of the Zoogley genus.
The basis of symbiosis is acetic acid and lactobacilli, milk yeast.
Historians say that the first about him, back in the IV century BC. e. Tibetan monks recognized who discovered the "grain" of the fungus on the walls of a clay jug with sour milk.
But be that as it may, the spread of this unique product to the West began only in the 19th century, and one of the first popularizers of the treatment of various diseases with its help was the Nobel Prize winner Ilya Mechnikov.
The drink prepared on a Tibetan mushroom with taste and texture resembles kefir, but surpasses it in nutritional and beneficial properties.
The fact is that in this symbiotic product the qualities of a number of other fermented milk starter cultures are combined, they interact with each other, creating truly unique qualities.
Milk mushroom contains (and, accordingly, transfers to the drink):
• carotenoids - converted in the body to vitamin A, a well-known antioxidant effective for the prevention of cancer;
• iron - to prevent anemia and increase red blood cell production;
• B vitamins - positively affecting the nervous system, as a result of which sleep is established, depression recedes, memory improves and performance increases;
• calcium - for the formation and strengthening of the skeletal system;
• Vitamin D - necessary for the absorption of calcium;
• iodine - for thyroid health;
• zinc - for reproductive functions and regeneration of damaged tissues.
This unusual kefir also contains easily digestible proteins that supply carbohydrates, folic acid and a small amount of carbon dioxide, which gives it a pleasant effervescence.
In what cases will the benefit of milk mushroom
The impact of the Tibetan fungus on the human body can be described as a general strengthening, immunostimulating, anti-inflammatory, anti-aging, and perhaps there is no such sphere of health that, thanks to it, would not undergo positive changes.
But in particular, the benefit of a milk mushroom drink is expressed in the following:
• reduction of headaches;
• prevention of heart disease;
• decrease in blood sugar;
• improved twilight vision;
• dissolving and facilitating the process of removing stones and sand from the kidneys;
• good liver function;
• reduction of inflammation and pain in the joints and the return of their mobility;
• smoothing of negative side effects from drugs (for example, restoration of intestinal microflora after a course of antibiotics);
• removal of allergic reactions and a decrease in the level of perception by the body of the factors provoking them.
It is useful to add unusual kefir to the menu to reduce weight, since a number of bacteria contained in it activate the process of fat breakdown in the body.
Finding the best forms is also positively influenced by the removal of excess fluid, waste and toxic substances obtained from a polluted environment (only in a purified body can there be a healthy and quick metabolism).
A drink with Tibetan mushroom, finally, saturates and dulls the feeling of hunger that arises against the background of stress and a sharp change in diet.
In terms of its effect on the digestive tract, milk mushroom is effective for:
• prevention of digestive disorders;
• prevention of the development of stomach ulcers and duodenal ulcers;
• treatment (stop) of diarrhea.
In relation to the circulatory system, milk mushroom prevents the increase in blood pressure and calcification of blood vessels.
Due to the presence of antibiotics, a drink with a Tibetan mushroom heals the oral cavity, starting from the removal of gum disease, and continuing to destroy the bacteria that cause tooth decay. If after kefir do not rush to rinse your mouth, you can even whiten tooth enamel a little.
Can there be harm from milk mushroom
Like most fermented milk products, a drink from a Tibetan mushroom is not harmful in itself, but under certain conditions it may not improve, but worsen the state of health.
For example, you should not drink it more than 1 liter per day, so that there are no disturbances in the gastrointestinal tract.
It is also not useful to introduce it into the diet on an ongoing basis, after all, the Tibetan mushroom is a specific product and an overabundance of elements from its composition may one day simply cause a serious metabolic disorder.
In a word, he is good in moderation. And simple kefir, fermented baked milk, cottage cheese and other dairy products, in the absence of a Tibetan mushroom in the menu, can bring many benefits.
With diabetes, there will be no harm from milk fungus, but there will also be no benefit, since insulin therapy neutralizes its positive effect.
There is a use of milk mushroom and a number of strict contraindications:
• asthma;
• acute intestinal disorders;
• increased acidity of gastric juice;
• intolerance to vegetable protein (lactose).
Due to the incompletely studied interaction of the Tibetan fungus and medicines, taking the latter in combination with it is not forbidden, but to avoid even the risk of harm to the milk fungus, it is recommended to separate them with a break of at least 3 hours.
How to use milk mushroom with benefit, breed and prepare kefir from it
More recently, you could acquire a Tibetan mushroom only by taking a portion of it for divorce from friends, but today you can also purchase this unique product in some pharmacies and online stores, and before making a purchase in one of the latter, it is important to study reviews to make sure in the good faith of the seller who was attracted to and the quality of his goods.
Caring for a Tibetan mushroom is very simple:
• only glass (for example, a can) or ceramic dishes are suitable for storing and preparing drinks;
• Do not close the container with a lid - the mushroom should “breathe”, therefore cover it with gauze or cotton cloth;
• every day, the mushroom must be washed with cool boiled water and, returning to the washed container, pour a new portion of milk;
• the air temperature during storage of the fungus should not fall below 17 degrees, also, it can not be kept in bright daylight;
• if you need to take a break with the use of kefir, for safety for 3-5 days, the Tibetan mushroom should be poured with milk and water in 1: 1 proportions. It will not be possible to drink the infused liquid for so long, but you can use it for home care for hair, face or body (there is a theory that Cleopatra took baths not just milk, but from a drink on a Tibetan mushroom). After storage, the mushroom must be washed with water and can be used further.
From the initial state in a tiny lump to the full size (up to 6-8 cm in diameter), when it can be divided into two parts (and the second, for example, to give to friends), the Tibetan mushroom grows in 2-3 weeks. Mushrooms are sold both very young and of a decent size, weighing several teaspoons (mature).
To make a drink, you just need to fill the mushroom with slightly warmed milk (natural and non-fat), at the rate of 200-250 ml per 0.5-1 teaspoon of the mushroom and put the jar in a warm place.
After 20-24 hours, a thick layer forms on the surface of the drink and kefir can be filtered through a sieve into a separate bowl, separating the mushroom for later use.
It is important that the strainer is plastic - the mushroom should not come into contact with anything metallic.
Drink should be within 6-8 hours after readiness, in the future it becomes more curdled and sour-spicy, loses its beneficial properties and drink it so that there is no harm from milk mushroom, it is impossible at all.
The course of improving health with a Tibetan mushroom usually lasts 2-4 months, with mandatory interruptions of 7-10 days every 3 weeks (so that the effectiveness of the treatment does not decrease due to the habit of the body).
The daily norm of 300-600 ml of the drink is recommended to be divided into 2-3 doses.
It is recommended to drink kefir in the morning on an empty stomach, 30 minutes before meals or at the same time interval after it, 1 hour before bedtime.
But in addition to drinking in pure form, this kefir can be used to make a smoothie with fruits, salad dressing and sauce for the second dish, cold soups (okroshka), desserts, pastries and marinating meat.
