How to prepare a tibicos culture

How to prepare a tibicos culture? Here's what I found out from those with more experience:

First, you have to find tibicos mushroom. This can be the tricky part, depending on where you live or who you know.

Once you have the tibicos mushroom, add it to pure water, inside a glass container. Note that: a) the water you use should as pure as possible, clear of any pollutants such as chlorine; b) the container you use should be very clean, but clear of any leftover residues of soap (which create a hostile environment for the probiotics).

As you now have a container with the tibicos and water, place sugar inside (sugar types are relevant, you may wish to do some research or experimentation on that matter). One spoon of sugar per three of tibicos.

Hence the names of water kefir or sugar kefir grains.

Tibicos needs to breathe, like any living organism. This creates a situation when it comes to covering it. Use a cloth that covers but still allows air to go through. This protects from impurities but still allows for breathing.

Then, leave everything alone for one or two days.

As for drinking instructions, the same applies as what we have discussed with kephir. Use a plastic strainer to avoid metal residues and interactions, and store in the refrigerator.

Kephir, Kombucha and Tibicos really are amazing gifts... from Nature to us, and from us to others :)

Tibicos

Tibicos can be found in many places, and it is said that the properties of each tibicos culture varies according to its origin. The tibicos health benefits, however, are universal.

What are they, then? Tibicos are a culture of bacteria and yeast mixed in polysaccharide. They are a whitish / yellow mass, with the appearance of crystals. Colorful aliases include: tibi, Japanese water crystals and California Bees. Others call it water kefir grains or sugar kephir. There are also many stories concerning the tibicos benefits and the tradition of giving them to others: one of those stories tells how Mother Theresa of Calcutta once traveled to Tibet to gather tibicos to help heal the poor and needy.

As with kombucha, tibicos can have benefits for anyone who can't consume dairy products, as the water kefir provides the same probiotics as dairy / tea cultured products.

It is apparently beneficial against migraines and arthritis, plus problems of the digestive system, circulation, muscular, and of other organs (liver, lungs and kidneys).

It's on my list of things to try.

EDIT: On a very important note, a reader reminded me that to ensure quality of the tibicos, one should prepare a tibicos culture with attention to having water as pure as possible. That means avoiding soap residues, chlorine, tap water, and the likes. Thanks for the heads-up, Jane!