When we were younger, we used to hear our grandparents talk about turmeric all the time. They would call it the best thing for just about any ailment—from a common cold to a more serious illness. While always intrigued, we never really understood the hype.
For centuries, people used the ancient Indian spice turmeric for its many health benefits. Made from pure turmeric roots or rhizome, the vibrant orangish-yellow spice features a distinctive earthy and pungent aroma with a warm, peppery, and ginger-like flavor.
Organic Turmeric Powder contains more than 3.45% Curcumin, the active ingredient in turmeric which gives the spice its earthiness and anti-inflammatory properties. Turmeric has been used to reduce inflammation, boost immunity, and aid better digestion since time immemorial.
Here are five reasons why you should add Turmeric to your beverages:
- It’s an antidepressant: Feeling depressed and anxious? Turmeric’s curcumin is key to a blissful and happy life.
- It is anti-arthritic: Turmeric is instrumental in preventing degenerative arthritis, osteoarthritis, inflammatory arthritis, rheumatoid arthritis, ankylosing spondylosis, psoriatic arthritis, gout, and others.
- It has antimutagenic properties: Turmeric can be one of the best ways to fight carcinogens and chemoprevention.
- Turmeric boosts immunity, metabolism, and overall gut health: One of the quickest home remedies, a glass of ‘Haldi-doodh” or turmeric latte fights colds, cough, and fever, which lowers immunity, and overall digestive health.
- It improves heart health: A healthy heart loves turmeric because it is a natural vasorelaxant and helps to control high blood pressure along with balancing lipoprotein (HDL)-cholesterol/total cholesterol ratio.
Not only a great natural remedy, turmeric is full of antioxidants, antiseptic and antibacterial properties, and other health benefits. Turmeric has also been known to be beneficial in other neurological disorders like Alzheimer’s disease, seizures, and chronic stress to name a few. In one Indian wedding tradition, called the ‘Haldi Ceremony, the newlyweds bathe in turmeric clay to bless them with glory, happiness, and harmony in their marital life.
“However, the catch with turmeric is that it’s a bit peppery or bitter for some, and not quite palatable,” said Ujjwala Baxi, a Registered Dietitian and Certified Diabetes Educator. “But that’s not a problem, since you can mix it with some fats like ghee, coconut oil, olive oil, avocado, nut butter, nuts, fish, etc. Curcumin will be directly absorbed into the bloodstream and easily absorbed without the need of going through the digestive system. This is also why turmeric is commonly mixed with warm milk—any kind of milk including coconut, cow, or almond will work.”
She adds that the body does not absorb curcumin very well, so it can be difficult to reap its full benefits. But adding a tiny amount of black pepper can boost the absorption of turmeric because both the active compounds in turmeric and black pepper are compatible. So, eating turmeric with black pepper can help you get the most out of this powerful spice.
Here’s a quick recipe for golden turmeric milk, a delicious daily dose of ayurvedic goodness.
General Information:
Prep Time: 2 Minutes
Cook Time: 5 Minutes
Total Time: 7 Minutes
Servings: 2
Ingredients
● 1 Teaspoon Ground Turmeric
● 1 Teaspoon Ground Cinnamon
● 1⁄4 Teaspoon Ground Black Pepper
● 1⁄4 Teaspoon Ground Ginger
● 1⁄4 Teaspoon Ground Cloves
● 1⁄4 Teaspoon Ground Allspice
● 1 Cup Milk Cow, Almond, Coconut Milk, Rice All Work
● Jaggery To Taste
● Vanilla Extract Optional
Instructions
● Add spices to a small bowl and mix thoroughly.
● Heat milk in a saucepan over medium heat until it begins to steam. Stir in 1
a teaspoon of the spice mixture and continue heating milk, stirring frequently, for 2
minutes.
● Pour turmeric milk through a strainer into a cup or mug.
● Add honey and vanilla extract (if using) to taste.
- Store the remaining spice mixture in an airtight container away from heat and light.
Bala Sarda is the founder and CEO of VAHDAM India, a digitally native, global wellness brand taking India’s finest teas, spices, herbs and superfoods to consumers across the world under a home-grown, ethical and sustainable brand, devoid of any middlemen. Bala started VAHDAM in 2015 at the age of 23 years. He comes with a lineage of over 85 years in tea and is the fourth-generation tea entrepreneur in his family to run a tea business. Bala decided to disrupt the 200 year-old-global-conventional supply chain of tea, and create a scalable global business and trusted brand with a vision to take the ‘Best of India’ to the world. VAHDAM is now India’s largest home-grown, premium teas and superfoods brand by revenue. It has been shipped to over 4 million consumers across 130 countries.
