Turmeric - the golden miracle

Coloring dishes, covering flesh wounds or taken for its health benefits, Turmeric’s use dates back to the Vedic culture, nearly 4000 years ago. Since then Turmeric has traveled around the world, collecting almost as many different names as it has uses. In Sanskrit alone Turmeric has at least 53 different names, all describing a different characteristic or benefit of this extremely complex “Golden Spice”. Two of my favorite Sanskrit names for it are “vishagni”, killer of poison, and “hridayavilasini”, gives delight to the heart, charming. Turmeric is extracted from the plant Curcuma longa, and more precisely from the rhizome, to end up in our grocery store as the bright yellow powder we all know and love. From this powder more than 100 components have been isolated, like curcurminoids or volatile oils, and that explains the diversity of its benefits.

Enumerating Turmeric’s numerous benefits could easily take your breath away! Without going into too many scientific details we can say this: Turmeric is a natural anti-inflammatory (which can help with Arthritis), it boosts skin health, whitens teeth, increases the antioxidant capacity of the body, improves brain functions and lowers risks of brain and heart disease. It is also said to help prevent (and perhaps even treat in some cases) cancer, Alzheimer, depression and age-related chronic diseases. So how do we get all those great health benefits?

There are many ways to use Turmeric to your advantage: as a toothpaste, an acne gel, a poultice or a face mask for its “outside” benefits, to all sorts of teas, dishes, broths, juices and milks for an “inside” body treat. When ingesting Turmeric though, one should always think of adding some black pepper to the recipe. Indeed, black pepper contains piperine, which considerably increases the absorption levels and effects of turmeric. There are numerous recipes for Turmeric out there, but I found two that are especially mouth-watering: the Turmeric Tonic Smoothie and the famous “Golden Milk”.

For a shot of energy and well-being in the morning, make yourself a smoothie by blending:

1 cups of coconut water (full of good electrolytes)
the juice from 1 lemon (rich in vitamin C)
1 teaspoon of grated fresh ginger root or ginger powder (a powerful antioxidant)
½ teaspoon of turmeric
1-2 teaspoons of honey (a healthy replacement for sugar)
¼ teaspoon of unrefined sea salt (full of useful minerals)
a pinch of black pepper

Wake up in a delicious and healthy way with this natural booster!

If you prefer hot drinks in the morning (I usually do), here is the Golden Milk recipe: