tea

Turmeric - Small Root, Big Healing Power

Golden Milk is now available in a lot of natural food stores at $4 or more a bottle!  Make your own for a fraction of the cost.

In a blender combine the following ingredients (always use organic if available)
Full fat coconut milk in a can
Turmeric powder : 3-4 heaping teaspoons
Cinnamon powder : 1 heaping teaspoon (or more if you love cinnamon)
Ginger powder : 1 teaspoon
Nutmeg : 1/8 teaspoon
Cloves (ground) : small pinch
Salt : small pinch
Pepper - VERY important - helps make the curcumin bio-available : several grinds of a pepper mill or a pinch
Honey - 1 teaspoon (other sweeteners work well too.  Try not to make it too sweet)

Blend on low to combine.  Add water or light coconut milk to bring up to 32 oz.  Blend again.  Bottle (I found these great bottles on Amazon). 

Lasts 4-5 days in the fridge.  Shake Well.  Enjoy daily!


Once I started to explore turmeric online, I was astounded by the depth and broad uses of turmeric. If I were to choose one herb to take, this might be the one!
it has been used medicinally since around 2500 BCE - 4500 years. Not only has it been part of the Ayurvedic tradition, but also widely in the Traditional Chinese Medicine practices. The Assyrians described it in a book of herbal remedies and it was used by the Greeks from 600 BC.

Turmeric is considered auspicious and holy in India has been used for millennia in religious ceremonies. The robes of the Hindu monks were traditionally colored yellow using turmeric. It is also associated with the sun or the god Thirumal (Lord Vishnu) in the ancient Tamil religion.

In the 1920's Germany began research followed in the 1930's by researchers in Asian countries. In early 1990's many western herbalists started promoting the use of turmeric for several major health problems.  
Now, in 2016, Turmeric is experiencing a new boom in use;  just search for turmeric recipes on Pintrerst and you will find everything from smoothies, golden milk to snacks and dinner entrees.

I was intrigued by my neighbor's comment that she was using turmeric powder to whiten her teeth. A year and a half ago I had embarked on an online gut restoration program called Gut Thrive in 5 spearheaded by Christa with The Whole Journey. One of the recipes was a turmeric and ginger lemonade.  It was quite delicious. I have sent quite a few of my clients home with this recipe when finding a client tested high for turmeric or ginger. What a tasty way to get it in your diet!

In general, turmeric is considered "warming" and "strengthening" to the whole person. But let's take a look at both the recognized and potential benefits of this herb.

Take a look at the list of ways turmeric may help you:

  • Fights colon and breast cancer

  • May destroy multi-drug resistant cancers and goes after the root cause of cancers which are the cancer stem cells (mother of cancer cells and the other cells that inhabit tumors)

  • Helpful in neurological conditions such as Alzheimer's and Parkinsons; can stimulate nerve cell regeneration, as well as both prevent and reduce amyloid- beta plaques

  • Reduces inflammation - root cause of most chronic diseases

  • Reduces arthritis

  • Antimicrobial even against the protozoa,  Entamoeba histolytica

  • Improve PMS

  • Wound healing and skin conditions

  • Improve lung and liver diseases

  • Reduce cardiovascular diseases, including in those with diabetes by thinning the blood

  • Improve blood sugar regulation

  • Protective against both heavy metal toxicity and radiation-induced damage

  • Whitens teeth!

Happily, there are no known side affects only side benefits and so far, no one has found any adverse interactions with drugs.


According to this article from Dr. Mercola (http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2015/05/04/curcumin-turmeric-benefits.aspx) turmeric works by:

  • modulating about 700 of your genes (that means it can turn genes off and on thus affecting biochemical pathways in your body)
  • Positively modulate about 160 different physiological pathways in your body
  • Make your cell membranes more orderly- cell membranes are the site of many important activities in your body
  • Affect signaling molecules in your body - think of cops directing traffic

Here are some ways you can add Turmeric to your life and remember to get a high quality organic turmeric:

  • Make a tea by adding the powder or fresh turmeric to boiling water and brew for 10 minutes
  • Eat in curry dishes
  • Blend into your smoothie - check out Sari's recipe:
  • Season your veggies
  • Brush your teeth with a paste mixed with coconut oil or dip your toothbrush and toothpaste into powder
  • Make this turmeric ginger lemonade from The Whole Journey website:http://thewholejourney.com/turmeric-and-ginger-tea

 
Want to know how much turmeric you should be consuming, I would love to see you in my office for a session.  If you need more therapeutic dosages, there are companies such as Designs for Health, that provide a high quality, high standardized dosage. Contact me to schedule an appointment or to order this high quality product.