Turmeric

Turmeric: The Multipurpose Super Herb

The curative properties of turmeric have lent it to be used as a spice in Indian recipes and medicine in Ayurveda for thousands of years. The healthy nutrients of milk team up perfectly with the anti-inflammatory qualities of turmeric. Turmeric milk or Haldi ka doodh (haldi means turmeric, doodh means milk) brings this sweet nectar onto the favorite’s list of healing rasāyanas of many traditional yogis and Ayurvedic Consultants.

The 6 Tastes:

In Ayurvedic cooking we want to make sure we deliver all six tastes (sweet, sour, salty, bitter, astringent, and pungent) in every meal. This balances the doshas which leads to less imbalance and sickness. What I find is that I can eat about 1/3 as much food and feel a sense of satiation when all the tastes are included in my meal. That is such a good thing in this day and age of the giant plate meals. But it also explains why those giant plate meals even exist. In a meal that isn’t well planned to offer all 6 tastes, we continue to eat hoping that we will eventually, if we eat enough, find enough of these tastes and then be satisfied. Sometimes we do, sometimes we don’t, but either way, we are eating far too many calories.

It is sometimes difficult to get all the tastes into one meal. One of the easiest ways to meet this requirement is to use spices. For instance turmeric supplies the bitter, pungent, and astringent tastes with just one spice. These are sometimes the three harder tastes to add to a meal. It is a heating spice thought to help in diabetes and also promotes good digestion. Turmeric increases vata and pitta if too much is consumed, and relieves kapha.

Ways to consume Turmeric:

There are many ways you can take turmeric: fresh, dried and grated as a spice, capsule, or pills. If you read my previous blog about turmeric, you know that turmeric is anti-inflammatory, antibacterial and antiseptic properties offer many benefits. It can relieve pain and swelling (known in Ayurveda as nature’s aspirin) and can even be applied to small cuts and wounds, helping with blood clotting, preventing infection and healing skin.

Milk is a great delivery system for turmeric whether you are using it internally or externally. Adding turmeric to milk increases milks own antioxidant qualities. Milk fights free radicals that damage skin, making it lose its elasticity and glow. Milk also strengthens bones, which helps with osteoporosis and arthritis (joint inflammation and pain). Consuming the drink twice a day before meals will ease morning stiffness, reduce pain and swelling in the joint. But it’s the anti-inflammatory qualities that make turmeric milk a favorite for soothing sore throats and calming coughs. Raw organic honey is often added not only for taste but for its own powerful anti-oxidant, anti-viral and anti-fungal properties. Raw honey is known in the Ayurveda world as being a prabhava, a term which means the unexplainable special effect of a substance, that cannot be explained by rasa (taste), virya (the quality of energy released by an herb or food after eating), or vipāka (the final post-digestive effect of food that occurs in the colon and has an action on the excreta.) Being the scientist that I am, this was not a hard concept for me to understand, just a hard one to explain on paper, so thank you Brian Brink, one of my Ayurvedic teachers from Kripalu for that definition.

Here are some recipes for you to try:

Basic Turmeric Milk Recipe

Ingredients:

½” of fresh ginger grated

½ tsp. dried turmeric powder or 1 inch piece fresh turmeric

1 cup whole milk

½ cup filtered water

1 Tbls raw honey, or to taste

Method:

Place all ingredients except honey into a pan and simmer for 20 minutes. Let stand for 15 minutes to seep. Rewarm if needed and then add the honey. Once the honey has been stirred in, strain and sip. (www.livebrightandhealthy.com)

Sore Throat Soothing Turmeric Milk Recipe

Ingredients:

½ tsp. dried turmeric powder

1 tsp ginger minced

¼ cup water

Method:

Top off the cup with milk and heat the mixture for a few minutes until the milk almost boils. If you want to add peppercorns, which is thought to improve the absorption of the turmeric you can also add that to the mixture before heating. Other flavors can be achieved by adding a few pods of cardamom (cracked) and a pinch of saffron to the milk/water concoction before boiling.

Cough Turmeric Milk Recipe

Ingredients:

1 cup milk

Sugar to taste

½ tsp. ajwain (carom seeds)

¼ tsp. turmeric powder

Method:

Add milk and sugar to pan and heat until sugar dissolves. Set aside. Take ajwain and roast in a non-stick pan for a few minutes until brown. Add to the ajwain mixture the turmeric and stir. Add to the warmed milk, mix well, strain, and sip while warm. (www.turmericforhealth.com)

The Ultimate Turmeric Milk Recipe

Ingredients:

2 cups fresh whole milk

½-1 tsp of turmeric powder

2-3 whole peppercorns

2-3 cardamom pods cracked

½ inch ginger, roughly chopped

½ tsp ghee (not if you are experiencing mucus)

Pinch of saffron, optional

Honey or jaggery for taste

Method:

Heat the milk along with the spices for 2-3 minutes or until the milk is almost boiling. Add sweetener to taste, let cool until warm and strain and serve. (www.journeykitchen.com)

Sleepy-time Turmeric

Use the basic turmeric milk recipe and add nutmeg. Nutmeg helps you sleep.

Turmeric Honey

Ingredients:

9 Tsp dried turmeric powder

½ Tsp freshly ground black pepper (grind it finely)

½ Tsp dried ginger powder

Raw organic honey

Method:

Mix turmeric, pepper and ginger thoroughly. Start adding a liquid honey into the powder. It helps to warm the honey (not cook, just warm) which allows it to absorb better. Whipped versions of honey or old honey that has begun to crystallize will not work, the honey needs to be runny. Stir, slowly adding the honey until all the powder is dissolved and you have a thick paste. The amount will vary depending on the moisture content of the honey. Store turmeric honey in an airtight jar.

Turmeric Milk (Non Dairy)

Ingredients:

8 ounces almond or coconut milk

1/2 teaspoon turmeric

1/2-inch wide round slice of ginger root, peeled and finely chopped

Dash of cayenne pepper

1/2 – 1 teaspoon honey (or molasses as suggested by my dear friend and yoga teacher Shari)

Optional additions: a tsp ghee, cinnamon, cardamom

Method:

Gently warm the almond or coconut milk on the stove. In a mug, combine the remaining ingredients. Drizzle a teaspoon of the warmed milk into the mug and mix until the liquid is smooth with no lumps. Add the rest of the milk and mix well. You can leave the pieces of ginger in the tea, or strain it out before drinking. (www.marksdailyapple.com)

External Use of Turmeric