Turmeric – the Golden Wonder
Can’t get enough of Turmeric?
Turmeric latte, Golden milk and curries… we love turmeric – the golden wonder spice. It has been used in Indian cooking for so long. A stable of their spice mixtures. And now it is becoming very fashionable to take as a “golden milk” here too. And of course use it in cooking.
So why should we add turmeric to our diet?
Traditionally in Ayurvedic medicine we use Turmeric for complaints such as digestion. It is considered having a dipana action meaning it enkindles the digestive fire. It is clearing or scraping, lekhaniya, so it clears out ama, mucus (in the digestion) and any accumulated kapha. This also refers to our low abdomen and uterus. It is said to be anti- inflammatory and supporting the liver often suggested for skin and joint issues depending on a client’s constitution, prakrti, and current state, virkrti.
When googling Turmeric on Google Scholar you get more than 77,000 results. That’s a lot of research. Here is an interesting article with some sound research sources about Turmeric.
Why the renewed interest?
One of the compounds of Turmeric, curcumin, has received an incredible interest. There is now research into how this compound of the plant may be beneficial in treating alzheimer’s, cancer, cystic fibrosis, depression, diabetes… the list goes on.
I was intrigued by the fabulous Ben Mosley of BBC’s Trust me I’m a Doctor and his investigation into Turmeric. And it had some promising results – if you take it correctly!
Here is a brief summary:
The results suggest that eating small amounts of turmeric regularly may have a positive impact on your health.
Do it Ayurvedically
The test the BBC did was between taking a placebo, turmeric as a supplement and as a dried spice used in cooking. Cooking with Turmeric had the best results.
The BBC’s website says: Curcumin is lipophilic, which means it binds to fats, and so when we cook with oils the curcumin binds to the oil and is more easily absorbed by our guts. Black pepper – more specifically, a compound of black pepper called piperine – might do the same thing, helping to smuggle even more of the curcumin into our bodies. Hence cooking with turmeric, black pepper and oils together might be a better combination.
Alternatively you can take your supplement with some kind of oil, ghee or milk as well as trikatu or black pepper.
I find this extremely exciting as this is exactly what Ayurveda says too.
You always take your herbs with an anupan, carrier (often ghee or honey) which brings the herbs to the dhatus (tissues), and mix it with trikatu (a mix that includes black pepper) or black pepper on its own.
Ayurveda has always known this so it is always interesting when it is confirmed by the modern Western medical establishment.
Want to get started?
Here I am making a Turmeric latte or Golden Mylk – according to the Ayurvedic principles of using an Anupan, carrier and Black Pepper + a few other spices…