In this issue, we are going to look at turmeric, an Indian spice that is enjoying a lot of popularity here in the West, not only as an ingredient in traditional Indian foods such as curries but as a powerful anti-inflammatory and antioxidant. We will discuss these benefits and let you in on exactly how to use it to get the greatest benefit.
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Turmeric - Plant-Based Gold
Did you ever think about why the mustard found on American grocery store shelves is a bright yellow color? The color comes, not from mustard seeds, but from a spice called turmeric, the same ingredient that gives Indian curries as well as some cheeses their distinctive sunny hue.
Turmeric (scientific name Cucurma longa), with its warm, slightly bitter taste, is actually a relative of ginger and has been used for both food and medicine for an astounding 4000 years. But curcumin, the active component in turmeric, was not discovered until 1910. This ancient spice’s medicinal properties seem to revolve around its anti-inflammatory properties and there is growing evidence for beneficial effects across a wide variety of diseases, including digestive problems, skin disorders, and wounds. Studies suggest that turmeric’s effects may also be effective in treating infections as well as some cancers.
In addition to its powerful anti-inflammatory properties, turmeric is also a potent antioxidant that fights free radicals, molecules in the body that can damage cell membranes, interfere with DNA, and in some cases, actually cause cell death. There has been a staggering amount of research conducted on this lowly spice. A quick search on Google Scholar at the time of this writing turned up 184,000 results on the word “turmeric” and a whopping 463,000 results on the term “curcumin” (the active ingredient in turmeric). Many of these studies directly focus on curcumin’s many benefits to human health.
In 2015, researchers at Vanderbilt University started looking at turmeric’s promising effects on Alzheimer’s patients. Protein fragments, known as beta-amyloid, accumulate in the brains of people suffering from this progressive and deadly neurological disorder, forming dense plaques that irreversibly destroy the brain’s cells, the neurons. A 2018 review article, published in Neural Regeneration Research, outlines the use of curcumin in the diagnosis, prevention, and treatment of Alzheimer's disease.
Results such as these may well lead to treatments, not only for Alzheimer’s but to other neurodegenerative diseases as well. So, how do you choose a turmeric supplement to ensure you are getting all of its beneficial effects? We’ll get to that in just a moment, but first, health in the news.
One way to consume turmeric is to drink a gorgeous, warming liquid called Golden Milk and is a wonderful way a great way to get introduced to this health-giving spice. You can purchase Golden Milk at many natural foods stores, online, and in many grocery stores. But it’s also easy to make your own.
To make the milk for one person, you will need a half cup of non-dairy milk such as almond or coconut milk, one teaspoon of turmeric powder, a tablespoon of freshly grated ginger or a half teaspoon of ginger powder, a half teaspoon of ground cinnamon, a pinch of black pepper and a teaspoon of honey. I’ll explain about the black pepper in a minute. Simply combine all of your ingredients in a saucepan, then bring to a boil. Immediately reduce the heat to a simmer and let simmer for about ten minutes, stirring occasionally till the mix is fragrant. Then pour into a mug and enjoy! Just double the ingredients to serve another person.
If you don’t care for turmeric milk, some folks enjoy turmeric tea, made by adding 1 to two teaspoons of powdered or grated turmeric to four cups of boiling water and then simmering for ten minutes over low heat before straining into mugs. You may wish to add a little honey for sweetness, a dash of black pepper, and a little coconut oil to help with absorption.
Ok so how do you go about choosing a turmeric supplement? While turmeric powder is easily available at your local market and can be incorporated into most people’s diets in the form of curries or the chopped, fresh root added to smoothies or the Golden Milk recipe or cooked vegetable dishes, actually getting enough of turmeric’s active ingredient into your bloodstream remains a problem. Turmeric is not easily absorbed by the body, but according to research, adding a little black pepper (as we did in the turmeric milk recipe above) or even fat such as olive or coconut oil when taking it could help with its absorption.
Another option would be to purchase a supplement, but as in choosing all supplements, caution is advised. Be careful to obtain a high-quality product that contains adequate levels of curcumin and contains black pepper extract or piperine. Plus, when purchasing turmeric powder, you want to make sure you purchase turmeric powder that is certified as organic and lead-free. We recommend the organic and certified lead-free turmeric powder from The American Turmeric Company.
Turmeric, either in the diet or as a supplement, seems to be well tolerated by most people, although if you have problems with gallstones or any liver or gallbladder problems, you should avoid it. As always, get your health care provider’s approval prior to beginning any dietary change or supplement if you are pregnant or if you are taking any prescription medications so you can be sure this addition to your diet is not contraindicated.
So is it time to spice up your life by adding turmeric to your diet or supplement routine? With centuries of use as food and medicine and a growing body of research, it seems turmeric has earned a well-deserved place in both your kitchen and your medicine cabinet!
Reference -
Chen M, Du ZY, Zheng X, Li DL, Zhou RP, Zhang K. Use of curcumin in diagnosis, prevention, and treatment of Alzheimer's disease. Neural Regen Res. 2018;13(4):742-752. doi:10.4103/1673-5374.230303
Why It Matters
Before there was “modern” medicine, with its almost total reliance on synthesized and patented chemicals, there was healing to be found in natural foods. We need more of this, not less!
“Each spice has a special day to it. For turmeric, it is Sunday, when light drips fat and butter-colored into the bins to be soaked up glowing, when you pray to the nine planets for love and luck.”
~ Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni, The Mistress of Spices - Born in 1956, Chitra Divakaruni is a best-selling Indian-American author, poet, activist, and the Betty and Gene McDavid Professor of Writing at the University of Houston Creative Writing Program.
What We Are Reading 📚
With each issue, we bring you a short blurb on what we are currently reading or watching, including books, articles, podcasts, videos, movies, and research papers of value.
Denise - In this podcast episode of Good Food (on KCRW, hosted by Evan Klieman), Sana Javeri Kadri talks about the spice company she started, Diaspora Co., to “create an equitable and sustainable spice trade for Indian farmers.” It was the popularity of turmeric that led her to start the business. When I heard this interview in 2020, I was fascinated and have been following Sana’s work ever since.
Ellen - I have had a life-long love affair with trees, especially those of the Southeastern United States. Pines in all shapes and sizes, dozens of species of oaks with their bounty of fall acorns and sweetgum trees dropping spiny seed-filled balls that look like Christmas ornaments have always seemed like old, familiar friends.
So when I saw this book, The Heartbeat of Trees: Embracing Our Ancient Bond With Forests And Nature, from Peter Wohlleben, a forester from Germany whose specialty is writing on ecological themes in popular language, I knew I had to read it!
Here is just a snippet of what Peter has to say in the Introduction: “…I invite you to join me in the forest…where we will discover that the ancient tie that binds humans and nature exists to this day and is as strong as ever.”
If you think that modern-day humans are far behind animals in our ability to perceive the nuances of the forest world, you would be wrong. Let this book open the natural world to you in a way you could never have expected!
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Yes, I too (like my friend Judy Rodman, below) have been reminded! I had the Golden Milk habit a while ago but ran out of ingredients and forgot all about it! Thx for the reminder, and the good tips on where to find the best turmeric. I like that there's some American grown and that's what I'll be ordering.
I love 'golden mild' but I've been forgetting about it. Great article and reminder to use this amazing spice!