Turmeric is a potent, yet safe anti-inflammatory and antioxidant, mainly due to curcumin, its primary pharmacological agent. Many studies have shown that curcumin’s anti-inflammatory effects are comparable to drugs such as hydrocortisone and Motrin and with no toxicity. Turmeric can also improve liver function, mood disorders, and is effective for treating inflammatory bowel disease, it may offer relief for rheumatoid arthritis, and studies have linked the frequent use of turmeric with lower rates of breast, prostate, lung and colon cancer, while it’s also a powerful antiseptic.
HOW TO USE IT
If you find fresh turmeric, use it, as it’s like adding a bit of sunshine into your food (and your body, given all its health benefits), this is a rule of thumb on how to substitute either one in recipes:
1 inch fresh turmeric (about 1 tablespoon grated) = 1 teaspoon ground turmeric
You can use turmeric in almost everything:
- It makes a wonderful, restorative, anti-inflammatory tea
- You can cook it in milk or any non dairy milk
- Add it to bread dough, salad dressings, hummus, marinades, eggs, roasted vegetables, fish, meat and poultry seasoning
- Throw some into smoothies
- When you cook it along with coconut oil and black pepper you maximize its health benefits, but don’t allow this to limit you
- Play around, I guarantee you’ll become hooked!TUMERIC LATTE
- Cup of unsweetened almond milk
- 1 tsp turmeric
- 1 tsp cacao
- 1 tsp cinnomon
- 1/2 tsp fresh minced ginger
- 1 tsp raw honey