It can be difficult to imagine how you can consume turmeric, the wonder spice, on a daily basis. Its rich flavor, associated with Indian curries and foods, can be overpowering unless you know how to use it properly.
Considered holy and auspicious in India for millennia, turmeric is not only a sacred spice it also has proven health benefits.
Part of the ginger family, turmeric is used in Indian cooking to color and flavor the food, but it has also been used in traditional Indian and Chinese medicine for centuries. Western medicine has only recently established its ability to treat osteoarthritis.
It also has the potential to help with other illnesses and conditions such as dementia, eye inflammation, colorectal cancer, Chron’s disease, diabetes, gum disease, stomach ulcers, skin rashes, itchy skin, kidney inflammation, skin wounds, tuberculosis, recovery from surgery, rheumatoid arthritis and ulcerative colitis.
Turmeric is primarily used as the basis for a curry, it’s earthy, spicy and bitter flavor can be found in a number of curry recipes. But if you want to get as much of the good stuff as you can then there are other ways you can enjoy the benefits of turmeric without having to eat it, by making teas and tonics.
You can buy turmeric teas and tonics in the supermarket or your local health store, but it’s much cheaper and more effective if you make your own concoctions from scratch.
Here are some incredible turmeric tea and tonic recipes:
1. Ginger Turmeric Tea
Simple, sweet and warming. This tea is great in the winter months for when you come in from a cold evening.
- 1 cup of water
- ¼ teaspoon of ground turmeric
- ¼ teaspoon of ground ginger
- 1/8 teaspoon of ground cardamom
- 2 tablespoons of milk
- Maple syrup to taste
Bring water to the boil with the ground turmeric and ginger, then let the mixture simmer for five minutes. Finally, stir in the milk and add the maple syrup to taste.
2. Lemon Turmeric Tea
Tangy, sweet and packs a kick. Great for an energy boost or if you have a cold.
- 1 cup of boiling water
- 1 tablespoon of lemon juice
- 1/8 teaspoon turmeric
- 1/8 teaspoon ground ginger
- 1/8 teaspoon ground cayenne
- Honey to taste
Mix together the lemon juice, turmeric, ginger, and cayenne in a mug. Add boiling water to the top then sweeten with a taste of honey.
3. Sweet Black Pepper Turmeric Tea
A great recipe to whip up in a flash, the sweet black pepper turmeric tea is for when you really need a quick turmeric fix.
- 1/3 cup of honey
- 1 ½ teaspoons of ground turmeric
- Lemon
- Freshly ground black pepper
To make one cup add a heap of the paste to the mug then top it up with boiling water. Add a squeeze of lemon to the mix before adding a few twists of the black pepper. Stir well.
4. Turmeric Tonic
Prepare this one in advance, keep in your fridge and drink every morning to brighten up your day or in the afternoon as a pick me up.
- 3 cups of coconut water
- ½ cup fresh ginger slices
- 1 lime, cut in quarters and squeezed
- 1 tablespoon of ground turmeric
- ¼ teaspoon of cardamom
- 2 teaspoons of honey
- Cayenne pepper to taste
Mix all of the ingredients together in a container, store in the refrigerator overnight and serve chilled with some fresh mint.
hi marianne
I eat ginger and turmeric in my vegetarian soup. But they don’t appeal to me as tea.
And then there is pill form.
Andre Lamb we need to try some of these