Don’t want to make your own? Then check out our turmeric supplements and drink mixes. Now it’s even easier to get all the benefits of curcumin.
The Tonsillitis Miracle!:
“Turmeric??? All these months back and forth to the gp, followed by dose after dose of antibiotics. Sleepless nights with a crying child and all the while the cure was in my spice cupboard?” *Insert manic laughing through tears of joy.
This was me a couple of years ago. I should explain, at that time I had recently been diagnosed with Sjogren’s syndrome, fibromyalgia, and ME. I had a 2yr old that was pretty much feral (still my wild child!) And a 5yr old that constantly had tonsillitis. I had tried everything, had hardly slept in months and was at my wits end. I wasn’t much into the natural scene at that point but I was desperate for anything that might save my daughter from needing yet another bout of antibiotics! Someone suggested making a drink out of turmeric, honey, black pepper and milk and at that point they could of told me I needed to do a fire dance whilst chanting “death to tonsillitis”, in Latin, by the light of the blood moon and I’d have tried it!
I made up a huge batch and had her drink as much as she could for two days. . . First night, she slept through. . . On just some Calpol! Second night, she slept through with no Calpol. By day four, all the white spots had gone and off she went to school as if nothing had happened. Best of all, no antibiotics had been needed!!
Research
Could it really have been that easy?? If it could help with her tonsils that well, what else could it do??? I decided I needed to learn more. Thinking back, that was probably the beginning of my transition to a more healthy, natural lifestyle. Through my research I found out a few key things,
1. CURCUMIN
This is the active component in turmeric. It has been used in Ayurvedic medicine for centuries due to its strong antioxidant properties.
2. Anti-inflammatory
Diets rich in anti-inflammatory compounds may reduce your risk certain health conditions that are thought to be strongly linked to chronic inflammation. These include, cancer, metabolic syndrome, Alzheimer’s and heart disease. Studies suggest that the anti-inflammatory effects of curcumin could be compared to those of some pharmaceutical drugs with none of the side effects. In fact, one study in 45 people with rheumatoid arthritis found that 500 grams of curcumin daily reduced joint pain more than 50 grams of a common arthritis drug or a combination of curcumin and the drug.
3. May improve digestion
Turmeric may improve digestion of fat by increasing your production of bile by up to 62%. Also studies have shown that turmeric can prevent flare-ups in individuals with ulcerative colitis whilst maintaining proper digestion.
3. May improve brain function and reduce risk of brain deseases
Curcumin can increase brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) levels. This is a type of hormone that is one of the main drivers of the process allowing neurons to multiply. Despite what we used to believe, it is now known that this process is able to happen not just through adolescence but also adulthood. Many common brain disorders have been linked to decreased levels of this hormone, including Alzheimer’s disease and depression.
4. Low bioavailability
When you take turmeric as a spice, only 3% is curcumin with about 1% bioavailability. This makes it tricky to get the amount you would need to make any real effect. Therefore we need to find ways to increase the bioavailability to make sure we get the most benefit! The best way to do this is to add black pepper as it contains piperine that is known to increase the bioavailability of curcumin by 2000%. Adding black pepper to foods have shown good absorption of amino acids, vitamins, and minerals present in the food as well.
But what if your following the aip diet or are sensitive to pepper? Thankfully, there are other options that work well. Heating turmeric for a short time (about 10 minutes) can increase the bioavailabiliy, but be careful not to heat for too long as this can be counter productive distroying the curcumin. Also, when adding to meals try to include foods rich in quercetin such as onion and capers. It is a flavonoid that ensures that curcumin in turmeric is absorbed without being destroyed.
Adding ginger ensures absorption of curcumin in intestines and speeds the absorption. Lastly, don’t be afraid of fat!  When turmeric is mixed with coconut oil or other healthy fats it gets absorbed in the lymphatic system directly without reaching the liver.
5. More antiinflammatory power!
Not only can ginger aid the absorption of curcumin but it also has it’s own anti inflammatory benefits along with cinnamon. Better yet, they go beautifully with golden milk so all the more reason to add them in!
My golden paste recipe
So after all that, I wanted a way that I could get the maximum benefits, without having to measure ingredients every night and that was tasty enough me and the kids would be happy to have a cup every night (or more when needed). Having autoimmune issues, I also wanted it to last a while so I didn’t feel like I was constantly making new batches. That’s where golden paste comes in. Super quick and easy to make and a sterilized jar lasts 3 of us a couple of weeks in the fridge (unless we get I’ll, then we drink tons of the stuff!!).
Ingredients:
1 cup turmeric powder
2 cup water
2 tsp ground black pepper (omit for aip)
1 cup coconut oil
1/4 cup ginger
Pinch of saffron
1. In a pan, heat the water until simmering. Add all the other ingredients.
2. Whisk continuously over a medium high heat until it has thickened into a paste.
4. Pour into a sterilized jar allow to cool before keeping in the fridge. This should be good for around two weeks or more.
Don’t want to make your own? Why not try our range or turmeric suppliments and drink mixes making it even easier to enjoy all the benefits of this wonderful spice!
I will be sharing some of my favourite recipes using this paste in upcoming posts that I shall link below.
1. Turmeric tea/Golden milk/sleepy tea
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