This is the best tea to give your immune system a pick me up. The immune boosting, anti-inflammatory benefits of turmeric are endless, I’m a little bit obsessed with this root. All the research done on turmeric and its main medicinal polyphenol curcumin makes me want to shout from a mountain top the amazing benefits of this substance. Plus the brilliant bright yellow of the turmeric root brings on a cheery mentality, which helps us get well even faster.
Can you imagine if antibiotics could differentiate between good bacteria and bad bacteria? Or if chemotherapy drugs differentiated between cancer cells and healthy cells?
Well, turmeric may be able to do just that, an example of plant intelligence at its finest (1). Inflammation is linked to every known health ailment, including immune health (2). I just wrote an in depth article on all the amazing benefits of turmeric and curcumin over at root and sprouts. The research really blew me away, over 5000 studies have been done on turmeric. Mainly it’s power resides in curcumins potent anti inflammatory properties.
It’s interesting to note that India has the highest national consumption of turmeric worldwide and also the lowest rates of alzheimers (3).
Alzheimer’s patients symptoms were found to improve after just one dose of curcumin, and taken long term it can protect against a myriad of inflammatory diseases. Another great way to consume turmeric is in golden milk, this is a more chai like and creamy drink, but still a great way to indulge in this medicinal root.
Now be warned my friends, this is a potent concoction, only to be consumed by those who really want to get better. There’s no half-assing it with this elixir. If your feeling extra hardcore about getting rid of a cold or flu, you’ll add raw garlic. Surprisingly it tastes absolutely delicious, and does wonders to alleviate sore throats.
Turmeric stains everything, so it’s best to store your tea in glass or stainless steal, it’ll even dye plastic a bright yellow hue.
- 8 C water
- 2 inch piece of ginger, thinly sliced
- 2 raw garlic cloves, minced or just smashed (optional)
- 1 Tbs turmeric powder or 2 inch piece fresh turmeric root, grated
- ¼ tsp - ½ tsp cayenne pepper (depending on how spicy you can handle)
- ¼ tsp black pepper
- 1-2 fresh lemons
- 1 vile ginseng and royal jelly tincture
- 2 Tbs raw honey
- Simmer the water and ginger for 15 minutes.
- Add turmeric, garlic, cayenne and black pepper and stir until well combined. Strain the liquid into a 1 L glass jar.
- Add freshly squeezed lemon juice, ginseng and royal jelly and raw honey and stir well.
- Drink throughout the day until you start to feel better.
What’s your favourite method for getting rid of a cold?
