SHARES
Yellow yellow, come tell me who I am, my dear fellow? I am a spice, yellow in colour. Powerful and bestowed with amazing properties, I am a part of (most of your) daily cuisines. Wondering who I am?
Well, you may have guessed right. It is the Turmeric spice! Of late, it has been in the news especially in the west for a recipe that seems new to them. Yes, Turmeric Latte! It was really funny to see this trending on social media. The west certainly is very late in catching up with us Asians. Turmeric is an integral part of Middle Eastern and Asian food and South Asian culture. The yellow colour of turmeric is considered auspicious by Indians. Turmeric is an important part of Ayurvedic (Indian medicine) and also Traditional Chinese Medicine. We are sure you might be aware of the benefits of turmeric – we have all been consuming it in one form or another in our diet. Be it as a spice in powder form or as an ingredient in salads (turmeric root).
Turmeric is a “super-food” , an important spice and here we shall find out some interesting benefits about this wonder spice. Check out the last part of the article for the recipe to the trending “Turmeric Latte”.
Benefits of the magic spice:
- Turmeric is known for its anti-inflammatory properites and helps fight infections
- It can help prevent blood clotting and thus is a good option for those with vascular thrombosis
- Curcumin, the active constituent of turmeric can be used effectively and safely for treatment in patients with Mild Depression. This was found in this study
- Curcumin is a powerful anti-oxidant and neutralises the free radicals in the body
- Curcumin helps decrease the risk of brain diseases and improves brain function by boosting growth of neurons
- Helps reduce risk of heart disease
- Can help in preventing and also fighting cancer – turmeric is seen to reduce the growth of cancer cells, inhibit metastasis and thus killing cancer cells.
- Being an anti-inflammatory agent, it could play a bigger role in the treatment of arthritis which is a disorder wherein inflammation of the joints is a primary symptom
- Can help delay ageing, a popular use of turmeric is seen in beauty treatments for that glowing skin. Also, we have seen that it acts like a scavenger of free radicals – lesser the free radicals in the body, the younger you appear, right?
- Aids in wound healing by enhancing the body’s natural healing process
- Helps digestion and prevents ulcer
- Helps fight a cough – turmeric has anti-inflammatory, anti-bacterial and anti-viral properties and thus when you have a cough, drinking milk with some turmeric powder added to it, soothes the throat and also helps in curing the cough.
In India, it is almost a daily affair that elders make their children drink this golden milk. Wondering what golden milk is? Well, you guessed it right – milk + turmeric powder is golden milk or Turmeric Latte!
Want to try making this at home? Don’t worry, it is not as tough as you might imagine. Here goes:
What do you need:
Milk – 1 cup, warm
Turmeric Powder – 1 tsp
Optional – sugar/honey to taste; black pepper powder (1/2 tsp)
Mix all the ingredients together, froth it a bit like your teh Tarik and there you have it! Delicious golden milk or Turmeric Latte! Make this a part of your daily routine, you will be blessed with good health and improved immune system! Because, you are important!
If you wish to find out about your health status, check this
References:
by Hridya Anand
A biochemist by education who could never put what she studied to good use, finally found GetDoc as a medium to do what she loved - bring information to people using a forum that is dedicated to all things medical. View all articles by Hridya Anand.
