Call it turmeric tea or Golden milk but there is no Dairy Milk in this healthy drink.
Convert your daily habits of drinking normal tea or coffee to drinking a glass of golden milk before going to the bed. You will become a healthier person than you are today by reaping numerous health benefits golden milk offers.
Health benefits of turmeric have been well recorded by Science as well as the ancient practices who used turmeric for healing many health problems for thousands of years in India and other Asian countries.
Western world is now becoming more aware about it's benefits and have started using turmeric as a health drink as well as started its use as one of the ingredients in cooking.
So if you are not using turmeric in any form then better start considering using it in some way or the other in your daily diet.
The best way perhaps will be to start with this popular Golden milk which is made out of turmeric, coconut milk and black pepper.
In the US you have already begun seeing this drink being served at juice bars as turmeric latte with its numerous variations. People are adding more herbs and nuts to make it a more tasty and healthy drink.
One thing is sure that the use of turmeric is increasing for better health. Don't get left Behind.
Turmeric and Scientific Research
The ancient experts in India, China and Japan used turmeric for stomach and liver problems mainly. Gradually its use as anti anti-inflammatory agent increased and later people began to use it to prevent and delay Alzheimer's.
All these folk medicinal advantages intrigued scientists to begin to research turmeric. Researchers from around the world have found an active compound called curcumin which offers many health benefits.
These kinds of ancient practices and recent scientific evidence made turmeric an overnight star. People around the world who were fascinated by Indian food drew more towards eating Indian curries, started cooking veg curries at home and started using turmeric tea or the popularly known golden milk.
Though the benefits of curcumin in turmeric has never been doubted, some recent studies in 2017 found that curcuminoids do not easily get absorbed in the body. Therefore, you may not be able to get those benefits that it is popular for.
This is where the conventional wisdom of using a combination of herbs for the overall benefit of health comes in.
Black pepper increases the absorption capacity of the body for curcumin by almost 2000 times. Many other herbs may also be able to increase the absorption capacity of curcumin by the body, but not much research has yet been done.
So, remember if you want to get the best out of turmeric then use it in combination with black pepper.
What Health Benefits does Golden Milk Offer?
The main ingredient of the Golden milk is turmeric powder. You can also use ground fresh turmeric root for making the turmeric tea. But this seasonal fresh root of turmeric may not be available everywhere in the world, so let's stick to turmeric powder for making golden milk.
Coconut milk is the other element which not only makes the drink tasty but also adds many health benefits.
Black pepper is the third element that itself is very healthy, but in this case it is a necessity to get the best out of turmeric. Without the use of the black pepper powder in the drink which really increases the absorption capacity of curcumin from turmeric by the body many folds, your golden milk will not give optimum benefits.
And the last element is honey which is a well known anti inflammatory and antibacterial agent. In addition to the health benefits of honey, the added bonus is improvement in the taste of your golden milk drink.
Now let's look at the health benefits of all these four elements of golden milk combination.
Relieves Joint Pain and Improves Arthritic Conditions
The golden milk rich in curcumin and honey helps in reducing joint inflammation and naturally alleviates pain
Scientists have found curcumin reducing joint swelling and associated pain caused in Rheumatoid arthritis.
Black pepper also has anti-inflammatory capabilities in addition to its ability to improve curcumin absorption many folds.
That is not all, even the coconut milk has been found to have anti-inflammatory capabilities in some Scientific studies.
So, all the four elements of Golden milk makes it a powerhouse of anti-inflammatory compounds. No other drink food perhaps can be as good as Golden milk in this aspect of the health benefit.
Reduces Stress and Depression
Turmeric and coconut milk both have capabilities to reduce stress and improve mood.
Researchers have found that curcumin reduces the symptoms of chronic stress and improves neurotransmitters functionality in the brain.
Scientists have also found that the medium chain fatty acids in coconut milk have potential antidepressant capabilities.
Reduction in depression and anxiety and improvements in mood does many chemical and hormonal changes in the body that improve your overall health.
A scientific study has shown that curcumin helps produce more serotonin and increase dopamine levels naturally in the brain. This is how the moods become better by drinking golden milk.
Improves Cardiovascular Health
Golden milk drink improves your cardiac functionality due to the curcuminoids found in curcumin of turmeric.
These phenolic compounds with their antioxidant capabilities reduces the oxidative stresses from the free radicals. This improves the functionality of blood vessels. Healthy heart maintains proper rhythm of blood circulation and heartbeats.
In addition to the benefits of curcuminoids on the heart, both turmeric and coconut milk reduce cholesterol, lowers blood pressure and improves overall blood circulation. All these heart healthy benefits will improve your quality of life and longevity
The reduction in LDL components of the cholesterol is a significant health benefit. It is generally difficult to increase HDL in the blood cholesterol by any food item. HDL can mainly be increased by increasing physical activities.
So, when the LDL component of the total cholesterol reduces, the ratio of HDL to LDL improves. This improvement in HDL to LDL ratio is the most important component of maintaining heart healthy.
Once the LDL reduces in the blood, blood circulation improves. This itself is a huge benefit to the overall health. Blood which is thinner now can move to the farthest end of the cells to provide Oxygen and nutrients.
Boosts immunity and prevents cancer
Turmeric has traditionally been used for thousands of years to prevent and even cure sore throat and other infections.
Turmeric milk or turmeric honey paste are the two conventional methods to achieve that objective.
Scientific studies have already proved the antibiotic capabilities of honey and curcumin
Golden milk is an improvement in the ancient practices with scientific evidence.
Honey and coconut milk also have been found to have antibacterial and antifungal capabilities. The combination of all these antimicrobial capabilities of various elements of the Golden milk helps to improve immunity and reduce infections of any kind.
Golden milk is one of the best preventative herbal medicines for infections in the body.
Improves digestion
Golden milk improves overall digestion by working on the bacteria in the intestine. Both turmeric and coconut milk have positive impacts on digestion in their own different ways.
Coconut milk or oil both have a soothing effect on the lining of the intestine to relieve constipation.
The beneficial effect of curcumin in the turmeric reduces symptoms of many gastrointestinal disorders such as acid reflux and indigestion. It reduces stomach pain and abdominal cramps.
Helps in Weight Loss
The improved digestion and metabolism reduces your food cravings. This means you will eat less than your normal food intake habits.
Lots of weight loss studies have been done on both curcumin and coconut water and coconut oil. The findings are very encouraging in both cases to lower weight without any side effects.
So, the golden milk which has got both these elements is one of your best bets against excess weight.
Make it a habit of drinking one glass of Golden milk daily.
Prevents Cancer
The anti inflammatory capabilities of the curcumin in the turmeric and its capability to boost immunity helps to prevent cancers.
How to Prepare Golden Milk - Special Turmeric Tea
It's easy and convenient to make Golden milk. You will require the following ingredients
- 1/2 teaspoon of turmeric powder
- Pinch of black pepper powder
- I teaspoon honey
- I cup coconut milk
- 2 tablespoon of water
Directions
- Add the turmeric powder, black pepper powder and water in a small heating pot and cook it until it becomes a thick paste. Make sure that it is not burnt.
- Pour the paste in a cup and let it cool for a while.
- Add coconut milk and stir it well
- Add one teaspoon of honey and stir it well before sipping and enjoying it.
It is always better to make golden milk and drink it fresh.
However, if you are short of time then make it for a week and store it in the refrigerator. Just take 7 times the quantities of turmeric, black pepper and water to make a thick paste and store it. Add coconut milk and honey when you drink it.
You can use the paste alone to get the benefits particularly when you can't get the coconut milk. You can add soyabean milk in its place.
Instead of one cup of coconut milk, you can add one tablespoon of virgin coconut oil to the above turmeric black pepper paste. Add a teaspoon of honey as well.
The best time to drink golden milk is before going to the bed.