What Happens if You Drink Turmeric Water Every Day?
What is Turmeric?
Turmeric or Curcuma longa is known as the ‘golden spice’, a herbaceous native plant found throughout South-East Asia. This plant is grown commercially in India and is widely used as an important culinary spice and medicinal plant. As with its close relative ginger, the part of the turmeric plant used is the underground stem or rhizome.
In Indian cooking, turmeric is an essential spice to add flavor and give a wonderful golden color to dishes. Its ability to impart vibrant golden tones makes turmeric a useful dye. This is something to be aware of when working with turmeric, it has a powerful ability to stain clothes and surfaces.
This plant is also an important medicinal plant, turmeric has been used for centuries as part of traditional medicinal systems including Ayurvedic medicine and Traditional Chinese medicine. The medicinal properties of turmeric are mostly attributed to the major active ingredient, the polyphenol curcumin.
There are many ways to enjoy the benefits of this incredible spice and we will share with you one of the most simple and versatile ways to enjoy it. Read on to learn how to make a simple turmeric infusion or turmeric tea which is easy to prepare and very safe. Turmeric water can be incorporated into a daily routine to gain some of the wonderful health benefits of this super spice.
What Are the Health Benefits of Turmeric?
Antioxidant
Oxidation is a normal process occurring in our bodies that can become harmful if free radicals are not balanced by antioxidants. Oxidative stress unchecked can lead to organ and tissue damage and the development of chronic health conditions. Curcumin has been found to have powerful antioxidant properties and has performed well in several studies improving systemic markers of oxidative stress. Curcumin can scavenge free-radical species that damage cells and help balance the oxidation process.
Anti-inflammatory
Inflammation is believed to be the root cause of many common diseases including Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s, multiple sclerosis, epilepsy, cardiovascular disease, and depression. Curcumin can suppress inflammation, this has been demonstrated in trials of patients suffering from arthritis where administration of curcumin led to a reduction in pain and inflammation.
Treating joint pain over night is almost impossible. Turmeric will help you alleviate these symptoms, but it’s not instant. But if you need to alleviate pain quickly, the Joint & Movement Salve will be your best friend. I’ll leave you a link here if joints are bothering you lately.
Metabolic Disease
Metabolic diseases are characterized by obesity, hyperglycemia, high cholesterol, and hypertension, often found in a cluster known as ‘metabolic syndrome’. This syndrome can put sufferers at higher risk of strokes, diabetes, and heart problems. The antioxidant and anti-inflammatory actions of curcumin may help improve metabolic disease by lowering blood sugar levels and providing cardioprotection and liver protection.
Cardiovascular Disease
Due to turmeric’s amazing antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties, it has been found to have a positive impact on cardiovascular health risk factors. After consuming turmeric, study participants recorded lowered blood pressure, healthier arteries and improved exercise resistance.
⇒ How to Recognize a Heart Attack and What to Do Next (Video)
Anti-microbial
Several laboratory studies have shown that curcumin can inhibit the growth of antibiotic-resistant bacteria.
Immune Stimulant
Turmeric has been found to strengthen the immune system by modulating immune cells and enhancing the response of antibodies.
Anti-cancer
Curcumin has been found to affect the way cancer grows and spreads in the body. It appears to impact on the development of new blood and lymphatic vessels that allow cancers to spread
Find out more in The Holistic Guide to Wellness, where you can read about the best natural remedies to take for a variety of health conditions.
Exercise
If you are looking to increase your fitness and begin an exercise regime or just up your exercise or sports performance curcumin can reduce inflammation helping prevent injury or hasten recovery time.
Mental Health
Another health benefit associated with the consumption of turmeric is improved mental health- cognitive ability and enhanced memory. Reduced stress, anxiety, and depression.
Gut Health
Turmeric has been found to have a positive effect on gut health as it can help decrease pathogenic bacteria and promote the growth of beneficial bacteria in the gut. Trials have found increased gut diversity and improved digestion.
What Are the Benefits of Turmeric Water?
Making a simple turmeric infusion is a great way to consume turmeric as it is easy to prepare the fresh root and cheaper than buying expensive supplements. You can play around with the recipe and easily adapt it to suit your taste and improve the bioavailability of curcumin.
Turmeric Water Recipe
Turmeric Water RecipeEquipment
- Chopping board
- Sharp knife
- Saucepan
- Strainer
Recipe
Makes enough for one
- Two inches of fresh turmeric root (unpeeled) sliced into thin rounds
- One cup of water
Directions
- Add turmeric slices to the pan along with the water.
- Bring to the boil and then simmer for 5 minutes.
- Strain the liquid into a cup.
- Drink once cooled.
Variations
Curcumin is not readily bioavailable, meaning the body cannot easily make use of its benefits, it is poorly absorbed, rapidly metabolized and quickly eliminated in the body. Luckily there are ways to increase the amount of curcumin gained from consuming turmeric, the most effective of these is to take it alongside black pepper. The constituent piperine increases the bioavailability of curcumin by a staggering 200%.
Another way to increase the absorption of curcumin is to take it with a fat such as coconut oil or ghee. Adding milk or cream to your turmeric infusion will also help increase curcumin absorption.
Other variations could include adding lemon, honey, or other herbs that you might like to add to your turmeric infusion or turmeric tea. You can even add a few drops of this Dual-Extracted Cordyceps Mushroom Tincture to help your body lower inflammation and improve cognitive health.
The main risk when using turmeric is staining clothes or equipment. Turmeric is very safe and the cut root can be consumed daily at doses of between 1.5-3g. Check with your doctor if you are taking blood thinning medication or have liver or bile duct issues before supplementing with turmeric.
Turmeric water is easy to prepare and pleasant to drink, its versatility is such that you can add ingredients that will help make more of the curcumin work for you. Happy infusing!
Victoria, we in North Africa use turmeric a lot in our cuisine. A tip about turmeric getting onto clothes wooden or plastic utensils or anything (even marble Stone), Put into direct sunlight, and the stain and color of turmeric completely disappears.
Great tip Jody, thanks!
thank you so very much i am going round the world finding out about berries tree weed flowers, and thing you have to use medicinal and herbs to
can you use tumeric powder in the water instead of fresh tumeric?
Absolutely, you can use turmeric powder if you don’t have fresh turmeric root. Use about 1 teaspoon of turmeric powder in place of the fresh root. Remember to add a pinch of black pepper and a small amount of fat (like coconut oil or milk) to enhance the absorption of curcumin. Enjoy your turmeric tea!
I have sciatica. Wondering if this will help me aliviate my driver pain?
Turmeric’s anti-inflammatory properties might help reduce inflammation and pain associated with sciatica. While it’s not a quick fix, incorporating turmeric into your daily routine may provide some relief over time. For more immediate relief, you might find topical treatments like a Joint & Movement Salve beneficial. Always consult with a healthcare professional before starting any new treatment for your sciatica. I hope you find some relief soon!
Don’t you have to add black pepper to it so it can be absorbed into the body?
Try this turmeric tea variant:
Finly grate a little finger size bit of turmeric root. Do the same with a thumb size piece of ginger root. Add 32 crushed black peppercorns and 8 crushed cardamon pods. Crush these – don’t grind. Add 3 crushed cinnamon sticks – use Ceylon cinnamon not the much cheaper cassia cinnamon which is toxic if you consume too much; you can recognise Ceylon cinnamon sticks by them being much thinner light brown layers. Add 7 cups of water (1.7 litres) and bring to the boil. Once boiling boil for 12 minutes.
Serve the strained liquid with honey and lemon juice. Makes about 9 servings and what you don’t use can be refrigerated.