Turmeric Lemonade

Turmeric lemonade is a tasty, nutritious drink that is also very refreshing. Easy to prepare yourself at home, it requires little effort considering the huge benefits it brings.

Turmeric has been used in India for thousands of years as a spice and as a herb for its amazing medicinal properties. Also common in Southeast Asian and Middle Eastern cooking, it has been gaining momentum elsewhere over the past few decades. The good news is, it’s readily available in most supermarkets these days and isn’t expensive.

Curcumin is the main active component which is hailed as the compound in turmeric providing the greatest benefits. The golden yellow color of turmeric is owing to the curcumin. While it can make it a nuisance to cook with, it’s nice to know this is what will help keep us healthy so is worth every bit of it. If you haven’t cooked with turmeric before, it stains porous objects easily – clothes, cooking utensils, and anything else it comes into contact with. However, it’s easy to manage, and I’ll remind you later and give you some pointers on what to consider before preparing this.

Benefits Of Turmeric

There are so many benefits that can be derived from taking turmeric. There have been many studies involving turmeric too, unlike some natural remedies, which give us a great indication of what it can and should be used for.

Some of the benefits are that turmeric:

• Is anti-inflammatory – It has properties to control inflammation, which is found to be one of the culprits in most chronic conditions. Studies have shown positive effects for people with rheumatoid arthritis and inflammatory bowel disease. Many studies have also proven that it helps patients with arthritis and can improve various symptoms for many of them.
• Is a powerful antioxidant – Fights against free radicals which cause damage to the body’s cells. Can help in preventing and managing heart disease, and may reduce the risk of cataracts.
• Maintains blood sugar levels – Can play an important role for people at risk of diabetes and even helps people already living with type 2 diabetes.
• Good for the brain and mind – Protects against Alzheimer’s disease thanks to its anti-inflammatory properties and also because it fights against oxidative damage. It can also help treat depression by boosting serotonin and dopamine levels.

Benefits Of Other Ingredients In This Recipe

There is also a pinch of black pepper in this recipe which helps you to absorb the curcumin in turmeric more efficiently. Black pepper contains piperine which increases absorption by a stunning 2,000% (the same results were found in one study in 1998 and 2014). Don’t worry, you won’t even notice the flavor when you drink the turmeric lemonade but it is an essential ingredient.

Lemon is also a crucial ingredient for flavor and benefits.

High in vitamin C, it may help prevent cardiovascular disease, strokes, and lower blood pressure. It also has a host of other benefits including aiding your digestive system and supporting weight loss.

Ginger is a close cousin of turmeric because they are both in the Zingiberaceae family. As a result, ginger combats inflammation too. It can be effective in treating inflammation from osteoarthritis and helping with pain management. Another common benefit ginger is used for is to lower LDL cholesterol levels.

Basil is a wonder herb because it contains so many essential vitamins and minerals: vitamins A, C, and K; manganese, magnesium, calcium, and iron. It’s also a powerful antioxidant, protecting against free radicals. Basil can also function as a muscle relaxant, providing great relief for headaches.

How To Make Turmeric Lemonade

This recipe will take 10 minutes to make the lemonade and then cooling time at the end (unless you choose to drink it warm – a nice alternative when it’s cold outside). However, it is great as a refreshing cool drink, and these are the steps I will show you today.

As I mentioned before, turmeric has a habit of staining items. Therefore, I never use it anywhere near plastic containers or kitchenware. You’ll also find it will turn a wooden spoon into a brighter version of itself so don’t use your favorite or soak it right away in warm water and dishwashing liquid. A quick trick to get rid of any turmeric marks is to mix half water and half baking soda into a paste, apply this, and wash it off with a cloth and warm water.

This recipe makes 6 portions and each serving will have 13 calories.

Essential Equipment

• A large pot
• Spoon – wooden or metal
• Fine-mesh strainer
• Large serving bowl (not plastic)

Ingredients

• 2 tsp ground turmeric powder
• 1-inch x ½ inch knob of ginger
• Pinch of black pepper
• 8 basil leaves
• 1 tbsp honey
• 1 lemon
• 6 cups of filtered water

Method

1. Put 6 cups of water into a large pot, cover, and put on high heat.
2. Meanwhile, peel the skin off the ginger and cut it into tenths.
3. When the water is just about to boil, reduce the heat with the aim of maintaining a light simmer. Set your timer for 10 minutes. Add the turmeric, pepper, and ginger, and stir it all together.
4. You’re going to add the basil at the 6-minute mark (4 minutes left). Just before this, wash, then tear the basil leaves in half with your fingers. When the turmeric has been in the water for 6 minutes add the basil, and stir.
5. When 10 minutes is up, turn off the heat and remove the pot from the stovetop. Now you need to wait for it to cool down.
6. Once it has cooled down, strain your mixture using a fine-mesh strainer into a large serving bowl. Cut one lemon in half and you want to add only the juice to the mixture and stir well.
7. Now you can enjoy some straight away in a glass with ice and honey (also fine to do so without) and store some in the fridge in a glass pitcher or jar.

It will keep in the fridge for up to a week. You will need to give it a stir each time you take it out to pour another glass. This is because you need to mix some of the turmeric back in that has settled at the bottom, but then it will taste as fresh as the day you made it again.

This drink is also lovely warmed up as tea. If it’s chilly where you are but you still want to enjoy all the benefits of turmeric lemonade, you can ladle some out into a mug and drink some straight away from the stovetop after cooking or heat it up in the microwave later or gently on the stovetop.

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