Superfood Turmeric – What’s Behind the Indian Spice?
For a long time it was a main ingredient in curry powder and found in most households, but hardly anyone would have heard of the name turmeric. But for a few years now, turmeric has been on everyone's lips as an ingredient in smoothies, vitamin shots and golden milk. Forgive the pun. Research is also increasingly focusing on the yellow tuber, as evidenced by over 1,000 publications - in 2015 alone. So let's take a look at the Ayurvedic medicinal plant.
Turmeric on a wooden table.
Turmeric – What is it anyway?
Turmeric is a plant from the ginger family and comes from the tropical regions of South Asia. It has been cultivated there, especially in India, for thousands of years. The plant is also known here as turmeric or saffron root. Turmeric is an essential ingredient in Indian cuisine. Turmeric is also used in Ayurveda, the traditional Indian healing art. India is both the largest producer and the largest consumer of turmeric. The herbaceous plant forms broad, green leaves and reaches a height of one meter. It develops a spike-like and quite attractive inflorescence that can be up to 18 centimeters high. This is why turmeric is also popular as a cut flower in Asia. The far more exciting part of the plant, however, is hidden underground. There, turmeric, like its relative ginger, forms tuberous rhizomes. If you remove the skin, the intense yellow color of the rhizomes becomes visible. The color is due to curcumin, a secondary plant substance from the group of polyphenols. With a content of three to five percent, curcumin is a main component of the root. There are also numerous essential oils, particularly turmerone and zingiberene, as well as sugar, proteins and resins. When dried and ground, an intense yellow powder is created, which gives the curry spice mixture its characteristic appearance. The taste of turmeric is unobtrusive, earthy, slightly bitter and sometimes slightly spicy. In this country, turmeric is usually used as a powder, but in Asia the fresh tuber often finds its way into pots.
The green leaves of the turmeric plant.
Turmeric in Ayurveda and TCM
In Ayurveda and traditional Chinese medicine (TCM), turmeric is one of the spices with warming properties. The plant is also said to have cleansing and invigorating properties. According to the teachings, turmeric is used for abdominal pain, bloating, irritable bowel syndrome, flatulence and susceptibility to infections. The external use of pastes for skin diseases such as acne or hives is also known. On the other hand, tea infusions with turmeric are said to have been used for respiratory diseases, sore throats or joint pain. As always when we write about traditional medicine, we would like to point out that these effects are not considered to be proven in Western evidence-based medical research. Nevertheless, more and more researchers are studying turmeric and its possible effects.
Curcumin in the Focus of Science
Over the past 20 years, turmeric and in particular its main ingredient curcumin have become the focus of scientific research. The PubMed database for scientific publications records just 591 publications with the keyword "curcumin" for the period from 1949 to 2000. After that, there was an exponential increase to over 17,000 publications to date. So far, it has been proven that turmeric stimulates the production of bile. Used as a spice, turmeric helps to alleviate the feeling of fullness or constipation that sets in after meals. In addition, numerous studies are looking at possible positive effects on a wide variety of diseases. The list ranges from Alzheimer's to diabetes to cancer prevention. The effect of curcumin as an antioxidant and anti-inflammatory agent appears to be particularly promising. The studies to date are promising, but they are not yet sufficient for food regulators to also clinically prove an actual benefit for humans. For this reason, the European Food Safety Authority has not yet approved any health claims about turmeric. The World Health Organization (WHO), on the other hand, at least recommends taking turmeric for digestive problems.
Turmeric is also responsible for the color of the capsules.
What is the difference between turmeric powder and extract?
In addition to the fresh root and the ground powder, turmeric extracts are increasingly available on the market. The extracts are said to be particularly rich in the active ingredient curcumin. However, studies show that curcumin in high concentrations can also impair the effect of medication taken at the same time. The use of the spice powder, on the other hand, is considered harmless. In addition, over 700 other valuable ingredients have been identified in the root, which are lost during the chemical extraction of the curcumin. The use of turmeric powder is therefore a good idea.
How is turmeric taken?
If you feel full and to calm the gastrointestinal tract, the WHO recommends taking up to three grams of turmeric powder. For the active ingredient curcumin, the European Food Safety Authority recommends a maximum daily dose of two milligrams per kilogram of body weight. With higher doses, intolerances such as heartburn and diarrhea have been observed in isolated cases. Due to its stimulating effect on bile function, turmeric should not be taken if you have gallstones. Pregnant and breastfeeding women should also avoid taking turmeric extracts. Curcumin is hardly water-soluble, so it is recommended to take it with fatty foods to increase bioavailability. In fact, the essential oils of the other ingredients of an Indian curry paste, such as the piperine in black pepper, are able to increase the bioavailability of turmeric even further.
Golden milk gets its color from turmeric.
Golden Milk – The Ayurvedic Classic
In many Asian countries, turmeric is traditionally consumed as so-called golden milk. Turmeric is heated with other spices, such as ginger, cinnamon or cardamom, in plant-based milk and then drunk. Since many people drink golden milk not only for stomach problems, but also because it simply tastes good and is also a feast for the eyes, we would like to introduce you to our favorite recipe:
Ingredients
- 250 ml coconut or almond milk
- 1 teaspoon of turmeric powder
- 1 piece of ginger, approx. 2 cm, sliced
- 1 stick of cinnamon
- 1 pod of cardamom
- ½ teaspoon coconut oil
- 1 pinch of black pepper
- 1 teaspoon honey or agave syrup
Heat the milk until it is just about to boil. Remove the pan from the heat, add the remaining ingredients and leave to steep for about half an hour. Then gently heat everything to drinking temperature, pour through a sieve into a large glass, garnish with a pinch of cinnamon and enjoy.
