How To Heal With Turmeric Tea With Less Fuss

Photo by Chinh Le Duc on Unsplash

Photo by Chinh Le Duc on Unsplash

Turmeric has great healing properties. It is anti-inflammatory and it helps with pain. I have recipes up for using turmeric powder, but fresh is always better. The problem with turmeric is that it stains very easily on clothes, tupperware and skin, so it can be a hassle to prepare. But if it does stain your skin, it’ll fade in several hours.

To store fresh turmeric, keep it in the refrigerator loosely wrapped so it doesn't get moldy. It's a little harder to measure turmeric root because of it’s shape, but 3 medium-large pieces (about the size of four fingers) will be about 3.5 ounces. After peeling them, you'll have about 2.5 ounces.

Here's a way to make turmeric tea with less hassle.

  • This recipe uses coconut oil instead of coconut milk; it's shelf stable at room temperature for much longer than leftover coconut milk stored in the refrigerator.

  • I provided measurements by weight in grams and ounces for your convenience. I usually don't measure out the ingredients because this recipe is very forgiving; you can adjust according to your taste. You could also just make this by eyeballing it: 1 part each of turmeric, honey and coconut oil, and sprinkle each of the spices.

Just make sure you do the following to make it more bio-available to the body:

  1. Add fat

  2. Add black pepper (even just a few sprinkles will do)

  3. Add heat

YIELD: 7 ounces

INGREDIENTS

64 grams = 2.5 ounces peeled and ground fresh turmeric root
57 grams = 2 ounces raw honey
52 grams = 2 ounces coconut oil, melted
4 to 6 sprinkles of black pepper

Optional:
1 gram cinnamon
a few sprinkles of cardamom
a few sprinkles of clove

DIRECTIONS

  1. Use gloves to handle turmeric to prevent staining. Chop off any small nubs off of the turmeric root. Using a spoon, scrape off the peel. In a coffee or spice and nut grinder, process the root down to a fine grind. A food processor is weaker but will work too.

  2. Put the ground root in a glass container that will also be used for storing.

  3. Add honey, coconut oil and black pepper; mix. Depending on the temperature of the room, you may need to warm up the coconut oil in order to mix the ingredients.

  4. Scoop out as needed into a mug. Pour 8 ounces of water over it and stir.

  5. Store in the refrigerator, it will last at least 2 months. I made some on 6/8/18; on 8/7/18 it was still good. I will update when I make more and report if it lasts longer than 2 months.

You can make a batch of this paste and always have it on hand to make a tea or use for a curry dish. I also like to stir it into steamed/mashed yams or oatmeal. It even goes well on fish.

Milks & Smoothies, HealCaroline VuGood Morning HealthComment