Do Yourself a Favor with These Awesome Ways to Find and Prepare Turmeric
Could your health use a little boost?
Turmeric is a wonderful plant known across the world for its almost mystical healing abilities [link to turmeric benefits article]. Curcumin, the primary active ingredient in turmeric, helps you stave off the effects of inflammation and reduce your exposure to nasty, chronic illnesses.
It’s not only good for spicing up your curries; turmeric is here to revolutionize the way we think about natural wellness and holistic health.
But if you want to add turmeric to your own regimen…you might get a little overwhelmed.
That’s because there are dozens of ways you can get your hands on turmeric, and hundreds of ways to prepare it!
You only need the most important facts. Let’s boil it down into a few stages so you know exactly what to get and how to use it.
Three Easy Ways to Get Turmeric into Your Home
How many different ways can you get turmeric into your home?
Fresh as a Daisy
Well, the first and foremost way to get turmeric is what many people prefer – fresh!
Unfortunately, it’s not always common. Your nearby grocery store might stock it, but that’s not always the case. You can also order fresh turmeric online. But once you have it, you have to know what to do with it!
Remember that this part of the turmeric plant – the part that contains the precious healing powers of curcumin – is a rhizome. It’s a stem that grows underground, with an outer skin that protects the good stuff inside.
So if you find fresh turmeric, you can use it a few ways.
After peeling, just cut off a knuckle and chew on it! It’s an acquired taste, but the juices pack the punch you need to fight inflammations and heal your immune system.
Or you can brine it in a salty solution (water works fine). When you’re finished pickling it, carve it up and squeeze a little lime juice on for some extra support for your digestive system. Cracking a little fresh pepper on it will also help the curcumin absorb into your body better.
And if you’re really adventurous, you can even make a juice out of turmeric. Well, more like a turmeric shot! Juice the root and prepare it similar to the pickling process above – just skip the salt water!
The Stunning Versatility of Turmeric Powder
If you dry turmeric and ground it up, you get turmeric powder. It’s as simple as that. You can buy it bottled or make it fresh.
As you see below with our recipes, there’s a crazy number of ways you can use turmeric powder for a wide range of healing benefits.
You can easily purchase turmeric powder and have something that’s easy to mix with milk, coconut oil, or water. These make great pastes for skin treatments. Turmeric mixed with milk is fantastic for the common cold.
Some people choose to make their own capsules using turmeric powder, so they can remain in complete control of their dosage. (Though turmeric has no known negative side effects, so this isn’t totally necessary.)
Are you more of a do-it-yourselfer? If you can round up some fresh turmeric root, check out an easy way to make your very own turmeric powder:
- Peel and boil the root in water until soft.
- Dry the root in the oven at a low temperature for several hours.
- Ground into a fine powder.
Are Turmeric Capsules Right for You?
The taste of turmeric isn’t for everyone. So for a convenient, easy-to-take form of turmeric that’s completely flavorless, try turmeric supplements that come in capsule form.
But no matter what type you try, you’ll wish you’d known about turmeric years ago! And you’ll also find yourself looking for new and interesting ways to prepare it. So let’s talk about a few ways that are commonly used. Experiment with them and find the recipe that works for you.
5 Beautifully Simple Recipes Every Turmeric Lover Needs to Know
Maybe you’re one of the lucky ones who found turmeric root fresh in the produce aisle at the store. Or you’ve gotten your hands on a jar of high-quality turmeric powder. If you’re wondering what to do with it next – we’ve got you covered!
Million-Dollar Turmeric Tea
Is it starting to get a little chilly out? Warm yourself up while strengthening your immune system and fighting inflammation. Make this simple tea with a little turmeric powder and a natural sweeter to give your health a tune-up. (And feel like a million bucks!)
Simply boil some water and add roughly one teaspoon of ground turmeric powder. Reduce the heat and let it simmer for five minutes. Remove from heat and strain away the solids through cheesecloth.
For a natural sweetener, we always prefer honey. You should also crack a little black pepper into the tea, as this helps curcumin absorb into your body.
Effortless Turmeric Milk
Nasty cold got you down?
Is allergy season leaving you light-headed and miserable?
Turmeric milk is a wonderful drink that attacks your cold and sinus problems. It’s also great for digestive issues and pain, and is a nice way to soothe your mind right before bed.
Simply warm up some milk in a saucepan over low heat. (Don’t allow it to boil.) Stir in a teaspoon (5 ml) of turmeric powder. You can strain if you’d like, but it’s really not necessary.
Enjoy!
Shots! Shots! Shots!
Ok, maybe not the kind of shots you took in college. But these shots will do wonders for your health. (And you won’t feel like you were hit by a truck the next day.)
Grab a piece of fresh turmeric root and grind it in a juicer. Strain the juice out into a shot glass. (Discard the pulp.) Add a squeeze of lime juice for flavor, as well as some fresh-cracked black pepper to help with absorption. Bottoms up!
A Turmeric Paste So Versatile, It’s All You’ll Look For When You Cook
A staple in the kitchen! Drop it into curries, milk, and on top of salads. See below for how it’s used to take your smoothie up a notch.
And if you’ve got turmeric powder, it’s super simple to make.
Mix about ½ cup (125 ml) of high-quality turmeric powder with 1 cup (250 ml) water. Stir over low heat for about five minutes until a nice paste forms. Use some additional water to thin it if it gets too thick!
At the end, add fresh ground black pepper to the mix to help with absorption.
Made too much? Forget about it! Turmeric paste freezes beautifully, so you can pull out a bit whenever you need it.
A Smoother Smoothie
This is an easy one. Dollop about one teaspoon (5 ml) of fresh turmeric paste into your favorite smoothie and blend it up. It balances really well with a tropical fruit smoothie, like mango and pineapple.
If it were up to us, this is what they’d serve on a beach in Mexico.
Topical Uses For Turmeric That Are No-Frills And All-Natural
We’ve covered a lot of ground about how turmeric helps you from the inside out, so let’s wrap up with some fantastic news about how it can also treat your skin issues!
After all, your skin is an organ, too. And it’s just as open to wounds, infections, inflammation and disease. Try a few of these do-it-yourself remedies for glowing skin.
Did Someone Say, “Face Mask?”
Don’t pay for expensive face masks to exfoliate and nourish your skin. Treat your eczema and acne scars while rejuvenating your look with this simple face mask recipe.
Simply mix equal parts honey, milk, and turmeric paste. (See our recipe for turmeric paste above.) Add a squeeze of lime juice.
Now spread it across your clean face, taking care to work it into any wrinkles and hard-to-reach spots. Let it sit for a half-hour until hard, then remove, wash and dry your face. Lock in the benefits with a quick application of your favorite moisturizer.
Don’t Suffer In Pain
To use as an ointment on skin inflammation, mix a little turmeric powder with coconut oil and leave on the affected area for 20 minutes. Thoroughly wash and dry the area afterward.
9 Out of 10 Dentists Don’t Know This Simple Trick
Is your mouth in pain? Are you puzzled by gum disease even though you stay on top of regular brushing and flossing?
It might be that those commercial toothpastes just aren’t doing the trick.
Fight inflammation in the mouth with a turmeric toothpaste!
All you have to do is:
- Add 1 teaspoon (5 ml) turmeric to 2 teaspoons (10 ml) coconut oil.
- For extra flavor, add a dash of spearmint oil.
- Brush like you’d normally brush with toothpaste, and rinse.
Are You Ready to Change Your Life With Turmeric?
Go out there and take full advantage of the anti-inflammatory properties of turmeric! Beef up your immune system with the antioxidants and antimicrobial properties of curcumin. And now you know exactly how to do it with our treasured recipes and formulas!
Want to learn more about the benefits of turmeric? Check them out here! [insert link to turmeric benefits article]
