A 2017 study at the Department of Nutrition in Central Michigan University, USA, reported positive effects of curcumin on conditions including high cholesterol, diabetes and dry cough. There have been a number of studies on the effects of curcumin on the human body.
A 2019 multinational study published in the Frontiers of Microbiology journal reported positive effects of curcumin on viral pneumonia. Viral pneumonia is currently widespread as a complication of coronavirus.
Golden honey milk is an old Ayurvedic recipe to relieve dry cough.
What Is Curcumin?
Curcumin is the bioactive ingredient in a common spice known as turmeric.
Turmeric is a spice that is a familiar part of Indian cuisine. In other languages, turmeric is known as haldi (Urdu/Hindi), curcum (Arabic), haluda (Bengali) and kunyit (Malay).
Turmeric is a flowering plant native to India and southeast Asia. It is a member of the ginger family and its roots look similar to ginger. Every year these roots are harvested, dried then ground to produce a bright orange powder sold around the world.
Why Is Curcumin Special?
There are a number of studies reporting on the anti-inflammatory, antibacterial and anti-viral properties of curcumin.
This is perhaps why turmeric has been used in herbal medicines in India, China and the Pacific islands for thousands of years.
What Are The Properties Of Curcumin?
There have been a number of studies on the effects of curcumin on the human body.
A 2017 study at the Department of Nutrition in Central Michigan University, USA, reported extensively on some of these effects.
The authors of this study reported positive effects of curcumin on conditions including high cholesterol, diabetes and dry cough.
Another study published in the Frontiers of Microbiology journal in 2019 brought together six researchers from universities in Germany, Brazil and Indonesia. Interestingly, this study reported positive effects of curcumin on viral pneumonia. Viral pneumonia is currently widespread as a complication of coronavirus.
While this study did not conclude that curcumin is a cure for viral pneumonia, they recommended that further research is required to study these effects of curcumin.
There is no known cure for coronavirus. Anyone suggesting otherwise is misleading people. However, herbal remedies have been reported as effective on some of the symptoms of coronavirus.
How Is Curcumin Absorbed By The Body?
Turmeric is fat-soluble so it is best absorbed by the body when it is taken with a fatty substance such as oil or milk.
The Michigan University study mentioned above also found that adding black pepper to turmeric increased the absorption or curcumin into the body by up to 2000%.
A glass of golden honey milk an hour before bedtime every night is one of the most effective ways to introduce turmeric into your diet.
The antibacterial properties of the honey combined with the anti-inflammatory properties of turmeric make a powerful drink to help your soothe the air passages that cause dry cough.
What Is Golden Honey Milk?
Golden honey milk is a drink made out of turmeric, honey, milk and pepper.
You need:
1 mug organic milk
1 teaspoon raw organic active honey
1 teaspoon organic turmeric powder
A pinch of black pepper
1. Warm the milk until it is about 40C (lukewarm). 50 seconds in a microwave is usually enough.
2. Add the honey and mix until it dissolves into the milk. If the milk is too hot you will destroy the living nutrients in the raw honey. Never microwave honey.
3. Add the turmeric and mix until dissolved into the milk.
4. Add a pinch of black pepper.
Drink with a straw.
Turmeric is also used as a colour dye due to its bright orange colour. It stains teeth so it is advisable to drink golden milk from a straw to avoid staining your teeth yellow.
Where Can I Buy Organic Turmeric Powder?
It is important that the turmeric you use is certified organic. This ensures that it is has a high purity of curcumin. The turmeric sold in supermarkets and grocery stores is often not organic so it has a lower percentage of curcumin.
Organic turmeric powder is widely available on the internet. As long as you buy from a reputable company you should be OK. If you want a second opinion on whether the organic turmeric powder you have found is organic or not, feel free to WhatsApp us on 07534488614.
What Is The Best Honey To Use With Turmeric Golden Honey Milk?
Any honey that is raw (unpasteurised) and certified organic should be sufficient. However, for maximum benefits, always use raw organic active honey. You can find out what is active honey on our blog post: What Is Active Honey?
Local honey produced in the UK is raw but it is not organic.
At the Latin Honey Shop, all our honeys are raw (unpasteurised) and certified organic by the UK Organic Food Federation GB-ORG-04.
To find out the difference between raw and organic honey, read our blog post What Is The Difference Between Raw Honey And Organic Honey?
We sell two raw organic active honeys: the 20+ Active Raw Organic Coffee Bean Honey From Mexico and the 10+ Active Raw Organic Orange Blossom Honey From Mexico.
References:
1. Hewlings, Susan J, and Douglas S Kalman. Curcumin: A Review of Its' Effects on Human Health. Foods (Basel, Switzerland) vol. 6,10 92. 22 Oct. 2017, doi:10.3390/foods6100092
2. Praditya D, Kirchhoff L, Brüning J, Rachmawati H, Steinmann J, Steinmann E. Anti-infective Properties of the Golden Spice Curcumin. Front Microbiol. 2019;10:912. Published 2019 May 3. doi:10.3389/fmicb.2019.00912