How to use turmeric and take full advantage of its properties
Always known by the name of Indian saffron, turmeric is a yellow / orange spice
with strong anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, pain-relieving and healing properties. It can be used in a thousand recipes to give an extra touch of color and taste to your dishes, but not only: turmeric is also suitable for creating homemade cosmetics and masks.
Let's see how to use turmeric in this video with a "recipe idea!"
Properties of turmeric
As mentioned before, turmeric is a spice rich in beneficial properties. To give an example, the consumption of turmeric improves the functioning of the stomach and intestines and, moreover, it helps fight cholesterol, facilitating the elimination of excess fats. Here is a list of the main properties:
- Anti-inflammatory properties
- Antioxidant properties
- Choleretic properties
- Antitumor properties
- Healing properties
- Digestive properties
- Antidepressant properties
- Antibacterial properties
- Pain relieving properties
- Detoxifying properties
See also
All the benefits of turmeric
Turmeric in recent years is at the center of targeted studies in Western medicine, which has recognized an "infinity of benefits, especially as regards the health of those who consume it. What are they?
- It prevents and reduces inflammation
- Relieves joint pain
- Beneficial for the brain and nervous system
- It is a natural pain reliever
- Protects the liver
- Helps digestion
- Limits the action of free radicals
- Strengthens the immune system
- It prevents type 2 diabetes
- Helps the body detoxify
- Prevents bacterial infections
- Promotes wound healing
- Contributes to the effectiveness of antidepressant drugs
- Increase your memory
- Boosts the brain's self-healing capacity
- Helps prevent and fight cancer
What happens to the body when we take turmeric?
- Contrasts inflammations
Turmeric fights inflammations that can be present in different areas of the body. It is widely used to treat arthritis, also because in addition to relieving it, it is also able to soothe pain.
- Help the liver
Curcumin, which is the active ingredient of turmeric, is able to give a great help to the liver in carrying out its functions.
- Promotes digestion
It supports the stomach and intestines during the complex digestion process.
- Acts as an antioxidant
It counteracts the action of free radicals and therefore slows down cellular aging.
- It prevents diseases
It prevents type 2 diabetes and strengthens the entire immune system.
- Works for the nervous system
Just 1 gram of turmeric per day would be able to increase memory, and this spice improves the brain's ability to heal itself after serious damage such as those caused by a stroke. Also, it acts as an antidepressant.
- It possesses anticancer properties
Curcumin is able to block the action of an enzyme believed to be responsible for the development of tumors in the head, neck and oral cavity; in addition, the effectiveness of chemotherapy in the treatment of some types of tumors increases.
How to take turmeric: doses and supplements
The recommended dose of turmeric to take every day ranges from 3 to 5 grams, so about a tablespoon or so if consumed in powder. However, studies have underlined that the problem with this spice is above all the difficulty for our body to be able to absorb it and therefore use it at its best. To remedy this, just add a little black pepper or olive oil to help maximize the benefits.
If we want to use turmeric for curative purposes, the recommended doses are not enough and after asking the advice of a doctor, we can decide to take supplements with a quantity of active ingredient much higher than the spice alone.
However, keep in mind that using turmeric daily in cooking remains a great way to help our body keep fit.
How to use turmeric in cooking
The best use that can be made of turmeric is raw, ie insert it in the dish only at the end of cooking, thus avoiding the dispersion of some of its nutritional principles. Furthermore, to assimilate it better and complete the recipe, it is excellent to combine it a little. pepper or olive oil.
What must be avoided is to take excessive doses (which can be counterproductive) and above all not to ingest turmeric in case of gallstones.
Together with ginger, chilli and cinnamon, turmeric is a real health spice. In addition to all the benefits that we have listed so far, with its delicate flavor, turmeric manages very well to blend into any sweet or savory dish. Let's see some examples:
- Prepare the golden milk
- Add turmeric to the soup
- Season the risotto with the turmeric
- Prepare turmeric tea
- Prepare golden honey for coughs and colds
- Enrich the stuffed vegetables
- Drizzle with turmeric oil
- Add turmeric to smoothies
- Prepare a turmeric decoction
- Add turmeric to juices and extracts
- Season the pasta with the turmeric
- Add the turmeric to the custard
- Use turmeric in the dough of sweet and savory cakes
- Prepare the turmeric bread
- Season the tofu and seitan with the turmeric
- Add turmeric to sauces and dips
- Cooking with fresh turmeric
Easy recipes with turmeric
1. Turmeric flavored oil
Ingrediants
- 500 ml of extra virgin olive oil
- 3 tablespoons of turmeric powder
Preparation
Pour the oil and turmeric into a glass jar with an airtight lid, then mix well. Close the jar and let the mixture rest for a week: you will need to shake it once a day.
After this time, pour the oil into a bottle avoiding the turmeric deposited on the bottom.
Your oil is ready to be used in any dish. What are its benefits?
It is an antioxidant, detoxifies the liver and intestines, has a pain-relieving and anti-inflammatory effect, prevents diseases, protects against certain types of tumors, counteracts cholesterol and constipation.
2. Turmeric ice cream
Ingrediants
300 ml of cream
100 g of sugar
150 ml of milk
4 yolks
Preparation
Melt the milk with the sugar in a saucepan, then remove from the heat and add the egg yolks one at a time. Put the saucepan back on the stove and stir until the cream becomes firm. Pour the cream into a bowl, cover it with plastic wrap and let it cool. Add the cream, mix well and place in the freezer for at least 6 hours before consuming.
3. Banana and turmeric smoothie
Ingrediants
1 banana
250 ml of milk
1 tablespoon of chopped almonds
1 teaspoon of turmeric.
Preparation
Blend all the ingredients together, place in the refrigerator for half an hour and serve in a glass with the chopped almonds. In this recipe there is no need to cook the ingredients.
4. Pasta with zucchini and turmeric
Ingrediants
2 courgettes
half onion
2 teaspoons of turmeric
half a glass of water
350g pasta
2 mozzarella
butter
Preparation
Stew 2 courgettes cut into thin slices with half a chopped onion and 2 tablespoons of butter. To facilitate cooking, add half a glass of water in which you have dissolved 2 teaspoons of turmeric. Salt and cook for 10 minutes. Pour 350 g of pasta in plenty of boiling salted water, drain, and season with spiced vegetables. cheeses add 2 minced mozzarella to the still hot pasta to obtain a plate of pasta with stringy cheese.
Turmeric as a natural remedy
In addition to being a spice in cooking, turmeric is used to prepare numerous natural remedies to be ingested or applied to the skin. Let's see which are the most famous ones.
By mixing turmeric with coconut oil, you will get a mask that can be applied immediately on the face to eliminate acne and pimples. Or a mix of turmeric and honey will be effective against cuts and small wounds.
Even on the hair, turmeric lends itself very well to prepare compresses capable of making the hair stronger and softer; in addition, turmeric on the hair acts as an anti-dandruff treatment and can help lighten light reflections.
At home you can also prepare an "excellent turmeric herbal tea, to drink hot in winter or cold in summer for a true concentrate of well-being.
To act on joint pain or skin inflammation, you can grate fresh turmeric root and create a decoction that will help you solve the ailments.
Golden milk and golden honey are two very famous recipes for making with turmeric and take their name from the fact that once the turmeric powder is combined, the two dishes take on a golden color. They are a real cure-all for all flu states and to calm coughs.
A mix of turmeric and garlic, while it may seem unpleasant at first glance, can be very effective in fighting arthritis. Make a pack and let it work.
In the evening after work, prepare a hot bath with turmeric salts that you can create at home by mixing coarse salt, turmeric powder and orange zest. You will have an aromatic and purifying effect never seen before.
Finally, you can try your hand at creating homemade candies based on turmeric, ginger and lemon: a super effective remedy for a sore throat.
How to store turmeric?
As a general rule that applies to all spices, turmeric is also better to choose organic. Fresh turmeric root should be stored in the refrigerator, where it will keep for quite some time. If you wish, you can dry it and then grind it into powder with a simple food processor.
If you prefer turmeric powder, always choose canned instead of clear jars and keep it in a cool, dry and dark place.
Contraindications on the use of turmeric
Turmeric is a spice that also has contraindications that should not be underestimated.
Its consumption should be avoided if you suffer from:
- Gallbladder stones
- Gallstones
- Problems with the biliary tract
- Obstruction of the biliary tract
- Gallbladder problems
- Blood clotting problems
In general, the beneficial effects of turmeric are certainly greater than the contraindications, but in the presence of particular pathologies, consult your doctor before starting to take it regularly.
