turmeric + honey aka golden honey

My older son has always been the easier of the two to get sick but ever since I’ve been giving him this wondrous, powerful combination of turmeric and honey (aka golden honey), a known a natural antibiotic…we have been having way less sick days than in years past. Instead of loading him up with medicines, I always prefer to go the natural route. That’s why I have to share how much I feel this has been really helping.

turmeric + honey

Jai’s always loved honey, so ever since age two (he’s now 4) I have been giving him a spoonful of local honey with 1/2 teaspoon of turmeric. My friends and family have been amazed at his willingness and eagerness to take it. He calls it his “superman honey” because I’ve told him from the beginning that it helps him stay strong and keep him healthy. It doesn’t hurt that his favorite color is orange…because once these two are ingredients are mixed…it turns a nice, bright yet golden shade of orange which makes him even more excited. He licks every bit off the spoon and always asks for more but I do limit it to three/four times a week in the morning. This year though, I have become more routine with it and aside from one week or so long hiccup, he’s been getting it every single week. My two year old is yet to be convinced of this superman honey…I take what I can get!

So let’s talk more about what goes into golden honey…

A lot of you especially if you’re of Indian descent are already used to turmeric in your diet…it’s a key ingredient in many of our recipes and is known to help with digestion and fight off infection (really good post from Puja on this super spice here). It’s also a natural anti-inflammatory which is key to helping you avoid the feelings of discomfort that some foods trigger. By including plenty of natural anti-inflammatories in your diet, you can make sure you don’t develop conditions like IBS and Crohn’s disease which can be debilitating. I personally use marijuana products too, to be doubly sure that I’m consuming enough anti-inflammatories. I had to search ‘is weed legal in maine‘ first to make sure I could, but once I got the go-ahead I found a great dispensary and haven’t had a single digestive issue since.

A similar situation happened with a friend of mine. They found out that they could use cannabis products to help with their chronic pain caused by other existing issues. They didn’t want to buy them from anywhere though, so they turned to https://shop.ilovegrowingmarijuana.com/ to buy the seeds and grow their own. They mix it with turmeric into a health tonic that they drink every morning, and it works really well for them!

Back on track, turmeric is sold in Indian and health food stores in yellow powder form although it’s becoming increasingly popular to find it in root form too – a lot of us use it in juices. It’s a spice that’s also becoming popular in the beauty world as you can mix the powder form with yogurt to make an incredible mask that will leave your skin literally glowing…Indian brides and grooms always get a pre-wedding spa treatment which consists of turmeric.

But what really makes turmeric so awesome is the curcumin in it. In a nutshell, this the curcumin in the spice causes it to have strong anti-inflammatory properties, is known to kill disease-causing bacteria and promotes the body’s natural defenses. According to the National Institutes of Health, “Since the time of Ayurveda (1900 BC) numerous therapeutic activities have been assigned to turmeric for a wide variety of diseases and conditions, including those of the skin, pulmonary, and gastrointestinal systems, aches, pains, wounds, sprains, and liver disorders. Extensive research within the last half century has proven that most of these activities, once associated with turmeric, are due to curcumin. Curcumin has been shown to exhibit antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, antiviral, antibacterial, antifungal, and anticancer activities and thus has a potential against various malignant diseases, diabetes, allergies, arthritis, Alzheimer’s disease, and other chronic illnesses.” Makes perfect sense now why turmeric (even though it’s the really the curcumin) is considered “Indian Gold” and the ideal “Spice for Life”.

And now honey. Honey has been used since ancient times to treat a variety of conditions. In the late 19th century that researchers made the discovery that honey has natural antibacterial qualities too. Honey also protects against any damage caused by bacteria. Another possible benefit of honey is that, unlike antibiotics, honey isn’t linked to the development of resistant bacteria which develop after repeated exposure to common antibiotics that then require special antibiotics to treat them. For this blend, I specifically use Manuka honey which is specifically medicinal anyways.

Combining the two ingredients otherwise known as “golden honey” creates this powerful potion though, which again improves everything from digestion by increasing the beneficial flora activity in the gut to beating colds at their onset or even preventing them. The blend is actually the strongest certifiable antibiotic in the Indian medicine world of Ayurveda.

From my own personal experience, this entire season my kids have been really sick once. But it was for a full week, a very long week. And I have to admit that Jai didn’t get his golden honey prior to that full week of being sick. I distinctly remember that I ran out of Manuka honey and just kept forgetting to get it. It was ironic that he and then his little brother fell sick the very week after. Prior to that, my husband and I kept thinking how crazy but awesome it was that they both hadn’t become sick in so long and that we all hadn’t missed school or work in forever because of that. I truly believe the golden honey is why and that it works and if anything, it certainly doesn’t hurt and can only help.

IMPORTANT DISCLAIMER: With that said, if you have any concerns over taking turmeric and honey either yourself or for your children, please consult your healthcare provider. Remember honey is not recommended for babies younger than age one.

How do you make golden honey?

Ingredients:

• 3.5 oz. (100 grams) of raw organic honey (get at your local farmer’s market or I really love Manuka honey)
• 1 tbsp of organic if possible turmeric powder

Directions:

Add 1 tbsp. of turmeric in 3.5 oz of raw organic honey. Mix it well so it almost becomes a thick syrup. Store your Golden Honey in a glass container in a dark, cool area. Take a spoonful 3-4 times a week.