So for as long as I can remember, this orange and yellow root has been taken out of my family’s refrigerator for so many reasons. The time that I landed on my ankle sideways from practicing gymnastics when I was younger, the time my brother fell off his bike when he got off training wheels, the countless times growing up that New York winters brought on sniffles and more.
What is turmeric?
It’s a perennial herb that grows wild in the forests of Southeast Asia. It is one of the key ingredients for many Indian, Persian, Thai and Indonesian dishes. According to Ayurveda, ancient Indian medicine, it has been used for over 2,500 years in it’s value of medicinal healing, a lot of which has been researched in studies today. Here is a recent and awesome article on turmeric that was in Huffington Post.
What does it do?
This Ayurvedic treasure has anti-inflammatory, anti-fungal and anti-septic properties, as well as being a diuretic, a laxative and an expectorant herb. Turmeric is a good source of Vitamin C and Potassium. It also contains a compound called Curcumin which has anti-bacterial properties. In clinical studies, like Dr. Weil’s findings in the article above, turmeric has established itself as being preventive to cancer and diabetes.
The Remedies:
Here are remedies that have been passed down from my grandmother when my grandparents moved from India and into our home when I was younger. She still uses them, still leads an ayurvedic lifestyle and is completely healthy and in her eighties. While these remedies worked great for me and my family, if there’s anything you are unsure of, please seek medical care/contact your doctor ASAP!
Inflammation of the joint/joint pain:
Whenever we sprained our skinny ankles growing up, my mom would make a paste of turmeric powder and water, (about a 3:2 ratio of powder to liquid), slightly warm it on the stove until it became a paste, add some sea salt to it and then spread the paste on our ankle or whatever joint we had injured and then wrapped an elastic ace bandage
around our foot.
acne cure:
As a teenager, while I was lucky not to have bad hormonal acne, I do remember it was the worst to get a random pimple in the middle of your face, especially when you had a Sweet 16 to go to and your high school crush was going to be there 😉
Here’s an amazing all natural face mask you can help your teens beat that acne with, or even use on yourself as a facial for smooth and glowing skin. My husband and I decided to do a traditional Hindu wedding for our wedding ceremony, and one of the special rituals prior to the wedding is called a Pithi. It’s where all your family, including your cousins and aunts and uncles, wish you happy, loving and positive thoughts and rub this turmeric concotion on your face so you glow as a bride. I will say, as messy, (and fun), as it was, my skin felt pretty awesome after:) My sister studied cosmetology and uses this on her clients, as well.
To make:
Take 1-2 tbsp. of chickpea flour, a few pinches of turmeric powder, some milk to add in while making a paste and finally a drop of organic rose water
and mix it all in a shallow bowl. Steam your face so your pores are open and then apply the mask, especially to trouble areas. Let it dry for about 15-20 minutes and then wash it gently with warm water.
Another option for blackheads or single pimples, is to mix a pinch of turmeric powder and coconut oil and apply that directly to the lesions. Soooo much better for your skin than all the chemicals in so many of the zit medication ointments out there!
cold remedy:
The minute we would start sniffling, especially after our snowball fights in the the winter, my grandmother would rush to give us this before we went to bed. She would mix a teaspoon of turmeric powder, some black pepper and small chunk of jaggery to a glass of warm milk. As an adult, I don’t drink cow’s milk, (I drink almond instead, which doesn’t taste good warmed up), so instead she told me to do this: 1 tsp. of turmeric powder, a pinch of ajowan seeds
and some local honey to boiling water as a tea. Also, whenever we had a cough with our colds, she would add ghee-clarified butter
to the mixture. We did it nightly until we felt better, usually a few nights. This worked wonders!
cuts/wounds/scrapes:
Taking a little turmeric powder and lime juice is a great way to help heal a wound under a band-aid! Be sure the area is cleaned and my dad would add a little kiss on our head and to the “boo-boo” after putting this on; love helps healing too 😉
Along with all these remedies, turmeric is a great addition to food, helping with digestion, some say even helping with memory and for the preventive properties described above. My husband and I sometimes add turmeric root itself to our vegetable juices to reep it’s benefits. Also, stay tuned here for some great recipes in the future that include this wonderful ingredient 🙂
Have any turmeric home remedies to share? Comment below!
-Puja
Nice article ladies! Thought I’d share the life saving benefits of tumeric that many do not know of. Obviously, turmeric has its healing properties, however, many people do not know the benefits it delivers. It can slow the growth of tumors related to the esophagus, mouth, intestines, stomach, breast, and skin. Heres an article from American Cancer Society: http://www.cancer.org/Treatment/TreatmentsandSideEffects/ComplementaryandAlternativeMedicine/HerbsVitaminsandMinerals/turmeric.
Enjoy!
Thanks for sharing this here Vimal! Yes turmeric is truly amazing 🙂
My nephew Veer (5 years old) loves drinking cold milk with turmeric mixed in before bed… Not only because the yellow color, but he actually likes the taste! Way better than all those sugary chocolate or strawberry mixers, and turmeric is known to relax and calm, so perfect to get a better nights sleep! 🙂
That’s so awesome Preya and such a great idea!
[…] are obsessed with turmeric, (in a good way…here’s our post of ALL turmeric uses). Local organic honey, turmeric, […]
[…] Pimples or face irritations? No problem. Just mix a pinch of turmeric powder and coconut oil and apply it directly to the lesions. So much better for your skin than all the chemicals in so many of the acne ointments out there. (Check out some more of our turmeric remedies here.) […]
Hi great information, have you tried Turmeric tea, it relaxes my body, helps the pain
Yes turmeric tea is great!
[…] own parents when they moved thousands of miles from their parents and motherland to carry on the turmeric infused love. There are still days I call my grandmother (who lives with my parents) and ask her […]
[…] it is a form of butter that is an integral part of traditional Indian cuisine and in Ayurveda. It is clarified butter, which means that the water and milk solids, (which is mostly protein), […]
[…] How many of you are tired of trying to use layers of makeup to get cover up those under eye dark circles? There are many under eye creams that work really well but here is a simple and natural beauty tip to get rid of them and not just in a few months but in a few weeks. It’s quick, easy and made up of things you usually have in your house. If you have any questions about turmeric…check out our post on why turmeric is such an amazing treasure. […]
[…] 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. Turmeric is sold in Indian and health food stores […]
I like to have turmeric mixed with lemon and honey in warm water. Kindly tell me if there are any ill effects of this concoction. Thanks
Atulesh
That is great one just be sure not to heat the honey and just mix it in the warm water!
I must say that turmeric is the natures best gift for us. Your article is so useful I was not knowing so many things about turmeric that I have come to know here. Can you please tell me about making skin brighten how can we use turmeric? I like your article, I really found so many useful information by reading it. Thanks for sharing such a useful article.
Hey dear, wonderful post! I really feel so useful your article as I came to know all the benefits of Turmeric here. Thanks for sharing and I have bookmarked you for your future great post! Keep posting such a informative post for good health!
[…] shared these amazing turmeric home remedies from my grandmother a while back, that we all still reference, and […]