There are some home cure recipes, like grandmother`s hot lemon water, where a few simple & natural ingredients are combined to an elixir that has proven it`s magic over and over again! When it comes to natural cures, “Golden Milk,” a warming blend of spices and turmeric served with (coconut) milk, has been praised in natural medicine for it`s powerful anti-inflammatory properties! The mood & memory enhancing drink is an elixir for the golden season and upcoming brisk winter days!
“GOLDEN MILK”
It was a couple of weeks ago, when I saw a young woman in her workout clothes climbing up a shelf at a Whole Foods Market emptying an entire stock of yellow-bottled REBBL drinks! Curiously, I approached her and kindly asked her what kind of beverage she was buying, whereupon she enthusiastically explained to me the vast range of health benefits of “Golden Milk” – a word she pronounced like the name of a goddess! But more than any other trendy new drink, the turmeric latte actually has a long and rich tradition dating back thousands of years!
Within the ancient branch of medicine in India known as Ayurveda, Golden Milk is a tonic whose curative powers have been used for centuries! Milk is heated to a warm blend of spices including curcuma, cinnamon, black pepper & ginger; out of which Curcumin, the compulsory spice in North Indian kitchens and pigment responsible for the bright colour of curry, has been found to be one of the most powerful ingredients in nature!
“Golden Milk is a tonic whose curative powers have been used in Ayurveda for centuries.”
Anti-inflammatory Elixir
High in antioxidants, Curcumin exhibits powerful anti-inflammatory and immune-stimulatory properties! A study published in October 2017 in the American Journal of Psychatry has shown that Curcumin improves brain regions modulating mood & memory functions. Scientists are not certain how Curcumin exactly exerts these effects, but it may be due to it`s ability to reduce brain inflammation, which has been linked to Alzheimer’s disease, depression and many of today`s chronic diseases! The scientific findings explain why “Golden Milk” has been prescribed as a treatment for mood disorders & insomnia in the alternative medicine since ages. The stimulating properties of Curcumin are also used in weight loss to support the body`s metabolism facing obesity and stomach issues.
I know for sure that my grandmother would add this recipe to her list of elixirs.
I have been integrating the spiced milk into my daily well-being routine and will gladly pass on the praise of “Golden Milk” as enthusiastically as the young lady: An anti-inflammatory powerhouse, metabolism booster and comforting bedtime drink, I know for sure that my grandmother would add this recipe to her list of wonder elixirs!
Golden Milk Recipe
- 1/4 cup water
- 1/2 cup coconut milk + 1/2 cup water or 1 cup of any other milk of your choice
- 1 tsp. curcuma
- 1/2 tsp. ground ginger
- 1/2 tsp. cinnamon
- 1/2 tsp. cardamom
- Pinch of nutmeg
- Pinch of black pepper
- 1/2 tbsp. honey
- 1/2 tbsp. agave syrup
- Start by making a curcuma paste. Heat 1/4 cup of water and mix in the curcuma, including the rest of the spices: Cinnamon, cardamom, black pepper, nutmeg, honey and agave syrup. Stir well until the spices are well dissolved.
- Pour the spice mixture into a cup of milk of your choice and stir with a spoon. Consider that coconut milk has a higher percentage of fat, you can use some water as thinning.
- I recommend to drink the milk slightly warm for the flavours to fully develop and an extra calming effect!
FOOD FACTS: Black pepper increases the bio availability of curcumin, allowing the human body to absorb more than if it were consumed without black pepper.