How Does This Ayurvedic Food Improve Wellness?

CLINICAL AYURVEDIC REVIEW

Turmeric invigorates and moves the blood. Its strong nature reduces and treats weakness. It stimulates blood formation. Its yellow color suggests use as a liver herb. A small dose cleans the liver and blood due to bitter taste. Turmeric is used in all blood and blood plasma related disorders, especially those due to Pitta and Kapha. Its heat alleviates Vata and Kapha. A large dose aggravates Pitta.

Yogis use turmeric to help stretch ligaments and repair injury. Liver heat is connected to laxity of the tendons and ligaments.

Spring Cleansing

Turmeric improves circulation and thins the blood, giving the blood subtle quality to enter and clean the lymphatic system as well as all vessels and tissues. Its ability to move the blood dries dampness and increases heat. Turmeric's ability to support the liver while cleansing the lymphatic system makes it an ideal herb for spring cleansing (along with beets and dandelions). Turmeric's blood moving, and clearing properties are also beneficial for use in arthritis.

Liver, the Blood and Gynecology

Turmeric stimulates the liver (ranjaka Pitta) and bile flow, dissolving and preventing gallstones. It is a blood purifier specifically used to promote beautiful skin and eliminate systemic toxemia, eczema, urticaria, psoriasis, and acne. It helps with itching and skin problems due to cold, dry or stagnant qualities of other doshas (sheetaPitta). Turmeric is often mixed with other bitter herbs to enhance its anti-inflammatory and liver clearing effects. It nourishes the heart and reduces cholesterol. Its anti-platelet activity prevents coagulation and reduces Kapha in blood. Its antiseptic activity is useful for infections, fevers, and sore throats.

Turmeric destroys all Kapha accumulations in lower abdomen including endometriosis, amenorrhea, leucorrhea, fibroids, cancer and cysts from cold congestion. It promotes the flow of the menses and purifies breast milk. It specifically clears menstrual pain caused by arachidonic acid.

Digestion

Turmeric improves digestive strength by increasing blood flow. It is an antiseptic that promotes "sweet intestines", or intestines free of bacteria and ama. Its haemostatic and anti-inflammatory qualities treat stomach ulcers and colitis. Turmeric improves rasa agni, or the "body's raw power to nourish plasma and the blood". It clears ama, Kapha, and fat in diabetes. Its blood moving qualities are useful in Alzheimer's.

Inflammation & Joints

Turmeric is an anti-inflammatory with subtle quality to enter the joint space, reducing arthritis and inflammation, alleviating pain, and strengthening joints and tendons. It treats gout, rheumatoid arthritis, osteoarthritis. Its anti-inflammatory activities are also useful in asthma, broken bones, and wounds. By its heating and blood moving qualities, turmeric reduces pain topically in bruises and sprains however it stains everything it touches.

Other

Those with cough and respiratory problems can drink turmeric milk (see Gold Milk). Turmeric smoke cures hiccups and lowers respiration. It is an anti-venom for King Cobra snake bites. The fresh root is used as a suppository in the rectum to cleanse and open the root chakra. Turmeric burns ama, reducing its diuretic effect. Contraindications include pregnancy, with other anti-coagulants, antiplatelets and (COX) inhibitors. Be careful when gallstones present. Caution in high Pitta/Vata.

Turmeric in Chinese Medicine

Turmeric, called Jiang Huang in Chinese medicine, addresses the spleen, stomach and liver meridians. It invigorates the blood, promotes movement of blood, unblocks the menses, chest and abdominal pain, alleviates amenorrhea and dysmenorrhea with cold deficiency, and swelling pain or pain due to obstruction. It expels wind.

About Turmeric

Turmeric is a warm, yellow, earthy, slightly bitter spice used in ritual, medicine, and cooking. Turmeric paste is applied to bride and groom before marriage in some places of India, Bangladesh, and Pakistan. Although a deep yellow color, turmeric makes a poor fabric dye because it quickly fades when exposed to light. Turmeric can be used as an indicator of acidic or basic properties of a substance.

Buying & Preparation

Turmeric is a rhizome in the ginger family and looks like a small, orange yellow ginger root. Its leaves smell like ginger. It favors warm and humid climate. Turmeric is usually sold as a dried powder but sometimes the fresh root is also available. To make the powder, the rhizome is boiled for several hours then dried in hot ovens and ground.

Cooking Turmeric

Turmeric is used extensively in South Asian and Middle Eastern cooking mainly for its medicinal value and to impart a rich, yellow color. While some practitioners recommend frying turmeric briefly in ghee, I sprinkle the turmeric on the food after cooking for maximum medicinal value. Turmeric milk is one popular preparation. Fresh turmeric can be made into turmeric pickle. The leaves of turmeric are used in Maharashtran Indian cooking. Turmeric is popular as a tea in Japan. It is often used as a replacement for saffron which is more expensive. Turmeric gives the yellow color to mustard and is used in dessert and broths commercial to impart a rich, custard look. For daily use, sprinkle 1/2 tsp per serving into food or warm water 2x daily. Results and dosage may vary by individual.Browse Recipes