Turmeric tea is one of the healthiest drinks that you can have. Turmeric plant (Curcuma longa) in the ginger family is native to Southeast Asia. It is also grown commercially in that region, primarily in India.
Indians use it as a medicinal plant and it has been in use in that region for thousands of years.
Interestingly, turmeric is becoming more popular in Nigeria because of its many health benefits.
Truly, you sometimes use it without knowing. Yes! It is the ingredient that gives the curry powder you add to your stew its colour.
Its rhizome (underground stem) is an amazing ingredient in culinary spice and traditional medicine.
Most importantly, underground stem is the most used part of the plant.
It is what you will use for turmeric tea when you decide to try it out. We recommend that you use the powder for your tea. We also shared this recipe at the end of this article.
In Nigeria, Hausa people are more familiar with this plant. They are the major sellers in small markets.
Before we list the health benefits of this great herb, researchers recommend that you should take it with black pepper to increase effect. This is explained later in this article.
Here are the health benefits of turmeric tea, as indicated in different studies.
1. Rich In Antioxidants
Turmeric tea is rich in antioxidants that are beneficial to your health.
We know that, everyday, we are exposed to different toxins.
They come in from the food we eat which are grown with fertilisers and pesticides. Some also come from animal proteins gotten from livestock fed with antibiotics.
The air we breathe is highly populated. Exposure to toxins on a daily basis is something we may not be able to run away from.
As a result, we need foods that are high in antioxidants to help nullify the adverse effects of these toxins or antibodies.
A study says turmeric contains antioxidants (curcuminoids) that combat the effect of these toxins (1).
Turmeric tea comes with curcuminoids, antioxidants that work like vitamin E and also help in breaking down antibodies.
Once you take turmeric tea, it can scavenge different forms of free radicals, such as reactive oxygen and nitrogen species that could affect your health.
Basically, turmeric helps improve systemic markers of oxidative stress.
2. Anti-Inflammatory
Sadly, once there is a build-up of toxins in your system, health issues will begin to arise. It is like having so much waste in your home without disposing them. Different organisms and bacteria will come from it.
What helps dispose these toxins and their troubles are antioxidants and turmeric has these effective antioxidants.
Indeed, oxidative stress has a hand in many chronic diseases, and its pathological processes are closely related to those of inflammation, in that one can be easily induced by another (2).
What this study is saying is that toxins that come into your body could trigger inflamations in your system that leads to chronic diseases.
In fact, it is known that inflammatory cells liberate a number of reactive species at the site of inflammation leading to oxidative stress.
This demonstrates the relationship between oxidative stress and inflammation.
According to the study, inflammation has been identified in the development of many chronic diseases and conditions.
Some of the diseases inflammation could cause are Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s disease, multiple sclerosis, epilepsy, cerebral injury, cardiovascular (heart) disease and metabolic syndrome.
Others are cancer, allergy, asthma, bronchitis, colitis, arthritis, renal ischemia, psoriasis, diabetes, obesity, depression, fatigue, and acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS).
3. Arthritis
Also, people with arthritis can add turmeric to their diet and get results.
Basically, osteoarthritis (OA) can develop as a result of inflammation. This is evident in both chronic and acute states.
Arthritis is a chronic joint condition that affects over 250 million people worldwide. Sadly, arthritis could lead to impairment of activities of daily living and also decrease quality of life.
People Also Read: Typhoid Fever And Oral Sex: How True?
Several studies have shown the anti-arthritic effects of curcumin in humans with OA and rheumatoid arthritis (3)(4).
It is highly beneficial to add turmeric to your diet if you have arthritis.
Also, you can tell someone who has this condition to add this medicinal herb to his or her diet.
4. Lowers Blood Pressure
High blood pressure is one of the chronic diseases that are can manifest as a result of inflammation.
Unfortunately, it is increasingly becoming more common to find people who have this condition.
People that are less than 40 years even come down with this condition.
Study says turmeric can help lower inflammation that could trigger this condition.
Interestingly, curcuminoid polyphenols in turmeric can improve insulin sensitivity, suppressing adipogenesis, and reducing elevated blood pressure, inflammation, and oxidative stress (5).
5. Lowers Cholesterol Level
High level of bad cholesterol in the blood is one of the causes of heart issues.
However, turmeric tea can help lower the bad cholesterol while also improving the good cholesterol (6).
6. Prevents Cancers
Again, a study reports that inflammation can become chronic if the cause of the inflammation persists or certain control mechanisms in charge of shutting down the process fail.
See Also: Celery: Why Ulcer Healing Is In This Plant
When these inflammatory responses become chronic, cell mutation and proliferation can result, often creating an environment that is conducive to the development of cancer (7)
Because turmeric has the antioxidants that fight inflammation and oxidative stress, it prevents cancers.
7. Treatment For Ulcer
Also, another health condition that inflammation causes is ulcer.
Turmeric tea is rich in antioxidants that have anti-inflammatory effects.
As a result, it serves as a treatment for ulcer.
A study says curcumin prevents gastrointestinal-induced ulcer and can be recommended as a novel drug for ulcer treatment (8).
For ulcer, we recommend that you add a teaspoon of turmeric powder to 1/4 cup of liquid milk and drink first thing in the morning and at night.
8. Boosts Your Immune System
According to a 2007 study, the antiinflammatory effects of curcumin, makes it potent as an immune booster (10).
Another study also supports this claims that turmeric can boost immune system (11).
9. Lowers Blood Sugar
According to a study, curcumin in turmeric could favorably affect most of the leading aspects of diabetes, including insulin resistance, hyperglycemia, hyperlipidemia, and islet apoptosis and necrosis.
It also highlights that curcumin could prevent the deleterious complications of diabetes (12).
Dosage And Any Side Effect?
Some of the issues that people often raise about herbs are those of dosage and side effects.
Fortunately, a study says curcumin has a long established safety record.
According to JECFA (The Joint United Nations and World Health Organization Expert Committee on Food Additives) and EFSA (European Food Safety Authority) the Allowable Daily Intake (ADI) value of curcumin is 0–3 mg/kg body weight.
However, a study highlights some negative side effects.
“Seven subjects receiving 500–12,000 mg in a dose response study and followed for 72 h experienced diarrhea, headache, rash, and yellow stool.
“In another study, some subjects receiving 0.45 to 3.6 g/day curcumin for one to four months reported nausea and diarrhea and an increase in serum alkaline phosphatase and lactate dehydrogenase contents (12).
How To Make Turmeric Tea
- Add 3 to 4 cups of water in a kettle
- Take 2 teaspoons of turmeric powder and stir
- Allow to simmer for about 5 to 10 minutes
- Strain the tea into a jug and then
- Add honey.
- You can squeeze some lemon or orange juice into it or add black pepper. You can also add milk to taste.
About ingesting cucumin and getting the entire nutrient, study says ingesting curcumin by itself does not lead to the associated health benefits due to its poor bioavailability.
It has poor absorption, rapid metabolism, and rapid elimination.
However, several components can increase bioavailability.
That is where black pepper which has piperine as a major active component comes in.
When combined in a complex with curcumin, it increases bioavailability by 2000% (13).
If you find this article helpful, kindly share with your friends and loved ones. This will help them know the health benefits of turmeric.