Refreshing, anti inflammatory turmeric Lemonade

Turmeric is simply a miracle of Mother Nature that can help with a large number of health problems. It  is a potent antioxidant that can neutralize free radicals due to its chemical structure, and has powerful anti-inflammatory properties.That is good news. Because (low-grade / chronic) inflammation is the underlying factor in almost all chronic  health conditions – despite the many different symptoms each of us might have. Reduce inflammation and you’re well on your way to healing your body. 

Reduce inflammation and you’re well on your way to healing your body. 

What is turmeric?

Turmeric is a plant in the same botanical family as ginger. It’s native to southern Asia, but turmeric is grown in a few other warm, humid climates around the globe. Like ginger, it’s the tuberous shoots (rhizomes) of the plant that are used in foods and health supplements. The powdered turmeric you find in the spice aisle,   is made by boiling, drying and finely grinding the roots of the turmeric plant.

Spicy?

Most people think of turmeric as the “curry spice” and mistakenly think turmeric is spicy. Turmeric gives curry its signature, yellow color and distinct flavor, but it isn’t actually spicy. Turmeric is also added to mustards, pickles and relish, and it’s sometimes used as a cheap substitute for saffron.

The healing properties of turmeric

Turmeric has been used in medicines and as a culinary spice for nearly 4,000 years, dating as far back as the Vedic culture in India. Over the last 25 years, modern medicine has increasingly acknowledged the importance of turmeric as well, particularly the benefits of curcumin, a well-known and frequently studied phytonutrient in turmeric. Curcumin is the main active ingredient in turmeric that has received worldwide attention for its multiple health benefits.[1]

Curcumin has powerful anti-inflammatory effects and has very strong antioxidant properties, which can help many different health conditions, such as hypertension [2], insulin resistence [3], diabetes type 1 [4], diabetes type 2 [5], cardiovascular diseases [6,7], Alzheimer’s disease [8], poor woundhealing [9], arthritis [10], PCOS [11] and cancer. [12, 13, 14]

Turmeric for people with SCI

Curcumin is particularly helpful for people with Spinal cord injury (SCI). Spinal cord injury (SCI) is a devastating condition affecting young, healthy individuals worldwide, and healthy ageing with SCI is difficult because of all the secondary healthconditions. Existing agents have inadequate therapeutic efficacy, and some are associated with side effects. Curcumin not only appears to significantly improve neurological function [15]; it also lowers the risk for secondary complications, such as diabetes, cardiovascular disease, depression and poor wound healing.

Turmeric has traditionally also been used to support liver function [16] and digestive problems since ancient times, because it helps increase bile flow from the gallbladder into the intestines which is essential for the breakdown of dietary fats. Turmeric also enhances liver detoxification by supporting phase 2 detoxification within the liver and enhancing the production and activity of glutathione; a potent antioxidant. Curcumin promotes regeneration and supports the healing process in diseases, such as nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD). [17]

Turmeric for dogs

While many people may already be aware of how useful this essential spice is for humans, pet owners are now learning that turmeric can be a wonderful supplement for dogs. It limits your dogs chances of getting diabetes and cancer, it aids in digestion, fights ageing, promotes cardiovascular health and healthy joints and it helps extremely well with arthritis. Turmeric for dogs is a must!

Is turmeric safe for dogs?

Yes, it is perfectly safe for dogs to eat turmeric whether you mix it in their food or give it to them baked in a homemade treat. Some commercially prepared dog kibble contain turmeric too. You can also make a golden paste which can make it easier to administer the spice to your pet. Since turmeric doesn’t absorb well on its own in your dog’s body you should mix it with a healthy fat (extra virgin coconut  oil or Ghee butter). You can make a paste of the coconut oil / Ghee butter and the turmeric, give it to your pet directly, or add it to his/her food. Never give your dog more than 1 tsp / day, and use good quality powder only. For more information and a good recipe for turmeric-paste, click here or here.

Is turmeric safe for people?

Curcumin has a long established safety record. For example, according to JECFA (The Joint United Nations and World Health Organization Expert Committee on Food Additives) and EFSA (European Food Safety Authority) reports, the Allowable Daily Intake (ADI) value of curcumin is 0–3 mg/kg body weight [18]. Several trials on healthy subjects have supported the safety and efficacy of curcumin.

Curcuminoids have been approved by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) as “Generally Recognized As Safe” (GRAS) [], and good tolerability and safety profiles have been shown by clinical trials, even at doses between 4000 and 8000 mg/day [] and of doses up to 12,000 mg/day of 95% concentration of three curcuminoids: curcumin, bisdemethoxycurcumin, and demethoxycurcumin []. The tolerance of curcumin in high single oral doses appears to be excellent [22].

Poorly absorbed

Turmeric is poorly absorbed by the body, and two additional components have been found to help the absorption: healthy fat (like extra virgin coconut oil or Ghee, clearified butter) and/or cayenne pepper or black pepper. If you buy a supplement, make sure that it contains Peperine (the active component in black pepper). This increases its bioavailability significantly.

Spice up your immune system!

Study sugests that eating even small amounts of turmeric regularly may have a positive impact on your health. With the summer months ahead of us, we recommend this refreshing, delicious, easy-to-make, iced turmeric lemonade. You pretty much can’t mess this recipe up. If yourlemonadecame out darker it’s probably because you used a little more turmeric which is completely fine. Adjust the recipe to your personal taste, if you like.

Anti inflammatory turmeric lemonade recipe

Ingredients
  • 1 tsp organic dried turmeric
  • 1 tsp organic powdered ginger
  • Juice of 1 1/2 fresh lemon
  • Dash cayenne or black pepper
  • 2 cups of water
  • 5 drops of stevia or 1 tsp raw honey
Instructions
  • Place all ingredients in a blender and blend for 1 minute.
  • Serve with ice cubes and enjoy!
Notes

You can also use fresh turmeric root and fresh ginger root. Simply place 1” ginger root chopped and 1” turmeric root chopped in 2 cups of water and bring to a boil for 15 minutes. Let the mixture cool for 30 minutes then strain the roots and mix in remaining ingredients in blender for 1 minutes. Serve.

References

  1. Foods. 2017 Oct; 6(10): 92. Curcumin: A Review of Its’ Effects on Human Health. Susan J. Hewlings1,2,* and Douglas S. Kalman3,4
  2. Molecules. 2011 Jun 3;16(6):4567-98. doi: 10.3390/molecules16064567. Curcumin: an anti-inflammatory molecule from a curry spice on the path to cancer treatment. Basnet P1, Skalko-Basnet N.
  3. Cell J. 2017 Autumn; 19(3): 425–433. Anti-Inflammatory Effects of Curcumin on Insulin Resistance Index, Levels of Interleukin-6, C-Reactive Protein, and Liver Histology in Polycystic Ovary Syndrome-Induced Rats. Shima Mohammadi, M.Sc,1 Latifeh Karimzadeh Bardei, M.Sc,2 Vida Hojati, Ph.D,3 Azita Ghorbani, M.Sc,3 and Mohammad Nabiuni, Ph.D4
  4. Evid Based Complement Alternat Med. 2013; 2013: 636053. Curcumin and Diabetes: A Systematic Review. Dong-wei Zhang, 1 ,* Min Fu, 2 Si-Hua Gao, 1 and Jun-Li Liu 2
  5. Diabetes Care. 2012 Nov; 35(11): 2121–2127. Curcumin Extract for Prevention of Type 2 Diabetes. Somlak Chuengsamarn, MD,1,2 Suthee Rattanamongkolgul, MD,3 Rataya Luechapudiporn, PHD,4Chada Phisalaphong, PHD,5 and Siwanon Jirawatnotai, PHD6,7
  6. Int J Cardiol. 2009 Apr 3;133(2):145-51. doi: 10.1016/j.ijcard.2009.01.073. Epub 2009 Feb 23. The protective role of curcumin in cardiovascular diseases. Wongcharoen W1, Phrommintikul A.Br
  7. Age (Omaha). 1997 Jul;20(3):165-8. doi: 10.1007/s11357-997-0015-z. Effects of the antioxidant turmeric on lipoprotein peroxides: Implications for the prevention of atherosclerosis. Ramirez Bosca A, Carrión Gutierrez MA, Soler A, Puerta C, Diez A, Quintanilla E, Bernd A, Miquel J.
  8. Adv Exp Med Biol. 2007; 595: 197–212. NEUROPROTECTIVE EFFECTS OF CURCUMIN. Greg M. Cole, Bruce Teter, and Sally A. Frautschy
  9. Life Sci. 2014 Oct 22;116(1):1-7. doi: 10.1016/j.lfs.2014.08.016. Epub 2014 Sep 6. Curcumin as a wound healing agent. Akbik D1, Ghadiri M1, Chrzanowski W2, Rohanizadeh R3
  10. Drug Des Devel Ther. 2015 Aug 27;9:4931-42. doi: 10.2147/DDDT.S90147. eCollection 2015. The effect of curcumin and its nanoformulation on adjuvant-induced arthritis in rats. Zheng Z1, Sun Y2, Liu Z1, Zhang M1, Li C1, Cai H3
  11. Cell J. 2017 Autumn; 19(3): 425–433. Anti-Inflammatory Effects of Curcumin on Insulin Resistance Index, Levels of Interleukin-6, C-Reactive Protein, and Liver Histology in Polycystic Ovary Syndrome-Induced Rats. Shima Mohammadi, M.Sc,1 Latifeh Karimzadeh Bardei, M.Sc,2 Vida Hojati, Ph.D,3 Azita Ghorbani, M.Sc,3 and Mohammad Nabiuni, Ph.D4
  12. J Pharmacol. 2017 Jun;174(11):1325-1348. doi: 10.1111/bph.13621. Epub 2016 Oct 21. Curcumin, the golden nutraceutical: multitargeting for multiple chronic diseases.Kunnumakkara AB1, Bordoloi D1, Padmavathi G1, Monisha J1, Roy NK1, Prasad S2, Aggarwal BB3.
  13. Molecules. 2011 Jun 3;16(6):4567-98. doi: 10.3390/molecules16064567. Curcumin: an anti-inflammatory molecule from a curry spice on the path to cancer treatment. Basnet P1, Skalko-Basnet N.
  14.  Cancer Ther. 2003 Jan;2(1):95-103. Curcumin (diferuloyl-methane) enhances tumor necrosis factor-related apoptosis-inducing ligand-induced apoptosis in LNCaP prostate cancer cells. Deeb D1, Xu YX, Jiang H, Gao X, Janakiraman N, Chapman RA, Gautam SC.
  15. J Neurotrauma. 2015 Mar 15;32(6):381-91. doi: 10.1089/neu.2014.3520. Epub 2015 Jan 9. Neurological recovery and antioxidant effects of curcumin for spinal cord injury in the rat: a network meta-analysis and systematic review. Yao M1, Yang L, Wang J, Sun YL, Dun RL, Wang YJ, Cui XJ.
  16. Cell J. 2017 Autumn; 19(3): 425–433. Anti-Inflammatory Effects of Curcumin on Insulin Resistance Index, Levels of Interleukin-6, C-Reactive Protein, and Liver Histology in Polycystic Ovary Syndrome-Induced Rats. Shima Mohammadi, M.Sc,1 Latifeh Karimzadeh Bardei, M.Sc,2 Vida Hojati, Ph.D,3 Azita Ghorbani, M.Sc,3 and Mohammad Nabiuni, Ph.D4
  17. PLoS One. 2017; 12(3): e0172900. New evidence for the therapeutic potential of curcumin to treat nonalcoholic fatty liver disease in humans. María Eugenia Inzaugarat,1 Elena De Matteo,2 Placida Baz,1 Diego Lucero,3 Cecilia Claudia García,1Esteban Gonzalez Ballerga,4 Jorge Daruich,4 Juan Antonio Sorda,4 Miriam Ruth Wald,5 and Alejandra Claudia Cherñavsky
  18. [19, 20, 21] Foods. 2017 Oct; 6(10): 92. Curcumin: A Review of Its’ Effects on Human Health. Susan J. Hewlings1,2,* and Douglas S. Kalman3,4
  19. 22. BMC Complement Altern Med. 2006 Mar 17;6:10. Dose escalation of a curcuminoid formulation. Lao CD1, Ruffin MT 4th, Normolle D, Heath DD, Murray SI, Bailey JM, Boggs ME, Crowell J, Rock CL, Brenner DE.