You may have been seeing your favorite HEALTH and FITNESS BLOGGERS posting about Turmeric Tea lately. But, do you really know what turmeric is and all of the amazing things that it can do for you?! There is a reason that the spice is now popular in the United States and not only India and Asia.

1. Anti-Inflimmation

One of the amazing benefits of turmeric’s main active ingredient, curcumin, is its ability to fight inflammation! Inflammation plays a major role in the cause of heart disease (America’s #1 killer), cancer, metabolic syndrome, Alzheimer’s, and gastrointestinal diseases. A study which utilized curcumin essential oils found that the oil displayed significant anti-inflammatory activities¹. These anti-inflammatory properties help alleviate pain and chronic conditions².

2. Increased Production of Antioxidants

The study that used curcumin essential oils found that the body was scavenged of free radicals¹. This is a great finding as free radicals damage molecules in cells and contribute to faster aging and dangerous diseases like cancer! Antioxidants fight the production of free radicals. These findings could prove the theory that carcumin, and turmeric, increase our bodies production of internal antioxidants!

3. Improved Brain Function

Many common brain disorders, such as depression and Alzheimer’s disease, have been linked to decreased levels of the growth hormone Brain-Derived Neurotrophic Factor (BDNF)³. Oddly enough, curcumin has been proven to increase levels of BDNF in the brain^4,5. Now, including turmeric into one’s diet after diagnosis may not have strong effects but the results could be phenomenal when taken as a preventative measure!

Head to 'Why Try Turmeric?' to find out more!

Turmeric Tea

Cook time: 10 mins Total time: 10 mins Serves: 1 serving

Author: The Healthy & HAPPI Project

Ingredients

• 1½ cups coconut milk
• 1 tsp turmeric
• ½ tsp cinnamon
• ¼ tsp ginger powder
• Fresh cracked black pepper

Instructions

1. Click here for the full recipe!

1Liju, Vijayastelter B., Kottarapat Jeena, and Ramadasan Kuttan. “An Evaluation Of Antioxidant, Anti-Inflammatory, And Antinociceptive Activities Of Essential Oil From Curcuma Longa. L.” Indian Journal Of Pharmacology 43.5 (2011): 526-531. Academic Search Complete. Web. 7 Dec. 2016.
2MOLINE, PEG. “Spice Of Life.” Rodale’s Organic Life 2.7 (2016): 38. Academic Search Complete. Web. 7 Dec. 2016.
3http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/0...
4http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S...
5http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S...