Make Turmeric Tea to Boost Your Immune System

By Daniel Yetman

If you’re looking for a simple tea loaded with health benefits that you can make at home, look no further. You can make this recipe using ingredients you can find in the spice section of the grocery store, ginger root, coconut milk, and a sweetener of your choosing.

What Is Turmeric?

Turmeric is a root in the ginger family that’s usually ground into a yellow powder. It’s been used in Indian in cooking and medicine for thousands of years and is most famous for giving curry its bright-yellow color and unique taste.

Turmeric contains the compound curcumin, which is a potent antioxidant and anti-inflammatory. The active ingredient in black pepper (piperine) increases the absorption of curcumin, so if you want to get the most benefits out of your tea, include a sprinkle of black pepper.

Here are some of the benefits of drinking turmeric tea:

•    Reducing inflammation

•    Reducing oxidative damage

•    Decreasing risk of Alzheimer’s

•    Decreasing risk of heart disease

•    Warding off cancer

•    Relieving symptoms of arthritis

•    Delaying aging

The widely known health benefits of turmeric have made it a popular ingredient, including in cafes now serving turmeric lattes. However, by making your tea at home, you can control the amount of sugar and turmeric that goes into your drink.

Turmeric Tea

This recipe makes four servings. If you want to make a single serving, divide all the ingredients below by four.

Prep time: 2 minutes

Cook time: 5 minutes

Total time: 7 minutes

Servings: 4

Ingredients

3 cups Water

1 cup Coconut milk

1 tsp Turmeric powder

1 tsp Cinnamon

1 inch Fresh ginger root

4 tbsp Lemon juice

1 tbsp Honey

1/2 tsp Cayenne pepper (optional)

½ tsp Black pepper (optional)

Instructions

1.    Heat the water over the stove in a small saucepan until it starts to bubble.

2.    Turn off the burner. Stir in the coconut milk and lemon juice.

3.    Add the spices and honey. Stir until the spices dissolve.

4.    Cover the pan for ten minutes and stir again to remix the settled spices.

Turmeric Tea Variations

This quick recipe benefits your heart, mind, and body. Once you get used to turmeric’s strong taste, you can increase the amount you use in the tea to get even more of its anti-inflammatory benefits.

You can also experiment with the amount of honey and spices used in the recipe until you find a combination that suits your palate. To change the flavor, experiment with different types of milk instead of coconut milk.