Lori’s Special Turmeric Concoction
Turmeric is a fantastic anti-inflammatory herb that I use quite often in my practice. Other benefits are as an antioxidant, a digestive remedy, an immune-booster, and more.
I suggest my special turmeric concoction with my clients that suffer from arthritis to help ease inflammation and pain. I also find that people with CIRS, aka mold illness, obtain great relief using turmeric. Initially, you might think the relief is due solely to turmeric’s anti-inflammatory properties, but since turmeric also greatly supports digestion and the liver, I regularly find that all health conditions improve when we support digestion and the liver!
Here is an easy way my clients and I have developed to take turmeric daily:
1. Start with 1 tsp of powdered turmeric (you can buy it here), and add to 1/4 to 1/2 cup coconut milk or more as needed. Look for coconut milk in a can or tetra pack, as the refrigerated coconut milk in cartons has too many additives. (You can buy coconut milk here and here).
2. Add some cracked black pepper. Herbalist Rosalee de la Foret suggests adding 3% black pepper (you can buy it here). Add everything to a pint jar with a lid, put on lid and shake well. Then, my aunt had the innovative idea to drink this through a straw so that your lips don’t turn orange! She’s a teacher, so maybe the kids noticed when she had orange lips.
3. The next day or so and over time, keep upping the amount of turmeric until you are taking 3 Tablespoons a day of turmeric. Four tablespoons of turmeric would be even better, but I find that too many people get upset tummies with 4 TBS. But you can try it.
4. This concoction tastes terrible, but is much, much cheaper than taking a thousand capsules. (Ok -maybe it wouldn’t be quite 1000 capsules, but it would be a LOT.) You can also add 8 or more drops to taste of Sweetleaf Stevia and my favorite flavor is vanilla. I also find much better results using the whole herb form rather than separating out constituents, like when using curcumin.
5. Some of my clients just make this concoction with water instead of coconut milk when they travel and don’t have constant access to refrigeration and it still helps them. You just bring your jar, a bunch of Turmeric in a bag with the black pepper already mixed in, your measuring spoons and just mix in your hotel room. The herbs that work best are the herbs you actually take, lol.
Turmeric needs fat (from the coconut milk) and piperine (from the cracked black pepper) to help it work optimally in your body.
You also have to work up to this amount of turmeric, because if you take too high of dose immediately, you can get nauseated.
And if this concoction doesn’t work, you may need more in-depth and personalized care from a qualified health care professional. (You can find more information about my practice and can sign up for an appointment to see me here.)
Here are the 3 principles I follow for arthritis sufferers and customize a plan for each client:
1. reduce stress on the joint – which often the stress can be infectious or a person eating their food sensitivities
2. reduce inflammation
3. provide nutrients for the joint. Usually, diet changes are the most noticeable benefit, but it is always helpful to look at a person’s entire health history.
For mold illness sufferers, cases are often much more complex, but herbs can be an extremely valuable adjunct therapy to reduce symptoms, detox, and strengthen the body.
Hope that helps and sign up for my newsletter to learn more about how herbs and nutrition can change your life forever!
Peace,
Lori
And you can read an awesome and incredibly comprehensive write-up about turmeric from Rosalee de la Foret here! And here is a fantastic video detailing the research how ever *curcumin-free* turmeric works! Click here.