I recently started drinking Turmeric Milk as a warm alternative to my beloved coffee, teas and Chai.  It is easy to make, and can be made with both  fresh and ground turmeric and other spices.  

You’ve probably already heard of the benefits of turmeric, or have encountered them in pumpkin soups or Indian dishes.  It is easily recognised by its bright yellow (and I mean BRIGHT canary yellow) colour.

“Golden milk” is a great way to get the health benefits of turmeric even when it isn’t on the (food) menu. Prepared this way with warming spices like cinnamon and ginger, even I absolutely love the flavour. I like to drink this in the evening, before going to bed, because it relaxes me a lot.

Turmeric tea is more than tasty…consuming turmeric supports digestion, immune function, liver function, and is told to even offer protection from some types of cancer.  This tea or milk will actually maximise the natural antioxidant power of turmeric simply because it is served hot and is combined with other beneficial spices.  The recipe I will give you further down, is a basic recipe which you can easily adjust to your taste and personal preferences

Benefits of drinking this stuff:

Turmeric is rumoured to be anti-inflammatory, boosts immune system, balances hormones, encourages digestion, and more

Cinnamon is not only a natural sweetener and smells delicious, but also has anti-inflammatory properties, aids with circulation and is loaded with anti-oxidants,

Ginger has a very long history of use in various forms of traditional and alternative medicine. It has been used to help digestion, reduce nausea and help ease the flu and common cold, to name a few.  Also really good for a hangover (I have heard…)

Black pepper is anti-bacterial in nature, and supports the absorption of turmeric in our bodies.  Other benefits are that it aids in digestion, supports the metabolism and blood circulation (cold hands and feet in winter, bye bye)

So, ready to make a cup?

Ingredients:

• 2 cups milk of choice – I usually opt for normal cows milk but this will also work with alternative milks such as almond or coconut milk. 
• 1 tsp  turmeric
• ½ tsp ground cinnamon 
• pinch of ground black pepper
• tiny piece of fresh peeled ginger root or ¼ tsp ginger powder
• honey as preferred

Method:

I have one of these loose tea mesh strainers that I use when making this milk, but you can also use a tea egg instead.  

Poor the milk into a small saucepan and start heating up the milk slowly.  Add the tea strainer to your sauce pan. Then add on the turmeric, cinnamon, black pepper and ginger powder, whilst the milk is heating up. Some of the powder may fall through the strainer, but usually this is a limited amount.

Please do keep an eye on the milk and keep stirring, as milk tends to stick to the pan! Once hot, but not boiling, poor the blended milk into your cup and flavour with honey if you like it a little sweet. Drink whilst hot!

Note:

• Turmeric tends to stain quite badly, where the yellow colour will only fade slowly.  
• If you don’t want to mix the herbs each time you fancy a cup of turmeric milk, you can also whoop up a batch and keep it in an airtight jar.  Then you only need to heat up the milk and brew with the herbs.
• you can also use a small teaspoon of fresh turmeric and a small piece of ginger instead of using the ground versions.