Turmeric You may have seen this bright yellow-orange spice in the grocery store and wondered “how would I ever use that?” Well you healthy and fabulous eager learners, let me fill you in on the juiciest info I’ve got on this popular spice. There’s a lot scouring the web about turmeric, but let me give you the ultimate 411 and share some tricks of the trade that us holistic nutritionists know. Go grab your turmeric now that you have sitting in the spice cupboard, bring it with you to the computer, sit down, get comfy and let’s dive into this divine spice worth many times it’s weight in gold. Ready? Let’s go… 

Alright, first things first. This deciduous tender perennial (yep, it keeps coming back year after year) is known among it’s friends as Curcuma longa. It loves to vacation and hang out in Southeast Asia and is native to this area. Ginger is turmeric’s sister… they’re related and from what I’ve heard, they’re the bestest of friends and pop up all over recipe books around the world together. You know what they say about ginger right? No? Well then jump on over to my good friend and holistic nutritionista Nicole Hunter’s Gingerly Love article and she’ll teach you everything about ginger, Click Here. You’ll love it, I promise! Plus, knowing about ginger will give you a better idea about it’s sexy sister: turmeric.

All in the family: Ginger root takes front center, while turmeric roots scour around

Turmeric & Ginger look alike

Ms. turmeric is a long rhizome like Ms. ginger, but Ms. turmeric rocks a thinner, rounder shape. She also catches all the boys’ attention with her brilliant orange flesh. Just like ginger, turmeric’s roots are what are used and home to loads of healing actions.

Where to find it?

Most Asian stores have fresh, frozen and even dried turmeric roots.

Health food stores also often offer the dried whole root. If you haven’t seen one, you’ve gotta check it out! I have a few on hand and love to look at their bright yellow color. They make my spice cupboard look fancy.

Supermarkets everywhere carry turmeric in ground form. Test out different forms of it, taking in it’s happy color and getting to know it’s scent and flavor and get your creative juices going and start playing in the kitchen and adding it to different recipes. No stress! Just have fun and see which recipes YOUR body and taste buds like it in. I’m all about listening to your body.

Healing properties:

Brace yourself… this is juicy and I’m only sharing this because The Naked Label is ALL ABOUT creating a world where we can all Be Healthy & Feel Fabulous and I totally want this for each of our amazing readers! Turmeric is definitely one of those spices that we want part of this world! Ready for the long list? Here it is:

Antioxidant

Turmeric has potent chemical compounds that kick out those free radicals roaming around inside our bodies that damage our arteries and speed up our aging. Yahoo! Natural anti-aging (inside and outside) with turmeric!

Anti-Inflammatory

Ok, here’s where I share a personal story. I started to fall in love with turmeric when I started reading the latest research about it’s anti-inflammatory effects, particularly in Crohn’s Disease, a disease I’ve been living with for over 17 years now.

Ashley Anderson is a member of Gut Inspired living with Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD; Crohn's Disease). She is sharing more about her experiences being newly diagnosed, where she went for more information and how she gained the confidence to tell her friends and family. Ashley knows the importance of being educated about her disease and can better manage her symptoms because she knows how.

Whoa! Hold the phone… What?! Me, Ashley, a holistic nutritionist with Crohn’s Disease? Shouldn’t all holistic nutritionists be like, super healthy? Yep, well I’ve come a long way since I was 9 years old and complementary and alternative medicine have had a significant impact on my health. How do you think I found holistic nutrition and fell in love with it? Every holistic nutritionist has their reasons, and mine was to learn what I needed to listen to my body and how to take my healing journey to the next level, and then to teach what I’ve learned with everyone else so that we can all Be Healthy & Feel Fabulous.

Which leads me to turmeric! This healing spice is more than just the spice in your kitchen; it’s the herb that should be in your medicine cabinet. Not only does it provide anti-inflammatory relief, but it’s also used to treat:

  • rheumatoid arthritis
  • cancer
  • candida
  • AIDS
  • Crohn’s disease
  • eczema

Antimicrobial

Turmeric combats them ALL! You name it, turmeric has something in it’s tool belt to win any fight with any lurking microbial: a shining sword to fight off bad bacteria, advanced tear gas to extinguish viruses, and something extra special for fungi like Candida – a head over heels, fall-in-love-with smile and figure that leads fungus in for the kiss of death. Turmeric has a weird and crazy fetish for Candida, like one of those vampires from Twilight has for human blood. Turmeric is your new best friend ladies and gents!

Anticoagulant

Turmeric breaks up blood so that all blood cells are happy and flowing freely… none of this ‘clumping’ and ‘sticking’ around business. Turmeric get’s right in there and breaks up the party and sets everyone straight. Meanwhile, you’re circulatory system is loving every bit of this action that turmeric imposes.

Analgesic

Turmeric soothes out the pain.

Wound healer

Turmeric is great for healing scrapes, cuts and minor wounds. Chat with a Medical Herbalist or holistic nutritionist for more details on this one.

Lowers blood cholesterol

In addition to doing some serious anti-coagulation, turmeric starts playing cops and robbers with cholesterol, assisting with sending excess cholesterol down the rabbit hole and out of the body once and for all.

Reduces exercise pain

I live with two personal trainers, Mark and Jeff, and together we all use turmeric in our cooking like it’s going out of style. Why? We know about it’s potent anti-inflammatory skills and analgesic properties. Mark and Jeff train much harder in the gym than I do and impress me with the amount of weight they can safely lift. If turmeric does their body good, then it MUST be good!

Antispasmodic

Got muscle spasms? Get turmeric. Jump on the turmeric band-wagon for skeletal muscle spasms and smooth muscle spasms. Smooth muscles line your entire digestive tract and contract without you even knowing it to move food through and out. Do you experience stomach or abdominal cramping or spasm-ing? Give turmeric a try. You may be pleasantly surprised.

Protects liver and increases bile production and flow

I love my liver! I meditate on it and smile into it all the time – Traditional Chinese Medicine taught me this. The liver is said to be the seat of anger and the organ where we store anger. You want to be on good terms with your liver because your liver is doing ALOT for you including, filtering and cleaning your blood and detoxing everything your body is finished with. If you don’t know what your liver is doing for you, promise me you’ll Google it after you’re finished reading this article. Turmeric not only helps protect your liver but it also increases bile production and flow.

Who cares about bile production and flow, anyway?

Well, for starters, a holistic nutritionist does… A LOT!
Let me inform you: your gallbladder (that small organ hanging out and snuggled up beside your liver) squirts a powerful yellow fat-emulsifier (called bile) into your digestive system to make absorbing fat happen. Without it, well, fat is hard to digest and can lead to serious digestive complaints.

What you probably didn’t know about bile

What you probably didn’t know about bile is that bile is another way that your body tries to get rid of waste, like excess hormones that area causing imbalances in your body and making you moody and contributing to PMS. If you experience PMS, you’ll want to chat with a holistic nutritionist. I know firsthand how much holistic nutrition can impact the body, re-balance hormones and bring your PMS down to zilch!

Top 12 uses for turmeric:

  1. inhibit colon and breast cancer
  2. helpful for those who have had their gallbladder removed
  3. boosts insulin activity
  4. reduce stroke risk
  5. hepatitis
  6. nausea
  7. digestive problems
  8. rheumatoid arthritis
  9. candida
  10. AIDS
  11. Crohn’s disease
  12. eczema

Turmeric Recipes:

  1. Pot Popped Cheesy Turmeric and Coconut Oil Popcorn

  2. Green Lentil Dhal

  3. Baingan Bharata (Eggplant Curry) with Chickpeas

Ashley & Mark at Tri-Fitness.org This recipe was provided by holistic nutritionista-to-be Ashley Anderson. Check out her site here! At The Naked Label we love to watch for new and exciting content that Ashley pumps out especially about digestive health!

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Photo of Turmeric powder by: Steven Jackson.

Photo of Ginger and Turmeric roots by: Ratna Rajaiah.