Anyone who grew up in an Indian household knows about the magic of Haldi Doodh. Simply translated, it’s Turmeric Milk. As a child, whenever I felt the sniffles coming on, when the forehead started to feel a little bit warm, my mother would make me a tall glass of this yellow elixir. It was creamy, slightly sweet with little spicy kick and it warmed me from the inside out from the very first sip itself. The recipe is ridiculously simple. Warmed up milk mixed with turmeric, honey and a pinch of ginger powder and a light sprinkling black pepper. So simple yet so effective. It remains my go to beverage when I feel a little low energy spell happening. It’s a home made remedy that's an instant and magical cure.
I have now come to realize, what was once grandma’s remedy is now the next big scientific breakthrough. Scientists now claim that Curcumin, the active ingredient in Turmeric, is a natural anti-inflammatory compound and is a potent antioxidant. It can increase the antioxidant capacity of the body and may help in lowering the risk of heart disease and cancer. And the list goes on. Curcumin is believed to be effective in fighting Alzheimer’s disease. Patients with Arthritis respond well to it. Curcumin even has benefits against depression. Simply put, this spice that stains everything in your kitchen yellow, from your countertops to your cutting boards, can actually improve your quality of life.
But there’s a caveat with respect to Curcumin. Something known as bio availability that refers to the rate at which the body absorbs a particular substance. Unfortunately the rate at which Curcumin is absorbed into the bloodstream is rather poor. You would need to consume copious amounts of Turmeric to derive any form of health benefits. That's when Black Pepper comes to the rescue. The active compound Piperine found in Black Pepper is known to enhance the absorption of Curcumin by 2000%. Now isn’t that something? And all this time, I thought Grandma was adding black pepper just for flavor and an additional kick. This culinary move was rooted in science. Our ancestors knew something that modern science is only starting to figure out today.
Curcumin is also fat soluble, which means it breaks down in a fat medium. Now Turmeric Milk is starting to make a lot more sense. As Curcumin breaks down in milk fat, and when combined with black pepper, it gets quickly absorbed into the bloodstream, administering a healthy dose of antioxidant power to the body. No wonder it takes just one glass of it and I start to feel better immediately.
There are so many things we are discovering today in Eastern diets that make food serve as medicine. While this may astonish and surprise us, our ancestors regarded this as common knowledge. As we look for solutions to save ourselves and this planet, I think it’s time to start looking at the Indian grandma’s recipe book. Who knows what else we might find? All I can say is that our ancestors had a lot more knowledge than we gave them credit for. I believe the time has come for us cooks to dig in a little deeper. I am sure the planet will be a lot more grateful to us as a result.
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