Curcuma – often spelled “turmeric” – is nicknamed “turmeric”, “yellow ginger” or “Indian saffron” and is best known as a curry spice. Curcuma is grown in Southeast Asia. Curcuma has been used as a medicinal plant in the Asian world for thousands of years. Curcuma is very important in Ayurvedic medicine - hence the name “Indian saffron”.

The curcumin contained in turmeric as an active ingredient is said to have an anti-inflammatory effect.

The areas of application are diverse. Curcuma is often used for digestive problems and other ailments. We have linked a few reading recommendations for you below.

Turmeric in TCM

In the literature on the role of turmeric in TCM, one often finds the explanation that turmeric is related to ginger and the Chinese name “Jiang Huang” means “yellow ginger”. Turmeric and ginger both warm and invigorate; In contrast to ginger, turmeric revitalizes the blood and has a blood-moving effect, thus preventing stagnation. Turmeric is therefore used as a blood regulating medicine to move the Xue (blood) and clear blockages.

Turmeric (turmeric) has been used in traditional Chinese medicine for thousands of years. Primarily to support liver function and for pain in the abdominal and thorax areas. Both only if the problems are related to blood stagnation. It is being discussed whether turmeric also has a positive effect on the movement of the heart's blood.

According to TCM, turmeric also expels wind-cold moisture, which settles in the body when the weather is right, by moving blood to the correspondingly weakened areas.

Intake

Curcumin is not water-soluble, which makes it particularly difficult for your body to absorb the active ingredient. However, bioavailability can be improved. So you should make sure that - if you take it in capsule form - it contains piperine! Just a pinch of black pepper, which contains piperine, increases the chances of absorbing the active ingredient curcumin into our body.

In addition, curcumin is broken down very quickly by our liver, which means it only enters our bloodstream for a short time. This means that we should consume turmeric continuously - preferably several times a day - in small quantities.

If you take turmeric with fat, this also has a positive effect on bioavailability. That's why the "Golden Milk", also known as Curcuma Latte, contains a teaspoon of ghee, coconut or almond oil as a recipe ingredient in addition to curcuma powder and enough milk. These fats help the active ingredient curcumin to reach our bloodstream more easily. When buying turmeric capsules, you should make sure that the ingredients consist of natural turmeric powder with high doses of curcumin and piperine from black pepper.

Our favorite recipes with curcuma from Ayurveda and TCM

Curcuma Latte – “Golden Milk”

…for golden moments with you!

Since the preparation only takes a maximum of 15 minutes, we would recommend “doing it yourself” and not choosing an instant product. You usually have to add something to the finished products. Preparing it yourself is also a pleasure, as the scents spread wonderfully throughout the room.

The all-round feel-good drink is more than just a trend! Curcuma Latte is caffeine-free, very digestible and delicious. It is a healthy alternative to coffee or tea. Golden milk is a very traditional Indian drink made from purely natural, carefully selected ingredients. Distinctive aromas such as cinnamon or ginger make the drink a very special taste experience and a treat for body and soul. Stimulating in the morning, relaxing in the evening.

Ingredients:

• 3 tsp turmeric powder
• 100 ml water
• 1 piece of ginger the size of a thumb or ginger powder
• 1 pinch of cinnamon
• 1 pinch of ground black pepper
• 1 pinch of cardamom
• 1 tsp coconut oil or almond oil
• 1 pinch of grated nutmeg
• Organic honey / maple syrup as desired
• Per serving approx. 350 ml plant milk e.g. b Almond milk or rice milk

 

Preparation:

Put the turmeric powder with the water in a pot and heat it up. Stir a little so that the powder dissolves in the water. Peel and grate the ginger and add it to the pot. Add the nutmeg to the pot and stir everything slowly.
Let the ingredients boil together until a slightly creamy paste is formed.Heat the desired plant milk (some people simply use water) and stir in 1 teaspoon of turmeric paste per portion. Coconut oil and a pinch of cinnamon, black pepper and if necessary. Add cardamom and stir briefly. Then season with cinnamon and maple syrup or organic honey as desired.

Chicken Tikka Masala

Chicken Tikka Masala is a recipe that brings English and Indian cuisine together.

The preparation is very simple and even though curcuma comes from Indian and vegan cuisine, it tastes delicious with the chicken and the chicken is really juicy in the tomato sauce.

Ingredients:

• 6 cloves of garlic
• 1 piece of ginger (thumb-sized)
• 1 piece of turmeric (thumb-sized)
• 2 red chili peppers
• 4 tbsp oil
• 1 tbsp mustard seeds
• 3 tbsp garam masala spice
• 1 tbsp ground coriander
• 1 tbsp ground cumin
• 0.5 tsp cardamom
• 200 g yogurt
• 800 g chicken breast
• 2 tbsp butter
• 1 onion
• 3 tbsp tomato paste
• 400 ml water
• 1 tsp salt
• 200 ml cream
• 250 g rice
• 1 bunch of coriander
• 1 lime

 

Preparation

Step 1) Peel the garlic, ginger and turmeric and grate finely on a grater and place in a bowl. Wash the chili peppers, deseed them, cut them into small cubes and add them. Heat the oil in a pan and add the mustard seeds with the remaining spices for approx. Roast for 30 seconds. Then add the grated garlic-chilli mixture and fry briefly. Remove the pan from the flame. Put half of the spice paste in a bowl and mix with yoghurt. Wash the chicken breast, pat dry, cut into cubes and marinate in the yogurt marinade for 30 minutes.

Step 2) Melt butter in a pan. Peel the onion, dice it and fry it in butter. Add the remaining spice paste, tomato paste and water. Season with 1 teaspoon of salt, bring to the boil and simmer for 15 minutes. Stir in cream. Cook rice.

Step 3) Heat the oil in a second pan and fry the chicken in it. Add to the sauce and remove the sauce from the heat. Wash the coriander, chop it finely and add it to the sauce. Squeeze the lime and add the juice too. We usually eat our Chicken Tikka Masala with rice.

Turmeric Lassi (TCM)

Ingredients:

• 1 natural yogurt
• ½ lemon, the juice
• 1 banana
• 1 tsp ginger, grated
• 2 tsp turmeric, fresh, grated or 1 tsp dried as powder
• Honey as desired
• 1 tbsp coconut oil

 

Puree all ingredients in the blender.

Aubergines with turmeric

Ingredients:

• Ghee
• 1 garlic clove pressed
• 2 cm fresh ginger, peeled
• ½ red onion
• 2 tomatoes, washed and diced
• 1-2 tsp turmeric powder
• Cumin and chili as desired
• 1 potato, peeled and finely diced
• 2 medium eggplants, roughly diced
• Salt

 

Warm the ghee in a pan, gently fry the garlic, then the ginger and finally the onion, all more or less finely chopped.
When the onions are translucent, add the tomatoes. After a few minutes, add the cumin, turmeric, potato and eggplant to the pot and add water. Add salt and let it simmer for about 25 minutes until the sauce becomes thick.

Legal consumer information:

German and European case law wants to protect consumers from supposedly misleading claims about effectiveness. The statements made here refer to the original Ayurvedic and TCM texts. This ancient knowledge, which is thousands of years old, is based on experiences that are passed on from generation to generation. It is not intended to claim that the products described here have an effect in the sense of western medicine. All products are nutritional supplements; they are not medications and have no medical effect. If you are sick and need medical care, please contact your doctor or pharmacist.