Turmeric milk benefits and recipes

Drinking turmeric milk is pretty commonplace in India already and golden milk is only growing increasingly popular in Western cultures.

Also known as haldi milk, golden turmeric milk is usually made by heating cow’s milk with turmeric and other spices like ginger, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves and black pepper mixed in. The turmeric is what gives this drink it’s gorgeous yellow / golden colour.

Nowadays, turmeric milk can also be made with plant milk like soy, oat and almond, so everyone can enjoy the health benefits. One of its most famous proclaimed health benefits is its ability to support our natural immune system and joints, and we’ll get on to more benefits below!

What are the benefits of drinking milk with turmeric?

People haven’t been sipping on golden milk for centuries for no reason, you know! As well as being a soothing drink to sip, here are the top 5 health benefits of turmeric milk:

1. Supports the digestive system

Sipping on warm, soothing drinks can do wonders for the digestive system, even if they only increase your relaxation – the mind and gut are very interlinked.

So, whether you enjoy turmeric milk with your breakfast or use it to help you unwind and the end of the day, it can be working in more ways than one when it comes to supporting your digestive system.

It’s not all about relaxing with a cuppa: there are several ingredients in golden milk that could help support healthy digestion.

Black pepper should always be served up right alongside turmeric as it helps the body to absorb it. Black pepper contains a compound called peperine, which inhibits glucuronidation, allowing your body to break down curcumin and take advantage of all the nutritional benefits.³

Ginger is a common addition to turmeric milk and is also associated with better digestion.⁴ Indian researchers reported that ginger could stimulate various digestive enzymes to speed up the time it takes our bodies to process foods, which could help to prevent constipation and similar conditions.

Top tip: if you want to really make the most of the digestive benefits of golden turmeric milk then swap out cow’s milk for oat milk. It has the highest fibre of all the plant milks and supports healthy digestion.⁵

Summary

• Turmeric milk can support the digestive system in multiple ways
• Black pepper, ginger and oat milk can all help, as well as turmeric

2. Full of antioxidants

Plant foods contain varying amounts of antioxidants, and the curcumin found in turmeric is especially rich in them.

Our bodies need antioxidants to help reduce the oxidative stress and damage that free radicals (very reactive molecules) can cause.

3. Can reduce inflammation

Inflammation occurs when the body is experiencing a real threat, e.g. you’ve cut your leg and your body needs to go into repair mode – sending extra blood to the wound site, etc.

It also sometimes happens when the body mistakenly detects a threat and reacts as though there is one, even though everything is fine, this is also known as chronic inflammation. This is the immune reaction we don’t need, as it serves no positive purpose and can instead cause lots of additional problems in the body.

Turmeric has been seen to be an excellent natural anti-inflammatory for the human body. Some researchers believe turmeric’s active ingredient curcumin can help reduce inflammation and swelling by blocking enzymes and other proteins that create inflammatory responses in the body.⁹

Top tip: if you’re looking to make the most of golden milk’s anti-inflammatory benefits, then make sure to sprinkle in some ground or freshly grated cinnamon.

4. Could help support your joints

A bit of joint wear and tear is inevitable as you age, but that doesn’t mean you can’t give your joints some extra TLC – and it turns out that turmeric milk could play a part.

As we discussed above, curcumin can help to reduce inflammation, which means it may also be able to help protect your joints from too much wear and tear. A 2016 study in the Journal of Medicinal The Journal of Medicinal Food found that consuming curcumin can help to ease symptoms of arthritis like joint stiffness and mobility.¹²

Summary

• Turmeric could help reduce inflammation, including that in the joints
• Curcumin has been seen to help ease joint stiffness and mobility

5. Could be good for your brain

Enjoying a cup of golden milk a day could help nourish your mind as well as your body.

Curcumin has the potential to increase a compound called brain-derived neurotrophic factor. This BNDF has been seen to help brain cells grow and helps your brain form new connections and pathways, which is essential for learning and memory making.¹³

Another golden milk ingredient that can help with memory retention and reaction time is ginger. Recent studies into ginger’s effect on the brain found that it can enhance cognitive function in a range of cognitive disorders as well as in healthy brains.¹⁴

How to make golden turmeric milk

Want to give it a go? It’s super easy to make once you have the ‘base ingredients’ to start experimenting and finding a what a perfectly blended golden milk means for you.

First things first, choose your milk:

Don’t drink dairy? Here are some alternatives:

Next, choose your spices and flavourings

Add as many of these ingredients into your golden milk for both health benefits and taste.

Turmeric

It goes without saying that turmeric is a key ingredient in turmeric milk. You can usually find it in the supermarket and you can always find it here at H&B, like Navitas Turmeric Powder. It’s essential that you get a high quality one like this that are sourced for high curcumin, as that’s where turmeric’s benefits lie.

Black pepper

It may seem odd to add black pepper to your hot drink, but when it comes to golden milk, it’s advised. Black pepper helps our bodies to absorb turmeric, so grinding some pepper into your turmeric milk could enhance its benefits.

Ginger

Ginger tea is taken the world-over to help ease digestion and relieve nausea – and lots of people just love the warm, spicy taste in both drinks and food.

Grating a little fresh ginger or sprinkling in dried and ground ginger into your golden milk can enhance its flavour, while offering the following additional health benefits:²¹

• Can help ease digestion
• Can help reduce inflammation in the body
• Can relieve nausea
• Can work as a natural pain relief

How to make turmeric milk

Now we have the ingredients sorted, here is how to make turmeric milk:

1. Pour 250ml of your milk of choice into a saucepan and bring to a simmer over medium heat.
2. Add in 1tsp of ground turmeric, a pinch of black pepper and any other spices and sweeteners you want to add into the mix.
3. Allow to simmer for 10 minutes so the flavours can mix and develop fully.
4. Pour into a cup, allow to cool a little and get sipping!

How to make a turmeric latte

There’s something about a golden latte that makes it feel like a real treat as well as a healthy drink.

Making a golden milk latte is pretty similar to making normal golden milk, just use the same ingredients and add in the following steps to transform your warm turmeric milk into a latte:

• As soon as the milk is in the saucepan whisk it gently with a hand whisk over the same gentle heat to ‘froth’ the milk.
• If you do have a milk frother tool, then feel free to use that too.

Top tip: if you are using a plant-based milk, then consider buying a ‘barista’ addition that is ‘foam able’ to get an even creamier finish than cow’s milk – mm!

Another option:

You can also buy ready-made turmeric latte powder mixes which you simply add milk to and heat. It’s made with ingredients that react to help you get that frothy milk your barista usually serves to you.

Summary

• Just froth your milk to turn normal golden milk into a golden latte

Can you drink turmeric milk for coughs?

Sure! Golden milk can soothe the throat two-fold with its anti-inflammatory properties as well as its warm, calming feeling in the body.

Try adding in some honey to sweeten this delish drink and make it even more soothing for your throat.

Should you drink turmeric milk for weight loss?

Turmeric and the other spices commonly used in turmeric milk add flavour to plain old cow’s milk or plant milk without the calories, so it certainly shouldn’t make you put on weight.

You could drink it instead of having ‘supper’ or after-dinner snacks to see if it helps you stay feeling full and satisfied instead of heading for the snack drawer.

Is it ok to drink turmeric milk every night?

As long as you make sure you’re consuming a safe amount of turmeric and any other spices you put in your golden milk, there should be no problem enjoying a cup every night. In fact, drinking warm milk at night may help you to fall asleep too.

Is it safe to drink turmeric milk every day?

Yes, it should be as long as you don’t have allergies to the ingredients, are pregnant, breast feeding or under 12 years old, as the safety of it hasn’t been proven for these groups.²²

There is no recommended RNI (reference nutrient intake) for turmeric – except if you choose turmeric tablets which will have a recommended dosage. However, there is a RNI for curcumin from the World Health Organisation of 3mg of curcuminoids (including curcumin) per kg of bodyweight.²³