Turmeric is not a spice that I am generally drawn to. Unlike
the basils, cumins, paprikas and rosemaries of the spice cupboard, I am never
able to pinpoint the turmeric flavour when mixed with anything else. Strong enough
to take over, but simultaneously indistinct, staining everything in the pot (or
on the counter) with its distinct yellow colour, I have never really seen the point.
Until now ...
According to
Wikipedia, turmeric has long been used in
Indian and South Asian cooking (this one we all probably knew), as well as a
natural dye, for ceremonial purposes, and as a hair remover (when mixed with
milk or yogurt, applied to skin, allowed to dry and then rubbed off, taking
some hair with it – apparently this also prevents future hair growth in the
area....... what!?! Laser hair removal move over – I’m getting my turmeric on!).
Amongst health professionals, turmeric is widely known for
its anti-inflammatory properties, and (again, according to Wikipedia) as of September 2012, the
US National Institutes of Health had 71 registered clinical trials completed or underway to
study the use of dietary curcumin for a variety of clinical disorders (
curcumin is the principal
curcuminoid
of turmeric - curcuminoids are
natural
phenols that are responsible for tumeric’s yellow colour). Online,
turmeric kept popping up again and again when I recently searched for a natural
remedy for a persistent dry tickly cough; several recipes suggested that I mix
hot water with lemon, honey and turmeric for relief.
Now, turmeric is not for the faint hearted. It is slightly
bitter, highly pungent, it stains EVERYTHING (more on this later), and in
powdered form it’s a bit ... well.... powdery. I mixed up said drink above, tried
to ignore the powdery texture, and downed as much of it as I could stand. I am
pleased to say that it was highly effective. My cough dissipated, and I had a
wonderful night’s sleep. How do I know it was the turmeric that made this remedy
effective? I had been guzzling the honey/lemon/hot water combo for days with no
improvement; turmeric was definitely the key.
This got me thinking about what else this little yellow wonder
could do... I have mentioned before that I suffer from rosacea (redness and
inflammation, generally occurring on the face – read more
here), and this
winter has been particularly brutal. Cold weather, high winds, leading to hot
baths, lots of hot drinks, leading to extreme flushing and outbreaks of yes,
rosacea. I have been beside myself, trying anything and everything to get my
face to calm down. Always on the search for natural remedies and having read
about the anti-inflammatory properties of this wonder spice (not to mention the
highly scientific testing of said spice which exterminated my cough in under 5
minutes), I mixed up a paste of dried turmeric and water and slathered it
all over the rosacea.
Several warnings must be issued here. This is not to be
partaken during the first stages of a new relationship – coming out of the
bathroom covered in yellow gook and smelling like the pantry of an ashram is a
true test of love. Similarly, make sure you do this only at night, because, as
mentioned above, turmeric is a highly potent dye (which I found out after I
took it off ... yes, my whole face had a yellow tinge, and no, I did not have
jaundice – luckily a couple of washes and a good night’s sleep seemed to do the
trick, and it was no longer noticeable for the next day of work). And the
rosacea? Calmer ... less red ... less painful. It did not clear up entirely,
but it was much more manageable, and it felt much better.
By these two simple tests, I am now convinced of turmeric’s
value, even if I am still not entirely convinced of its taste. It will have a
special spot in my cupboard for the odd recipe, the cough remedy and the
strange looking hippy face mask. And for the glamour girl in me, this spice is bang on trend; if
Louis Vuitton was anything to go by, yellow is a hot colour for spring/summer 2013. This little spice may just be worth its weight in gold coloured
powder.
