You may have heard of it: Golden Milk … a wonderful golden drink that will not only warm your insides, but heal them too! It’s like a magic potion of golden goodness and is beginning to show up on menus of specialty coffee bars everywhere! But maybe you haven’t tried it because you just don’t know what all the hype is about. So let’s take a look!
What is Golden Milk?
Golden Milk is one of the traditional natural remedies of ancient Indian medicine (worldwide known as Ayurveda). Although there are many variations on the recipe, in its most basic form, Golden Milk is a combination of the powerful spice turmeric, coconut milk, and sometimes coconut oil. (Black pepper is often added, in small amounts, to even basic recipes to increase your body’s ability to absorb Golden Milk’s amazing benefits.)
The star of Golden Milk, and what gives it its golden color, is Turmeric. Turmeric is a plant that has a very long history of medicinal use, dating back nearly 4000 years. You may have heard of it referred to as “Indian saffron” because of its beautiful yellow coloring – but Turmeric brings more than just looks to the table. With more than 3,000 publications in the last 25 years writing about Turmeric, modern medicine has begun to recognize its importance to our health and well-being.
What Is So Special About Golden Milk?
One 2013 study said it’s almost too good to be true! The anti-inflammatory spice, Turmeric, has shown therapeutic potential against a number of human diseases, including cancer and could even help with Alzheimer’s. Because of the reduced inflammation, Turmeric can also help with gas, bloating, and digestive discomfort, and some studies have mentioned its help with weight loss. Also, some studies have shown that Turmeric has antidepressant properties, leading to better moods, less stress, better sleep, and improved brain health.
Specific to women’s health:
- Estrogen: Turmeric has proven estrogenic activity- it mimics the activity of the hormone and thus has a therapeutic role in female reproductive disorders.
- Painful Periods: Turmeric is also known to decrease menstrual intensity and pain experienced during periods. As an herbal alternative to painkillers Turmeric powder can be consumed within the limit of 400-600mg 3-times-a-day without any adverse effects.
- Regulate Periods: Turmeric has a property of being an emmenagogue. Emmenagogues are herbs which stimulate blood flow in the pelvic area and uterus, thus purifying and moving stagnant blood which normalizes menstruation.
- Uterine Stimulant: Turmeric is a uterine stimulant that increases the basal activity of uterine smooth muscle cells. It is believed when taken in the last two weeks of pregnancy in warm, organic milk it helps to expedite a simple birth.
- Leukorrhea: This is thick, whitish or yellowish vaginal discharge. It is believed to be caused due to various factors (main one being imbalance of hormones) and can continue for years. Turmeric is believed to provide long term relief when used as a douche.
- Endometriosis: This disease affects around 15% of women of reproductive age and leads to infertility. Curcumin, a constituent of Turmeric, is reported to inhibit the growth of endometrial cells by modulating the secretion of estrogen.
- Menstrual toxic shock syndrome (mTss): A study conducted in Minnesota, found Curcumin to be non-toxic to cells lining the vagina, but it not only inhibited the infection but also reduced the inflammation caused by it!
- Uterine Fibroids: Curcumin is found to inhibit the growth of cells that make up uterine fibroids and prevents proliferation.
- Cancer: Turmeric has been proven effect against tumors and cancers in many scientific studies conducted in labs including cancer of the prostate, pancreas, lung, colon, cervix, mouth, tongue, and stomach. Research has also proven that curcuminoids can prevent growth of breast cancer cells and also prevent the spread of breast cancer in bones. Interestingly, India has the lowest incidence of breast cancer in the world and it also has the highest consumption, as well as production, of dietary Turmeric worldwide. Turmeric is also proven to inhibit the growth of ovarian cancer cells and is reported to cause cell death of cervical cancer cells by acting against estradiol.
Golden Milk Recipe
In closing, I want to leave you with a Golden Milk recipe to try. If you enjoy this I encourage you to try variations on this recipe and make this golden goodie part of your daily life!
Prep: 5 minutes
Cooking Time: 10 minutes
Yield: Serves 1
Ingredients:
- 1 cup unsweetened non-dairy milk, preferably coconut milk beverage or almond milk
- 1/2 teaspoon dried turmeric
- 1 tablespoon virgin coconut oil
- 1 (3-inch) cinnamon stick or ¼ tsp cinnamon
- 1 (1/2-inch) piece ginger, unpeeled, thinly sliced
- 1 tablespoon honey
- 1/4 teaspoon whole black peppercorns or pinch ground pepper
- Ground cinnamon (for serving optional)
Preparation:
Whisk ingredients in a small saucepan; bring to a low boil. Reduce heat and simmer until flavors have melded, about 10 minutes. Strain through a fine-mesh sieve into mugs and top with a dash of cinnamon. Stir well before drinking.
Golden milk can be made 5 days ahead. Store in an airtight container and chill. Warm before serving.
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Sarah Clark empowers couples to discover how lifestyle and diet can dramatically impact their chances of conceiving. She was diagnosed with premature ovarian failure at 28 and had both her kids with donor eggs. Not until years later did she discover that the root cause of her infertility was a food intolerance. Join the Free Fab Fertile Support Group on Facebook for mini-challenges, motivation and inspiration!
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