Golden milk lattes are a great way to get your daily dose of turmeric

Turmeric is traditionally a  culinary spice in Asia and India and is the main component of curry powder. Turmeric is recommended for many patients from inflammatory conditions like crohns disease, ulcerative colitis, autoimmune conditions like psoriasis, rheumatoid arthritis, osteoarthritis, Parkinson, Alzheimer’s dementia and  to cancers as well boosting your immune system. Curcumin is the compound found in turmeric.

You can find turmeric in powder culinary spice form, in it’s whole root form as well as in tincture, tablets and capsules. A good starting dose is 400 to 600mg of standardized powder or curcumin turmeric extract three times as day as tolerated recommended by  Dr. Andrew Weil. Cut root dose is 1.5-3g per day, dried powdered rood 1-3g per day,and tincture (1:2) 15-30 drops up to 4x/day as mentioned by University of Maryland Medical Center.

When taking it for GI issues you need to find a formula with black pepper or piperine in it because it is better absorbed. When taking it for a autoimmune issues you can take it by itself. Depending on the formulation, you may need to take more or less. It’s always best to find a reputable neutraceutical brand when purchasing a product and ensure it’s standardized to 95% curcuminoids.

Caution with Turmeric should be noted since it can act as a blood thinner and should be avoided before surgery. It can also cause GI upset in some patients and can reduce blood sugars in diabetic patients. It can also increase gallbladder contraction which is not a good idea for patients suffering with gallstones. I discourage my patients trying to conceive to take it since it can actually act as contraception, and advise my nursing and pregnant mothers to use it with caution since it may stimulate uterine contractions.

I encourage patients to cook daily with it for anti-inflammatory effects, but encourage a supplement if taking it medicinally for the higher dosage. Cooking with spices is perfect but you need a higher dose if you’re targeting a specific ailment. I am a big fan of turmeric golden milk latte, as well as turmeric ginger teas.

You can make golden milk  “haldi” latte with :

1cup milk or your choice (almond, coconut), fresh grated ginger, 1 tsp turmeric spice and 1-2 tsp honey per your tasting. You boil the milk , grate in the ginger, add the turmeric and honey, let it all simmer and voila you have a taste delicious, nutritious drink.