The ingredients in golden milk, particularly ginger and cinnamon, may help lower blood sugar levels. Mary-Eve Brown, an oncology clinical dietitian/nutritionist at Johns Hopkins Medicine, provides information on health benefits of turmeric, how to use it in your cooking and two recipes that feature the spice. What is turmeric good for? Turmeric has a significant action upon the heart and the circulation. It supports processes that are involved with the efficient flow of blood to the heart. Balancing the digestive system through turmeric’s effects on promoting a healthy digestive environment. It has been shown to act as a pre-biotic, benefitting the gut microbiome (1,2).

Brown says turmeric supplements are probably not a good idea. As wonderful as turmeric’s nutritional benefits can be, more curcumin is not necessarily better, and too much can be risky. The antiarthritic effects of turmeric include inhibition of joint inflammation and periarticular joint destruction. In vivo treatment with turmeric extract prevented local activation of NF-κB and the subsequent expression of NF-κB-regulated genes mediating joint inflammation and destruction, including chemokines, COX-2, and the receptor activator of NF-κB ligand (RANKL). It also inhibited inflammatory cell influx, joint levels of PGE2, and periarticular osteoclast formation in rats ( Funk et al. 2006). Turmeric was found to be effective against carrageenan-induced edema in rats ( Yegnanarayan, Saraf, and Balwani 1976), and water extracts of turmeric were more active than alcohol extracts in the inhibition of carrageenan-induced edema. Turmeric extract, when given intraperitoneally, was found to be more active than hydrocortisone ( Ghatak and Basu 1972). The yellow powder of turmeric is known to have potent vasorelaxant activity and to decrease the atherogenic properties of cholesterol. A study showed that supplementation of turmeric in the diet controlled arterial blood pressure in animals and enhanced vasorelaxant responses to adenosine, acetylcholine, and isoproterenol ( Zahid Ashraf, Hussain, and Fahim 2005). Turmeric’s antiatherosclerotic effect is associated with inhibition of low-density lipoprotein oxidation, prevention of lipoperoxidation, and reduction in levels of cholesterol ( Quiles et al. 1998; Ramírez-Tortosa et al. 1999). A study showed that feeding an ethanolic extract of turmeric to rats elevated the high-density lipoprotein (HDL)-cholesterol/total cholesterol ratio. The extract also caused a significant decrease in the ratio of total cholesterol/phospholipids. Turmeric extract exhibited better cholesterol and triglyceride lowering (85% and 88%, respectively) as compared to Nardostachys jatamansi extract in tritoninduced hyperlipidemic rats ( Dixit, Jain, and Joshi 1988). Turmeric suppresses Freund’s adjuvantinduced arthritis and acute edema in rats, and it has also been reported that oil extract of turmeric is more active than cortisone ( Chandra and Gupta 1972). Ethanolic extracts of C. longa have good antifungal activity against Trichophyton longifusus ( Khattak et al. 2005). Tests using the agar disc diffusion method for detecting antifungal activity showed that a crude ethanolic extract of turmeric killed all 29 tested clinical strains of dermatophytes. This extract exhibited an inhibition zone range of 6.1–26.0 mm ( Wuthi-udomlert et al. 2000). In one study, people undergoing heart surgery were given either 4 grams of curcumin or a placebo a few days before and after their surgery.Blood thinners: Turmeric or curcumin supplements can increase the risk of bleeding in people taking warfarin.

Turmeric is a deep, golden-orange spice known for adding color, flavor and nutrition to foods. A relative of ginger, turmeric comes from the rhizome (root) of a native Asian plant and has been used in cooking for hundreds of years. It has also been used in ayurvedic and other forms of traditional medicine in China and India. Ethanolic turmeric extract was found to have opposing actions on murine lymphocytes and on Ehlrich ascitic carcinoma cells. Turmeric enhances lymphocyte viability and blastogenesis, but induces formation of cytoplasmic blebs and plasma membrane disintegration of tumor cells. Thus, it is suggested that turmeric is a conducive agent for lymphocytes and inhibitory as well as apoptosisinducing for tumor cells ( Chakravarty and Yasmin 2005). A comparative study of edible plants like C. longa and F. caraica, and herbaceous plants like Gossypium barbadense and Ricinus communis extracts for their antitumor activities showed that the edible plant extracts exhibited higher antitumorigenic activities. Thus, edible plants that show in vivo antitumor activities may be recommended as safe sources of antitumor compounds ( Amara, El-Masry, and Bogdady 2008).That said, further human research is needed to fully understand the effects of these ingredients on memory and brain function. Roast pumpkin and butternut squash with olive oil, salt and pepper at 400 degrees for 10 to 15 minutes. They are done when they are fork tender.

It’s worth noting that most golden milk recipes are sweetened with honey or maple syrup. Blood sugar lowering benefits, if any, are likely only present when drinking unsweetened varieties. High doses of curcumin, as found in concentrated turmeric supplements, can interact with certain medications. Due to possible stimulation of bile secretion, curcumin is not recommended in case of obstruction of bile duct, cholangitis, liver diseases, gallstones or any other biliary diseases.

Herbal Medicine: Biomolecular and Clinical Aspects. 2nd edition.

The ingredients in golden milk also have strong antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties which may strengthen your immune system ( 55).

Turmeric has been reported to be hepatoprotective. Diets containing turmeric extract suppressed increases in lactate dehydrogenase (LDH), alanine aminotransferase (ALT), and aspartate aminotransferase (AST) levels caused by D-galactosamine-induced liver injury in rats ( Miyakoshi et al. 2004). A 5% turmeric extract decreased carbon tetrachloride–induced increases in serum levels of bilirubin, cholesterol, AST, ALT, and alkaline phosphatase (ALP) in mice ( Deshpande et al. 1998b). In female Wistar rats fed a diet containing 0%, 0.2%, 1.0%, or 5.0% turmeric, nitrosodiethylamineinduced hepatocarcinogenesis was inhibited. This effect was detected by measuring the numbers of γ-glutamyl transpeptidase–positive foci, a marker of hepatocarcinogenesis ( Thapliyal et al. 2003). In addition to conventional treatments, alternative anti-cancer remedies are being increasingly sought after. Interestingly, some research suggests that the spices used in golden milk may offer some benefits in this regard.Research shows that ginger, cinnamon and curcumin — the active ingredient in turmeric — have potent anti-inflammatory properties ( 6, 7, 8). Natural plant products have been used throughout human history for various purposes. Having co-evolved with animal life, many of the plants from which these natural products are derived are billions of years old. Tens of thousands of these products are produced as secondary metabolites by higher plants as a natural defense mechanism against disease and infection. Many of these natural products have pharmacological or biological activity that can be exploited in pharmaceutical drug discovery and drug design. Medicines derived from plants have played a pivotal role in the health care of many cultures, both ancient and modern ( Newman, Cragg, and Sander 2003; Butler 2004; Balunas and Kinghorn 2005; Gurib-Fakim 2006; Newman and Cragg 2007). The Indian system of holistic medicine known as “Ayurveda” uses mainly plant-based drugs or formulations to treat various ailments, including cancer. Of the at least 877 small-molecule drugs introduced worldwide between 1981 and 2002, the origins of most (61%) can be traced to natural products ( Newman and Cragg 2007). Although many synthetic drugs are produced through combinatorial chemistry, plant-based drugs are more suitable, at least in biochemical terms, for human use. Nonetheless, modern medicine has neither held in very high esteem nor encouraged the medicinal use of natural products. While turmeric is safe for most people when enjoyed in tea or food, if you are allergic to the spice, eating it may cause a rash, hives or abdominal pain. You can drink turmeric tea warm or cold, and add lemon and/or honey to change the taste,” Brown advises. Recipe: Curried Pumpkin Butternut Squash Creamy Vegan Soup