Turmeric & honey come together in this healing powerhouse boasting anti-inflammatories and antioxidants galore! Take this by the spoonful or use it to create a turmeric honey health shot! We’ll go over options for both fresh and ground turmeric to use in making your own turmeric and honey paste.
This is so simple and it is surprisingly so so delicious!!! The first time I made this I was truly blown away- it’s such an interesting way to use turmeric!
How to make turmeric honey
Let’s get to it! You can make turmeric honey in less than 5 minutes- with fresh or ground turmeric! Fresh turmeric is preferable as it doesn’t undergo as much processing as ground turmeric. However, you can purchase very high-quality organic ground turmeric and use that as a substitute as I know now everyone has access to the fresh stuff!
*It’s optional to add black pepper to your turmeric honey but listed as black pepper increases the nutritional availability of curcuminoids found in turmeric.
Turmeric honey with fresh turmeric: Peel the papery outer skin off a 1″-2″ piece of fresh turmeric root, use a micro plane, the small section of a box grater, or a sharp knife to very finely grate or mince the turmeric. Stir this into 1/4 cup fresh honey. Optional, add 1/2 teaspoon of fresh black pepper, 5-10 twists of your pepper mill! Store in the refrigerator for up to 3 weeks.
**CAUTION: Fresh turmeric root may temporarily stain your nails, hands, utensils, cutting boards and anything it comes into contact with an orange color!
Turmeric honey with ground turmeric: Measure 1-2 teaspoons of ground turmeric and stir into 1/4 cup honey, optionally add 1/2 teaspoon of fresh black pepper to the mix. Turmeric honey with ground turmeric may be stored at room temperature.
Next, we’ll touch on how to use this delicious turmeric honey!
Uses
The beauty of this turmeric honey is how simple it is to use– you can take it by the spoonful right out of the jar! It’s also great drizzled over yogurt, oatmeal, or added to smoothies. Slather it on toast, avocado toast, or your favorite sammie.
Or turn this into a turmeric honey immunity shot!
Place 2 tablespoons of apple cider vinegar OR lemon juice and 2 tablespoons of water into a glass and add 1 tablespoon of your turmeric honey to it. Stir well to incorporate and take your turmeric honey shot!
According to Healthline, one lemon may contain up to 92% of the recommended daily value for vitamin C!!
Benefits
The benefits of turmeric and honey are plenty including anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, and antibacterial properties. Both foods have been used for centuries as natural remedies for a variety of ailments.
Honey has been used as a natural cough suppressant for decades and has received growing endorsements as a cough remedy by national publications in recent years- such as WebMD, Healthline, CNN, and Medical News Today. It’s a superfood with a super-backing!
** Honey is not safe to give to children under 1-2 years of age. Check with your doctor regarding honey and your little ones!
Honey is believed to help both decrease the frequency of coughs and the severity of coughing for several reasons. It’s also used as a natural remedy for soothing sore, dry, or scratchy throats.
Raw honey has been studied for its antibacterial and antifungal qualities, and when taking a spoonful of honey those beneficial antibacterials and antifungals land exactly where you need them- your sore throat!
Along with its antibacterial properties, honey has a thick, syrupy consistency that may form a temporary protective shield over your irritated sore throat. Taking a spoonful of honey may also help with acid reflux for this same reason.
On to turmeric!
Turmeric is a rhizome, one that is wildly famous for its believed anti-inflammatory properties. Turmeric may be helpful with a variety of skin conditions- from psoriasis to eczema- and may help maintain proper blood sugar and cholesterol levels. It’s the anti-inflammatory assistance we’re after which comes from a compound in turmeric called curcumin.
Pairing turmeric with fresh black pepper and a dose of healthy fat is touted as the perfect trifecta- here’s why! Black pepper helps our bodies pull more of the beneficial curcuminoids from turmeric and fat may help our bodies maximize the absorption of curcumin.
Types of honey
Honey has a long list of benefits that we already touched on, but which type of honey is best? The grocery store is loaded with different types of honey all with different colors, textures, and benefits: Clove honey, manuka honey, raw honey, local honey, wildflower honey, and creamed honey.
The FDA doesn’t have strict standards or protocols on honey classification, thus many big commercial honey brands may have additives, sweeteners, preservatives, and processes in comparison to raw, local honey.
Raw, local, unpasteurized honey retains the beneficial micronutrient compounds that we expect from honey, such as pollen, small particles of wax, propolis, and honeycomb. Unpasteurized honey is believed to contain higher amounts of beneficial vitamins, minerals, and enzymes.
Look for local, raw, unpasteurized honey!
Your local farmers market or health food store is the best place to look for local, raw honey. If it’s winter and the farmers market isn’t open- check their website, you can usually find a vendor list online and purchase honey directly from a local apiary!
What about manuka honey? Manuka honey from New Zealand is promoted as a super honey with exceptional health benefits. It’s very expensive but believed to hold higher concentrations of beneficial compounds. We stick to local honey, but manuka honey may be of preference for you! There are plenty of resources online to further research.
Turmeric Honey + Health Shot!
Description
Hubba hubba, we gotta tell you… turmeric honey is seriously the bee’s knees! You can use fresh or ground turmeric to make this ultra flavorful and antioxidant boosing turmeric honey! This is a great natural cough remedy and anti-inflammatory!
Ingredients
- 1/4 cup honey, preferrably local, raw, unpastuerized honey
- 1–2” fresh turmeric root OR 1-2 teaspoons ground turmeric
- pinch of black pepper
Instructions
- If using fresh turmeric, use a spoon to peel the papery skin. Scrape the side of a spoon across the turmeric in a back and forth motion and the skin will peel away. Use a microplane of fine grater to shred the fresh turmeric.
- If using ground turmeric, measure 1-2 teaspoons.
- Stir turmeric into 1/4 cup honey and add a pinch of black pepper- this helps our bodies absorb the active compound called curcumin from the turmeric!
- Store in the fridge for 1-3 weeks. Fresh turmeric honey won’t last as long as ground turmeric honey.
