Eastern Wisdom Meets Western Science

Turmeric, ginger, peppercorns

I'm feeling under the weather this weekend so my foggy brain is digging around in the archives. I've been drinking my favorite cold remedy and thought I'd share the recipe with you. You aren't guaranteed not to get sick no matter how healthy you are, but you can take steps to shorten the length of your suffering.

Western medicine sends us off to the cold/flu aisle at the drugstore for something full of ingredients we can't pronounce when we don't feel well. Eastern tradition tells us we might be better off in the spice aisle at the grocery. 

 Right before my daughter's wedding she came down with a dreadful cold. My friend, and fellow blogger The Food Maven sent me a recipe for a cure. It seems her mother was traveling in Ireland and was in a pub with a cold (her, not the pub). The owner, a man from India, suggested a spoonful of turmeric and honey. Mommy Maven followed the advice and was all better the next day! My daughter got better so I never did make it. Earlier this week I was feeling a bit under the weather myself and decided to try it out, but you know I had to do some research first.

I came across many variations on several websites, they all seem to differ slightly. I liked one posted by blogger Arun Shanbhag, who remembers his grandmother making this for him.

I prefer to cook it on the stove

Here is the link to his blog post: Turmeric Milk: Soothing Elixir, in which he explains the history and science behind this potion. I changed a couple of things. I'm a firm believer in the power of green tea (Read about the health benefits here) so I made power packed infusion (1 family size tea bag to 1/4 C. water) to mix the turmeric in instead of water. I didn't have fresh ginger on hand but I did have some of the dried/candied sort, and I used coconut milk because dairy products are known to increase mucus production, something we are trying to lessen, and have other negative side effects for many. In an update on his site Arun added this comment: "Scientists have demonstrated that when curcumin is ingested along with a peppercorn extract, the ability of our body to absorb and utilize curcumin increases dramatically, up to 2000%. "

I made a cup complete with peppercorns and took it at bedtime. I woke up feeling much better, and yes--energized! So I'm a convert. The dried ingredients premixed would make a great gift for a friend who's suffering from a cold. The fact that it's home made and wasn't concocted by a pharmaceutical company is comforting in its own way. Here's my version but the internet is full of ways to tweak it; find one that you like.

The Housewife's Recipe:

1/4 C of very strong green tea
1/2 ts turmeric

Power it up with peppercorns! Delicious!

1 ts candied ginger
1 ts honey
a few peppercorns, whole
a mug of coconut milk

Dissolve turmeric in hot green tea, add to milk with ginger, honey, and peppercorns and stir over medium heat until hot. Let sit for 5 minutes before drinking.

Cheers to your health!

*Of course if you have a fever or cough that doesn't go away you should see a doctor.

My First Honey Harvest

 If you've been paying attention then you will know that over the course of the spring and summer, and into the fall a little miracle has taken place.

Miracles take place all the time of course, but in our busy lives we often forget how miraculous the world is.

Wondrous and sometimes magical even. That was the main lesson I learned from the hive this year. 

I was hoping for a little honey. I hoped it would taste okay. I hoped I didn't ruin it somehow....

Such a lot of worry for something designed to make life sweeter.
In the end the bees and I kept our agreement. I tended them and they tended the honey. I was surprised to get 2 1/2 gallons which (aside from what I ate right off the frame) came to 24 half pint jars, 2 quart jars, and an extra pint for us to eat right away. I'd say for my first beekeeping season, my girls and I did alright. Looking forward to another hive and more honey next year...SWEET.