Turmeric - what is it? This is a spicy aromatic, as well as a medicinal plant. It belongs to the ginger family. The plant has more than fifty species, of which only three are grown on an industrial scale for the production of spices and medicines.
Historical facts
When the famous Italian traveler Marco Polo discovered an amazing plant in South China, he was extremely intrigued. Turmeric - what is it? The fact is that this is a plant that has the color and smell of a real saffron.
Turmeric is revered by the Indians. These people associate the plant with fertility. Not a single Indian wedding ceremony is complete without turmeric. According to tradition, the groom ties a thread, previously lubricated with paste from this plant, around the bride's neck. Turmeric is also used in Malaysia. In this country, paste from it drive away evil spirits from women in labor, lubricating the stomach. A tool is also used to treat the umbilical cord after childbirth.
In Europe, spice became known in the mid-fourteenth century. Arab merchants brought it from India. Due to the properties of turmeric, similar to saffron, it was given a second name - Indian saffron. The spice, which has a pleasant aroma and a burning taste, was liked by the inhabitants of the European continent because of its ability to give yellow color and a warm aroma to various dishes.
Turmeric - what is it translated from Latin? It is believed that the name of the plant comes from the words terra merita. Translated into Russian, this means "the dignity of the land."
Biological characteristics of the plant
Turmeric grows in areas located up to one and a half thousand meters above sea level. For a normal existence, she needs a temperature of twenty to thirty degrees. Loves the plant and high humidity. In places of its landing, the average annual rainfall should be more than one and a half thousand millimeters. If moisture is not enough, then irrigation systems are used to ensure the normal growth of turmeric. Soils for growing crops can be any. However, the plant gives particular preference to silty, as well as well-drained sandy loams.
Harvesting raw materials
The used part of the plant is its rhizome. They dig it out seven to nine months after planting. Then the raw material is further processed. Rhizomes are boiled in water or a one percent solution of calcium bicarbonate for forty-five to sixty minutes. It is important to do this procedure on time - no more than two to three days should pass after harvesting the rhizomes. Softened raw materials are dried under the influence of sunlight.
In the future, the appearance of rhizomes is improved by polishing. In order for the surface to become a bright yellow color, they resort to a little trick: ten minutes before the end of the polishing process, corn flour is added to the drum.
Structure
What is turmeric good for? The plant has a beneficial effect on the human body due to its rich composition, which includes:
- useful macrocells (potassium and iodine, phosphorus and magnesium, sodium and potassium);
- trace elements necessary for the body (manganese and selenium, iron and zinc, as well as copper);
- valuable vitamins belonging to group B (thiamine, pyridoxine, folic acid, thiamine), as well as E, K, C, PP and choline.
In addition, the following substances were found in turmeric:
- starch;
- curcumin;
- essential oils;
- sabinen;
- o-fellandren;
- scingiberen;
- B-curcumin.
Healing properties
What is turmeric good for? This plant is included in the list of the most powerful natural medicines created by nature itself. It has been used in India for more than two and a half thousand years as an anti-inflammatory agent.
Turmeric - what is it for humans? This is truly a miracle of nature, which is useful in the treatment of many ailments.
Turmeric is a natural antiseptic, as well as an antibacterial agent. These plant properties are used in the treatment of burns and cuts. Turmeric is a spice that can protect against lung cancer, as well as from malignant breast tumors. Its combination with cauliflower helps prevent prostate cancer. Powdered turmeric, included in the daily diet, slows the progression of an ailment such as Alzheimer's. This effect of the spice is due to its ability to remove amyloid plaques in the brain. Turmeric is a great natural liver detoxifier. Useful spice for children. It reduces their risk of leukemia.
Turmeric is recommended to prevent melanoma and destroy its already formed cells. Spice prevents the spread of metastases in various forms of oncology. Healing roots are also used as a natural anti-inflammatory agent that does not have side effects.
Turmeric is also considered promising for slowing the development of multiple sclerosis. Healing spice is useful for controlling body weight, as it takes an active part in the metabolism of fats. Turmeric exhibits healing properties in relieving depression. Thanks to its anti-inflammatory effect, it is effective in eliminating arthritis, including rheumatoid. Turmeric and cancer patients undergoing chemotherapy are recommended. The inclusion of spices in the diet enhances the therapeutic effect of radiation and reduces the negative impact of the medicines used. Turmeric also has healing properties for skin diseases. Its use is recommended to alleviate the condition of patients with psoriasis. Spice brings relief in many other inflammatory diseases of the skin. In addition, turmeric helps accelerate wound healing.
The use of the root for medicinal purposes
How to take turmeric to those who, with its help, decided to get rid of the disease? The healing root is equally good in tablets or in powder form. In stores selling foods for a healthy diet, turmeric is also sold in capsules of two hundred fifty to five hundred milligrams each. With regular use of the healing root, it can be used for cooking. A pinch of spice will give the dish a rich yellow color and a pleasant aroma.
Turmeric powder is recommended as an external remedy for bruises, hemorrhoids, ulcers and wounds. In this case, it is desirable to mix it with honey.
Reception of a healing root is possible in the form of water infusion or milk broth. But it is best to take it in the form of spices added to food. In this case, a single dose is a volume of 0.5-1 grams.
In the case when turmeric is used to get rid of mycoses, liquid gruel is made from its root. For this, the crushed raw materials are poured with ordinary water. After infusing the mixture for two to three hours, the lesions are lubricated with it.
For oral administration, a decoction of turmeric is useful. In this case, the daily dosage of healing powder is ten grams.
Golden milk
Turmeric root is useful to take once a year in a course designed for forty days. To achieve a greater therapeutic effect, it is better to prepare a healing seasoning with milk.
For a medicinal drug take fifty grams of spice. You can buy it at grocery stores. Half a glass of water is added to the powder. The resulting slurry is put on fire and cooked for five to seven minutes with continuous stirring. As a result, a brown paste is obtained from the original bright yellow mixture. After cooling, the product should be placed in a glass jar and placed in the refrigerator. The resulting volume is enough to undergo a forty-day treatment course.
Golden milk from turmeric is made using a paste prepared in advance from the healing root. Prepare it just before bedtime. To do this, boil a glass of milk and add a teaspoon of pasta to it. A quarter of 1 tsp will not hurt the drug. almond oil (available at the pharmacy). Before consuming “golden milk”, put a teaspoon of honey in your mouth. The paste remaining at the bottom of the glass is additionally stirred and also drunk.
Tasty “golden milk” from turmeric will provide you a pleasant and relaxing sleep. Taking the drug will restore the capillary vascular network, cleansing it of salts. Healing milk will help with arthritis. It will improve complexion and rejuvenate the skin.
Milk and honey can be replaced with oatmeal milk and stevia syrup. Instead of almond oil, unrefined sesame or olive oil can be used. Milk can even be replaced with water. Turmeric is not recommended for gallstones.
Healing root extract
To get rid of various ailments, a therapeutic agent from turmeric can be purchased in the pharmacy network. It has a large number of beneficial properties for the body. Turmeric extract can improve the functioning of choleretic organs. This healing agent prevents the occurrence of oncology and helps to improve digestion. Turmeric root extract improves the functioning of the heart muscle and can eliminate joint pain. Use it and for various problems with the liver.
Turmeric oil
By steam distillation of dry, chopped medicinal roots, a delicious product is obtained. This is aromatic turmeric essential oil. Distillation, as a rule, is carried out either in the country where the plant is cultivated, or in the place where it is exported. An amazing spice oil has a yellow-orange color due to the presence of a natural dye - curcumin. The oil has a fresh spicy smell and a bitter taste. Use it in the cosmetic industry. The product is especially in demand in the manufacture of perfumes with spicy oriental aromas. They use a unique oil in aromatherapy as an excellent antibacterial agent.
Turmeric in cosmetology
The healing spice is considered feminine. And it’s easy to explain. A large number of various cosmetic products can be prepared from it. So, a mask of turmeric is recommended for the treatment of foci of inflammation on the skin. In this case, the healing root shows its bactericidal qualities and allows you to achieve the effect of light lifting.
There are several recipes for masks from turmeric. To rejuvenate the skin, a mixture is prepared from turmeric, milk and honey taken in equal proportions (1 tsp). The components should be mixed thoroughly. The mask is applied to clean skin and should be removed after thirty minutes. Already after three procedures, which are preferably performed in the evening hours, a noticeable result will be obtained - the complexion will even out, and the inflammation will noticeably subside. Masked honey can be replaced with almond oil or aloe juice.
For problematic skin, it is recommended to use the second recipe. To prepare an anti-inflammatory mask, it is necessary to mix in equal proportions black clay, softened in a small amount of water, and turmeric. The mask is applied to clean skin and removed after fifteen minutes. The number of procedures per week should be no more than four. General course - eight masks.
A wonderful body scrub can be made from turmeric. It will create a magnificent effect, as it helps exfoliate dead skin cells, while moisturizing and smoothing it. To prepare the product, take half a glass of sugar, 1 tsp. turmeric, add any essential oil (a few drops) to the mixture. The resulting scrub needs to massage the body during water procedures, avoiding damaged areas.
From turmeric, you can cook a very effective way to get rid of acne. To do this, you need 1 tsp. spices and water. The components are mixed to a paste, applied to the face before bedtime and are not removed until the morning.
Cooking Application
Turmeric rhizomes, ground into the smallest powder, have long been used as a spice. The spice has a bitter, slightly burning taste and a delicate pleasant aroma.
Turmeric is used simultaneously as a spice and as a food coloring. Moreover, it is included in the composition of various mixtures. An example of this is curry spice. In Indian cuisine, turmeric is present in almost all dishes - vegetable and meat. Add it to potatoes and beans.
It is impossible to imagine Central Asian cuisine without turmeric. Chefs of Uzbekistan add aromatic spices to boiled lamb, pilaf and rice porridge. In Tajikistan, turmeric serves as a colorant for sugary drinks. Azerbaijani culinary experts invariably add aromatic spice in the preparation of pilaf. At the same time, seasonings are scanty. For one serving it needs a little, literally on the tip of the knife.
India imports fragrant spices in the countries of America and Europe. But most of all, the British prefer to add turmeric to their dishes. It is in this country that fragrant spice is a traditional ingredient in salads and sauces, omelettes and mashed soups. Improves turmeric flavor of chicken and meat dishes.
Often the spice is used in confectionery. There, it serves as a dye for marinades and liquors. The same properties of turmeric are used in the production of mustard, oils and cheeses. In addition to the beautiful color, the spice gives the food freshness.
Sometimes turmeric is confused with saffron. These condiments are similar in color. However, saffron, which is the dried stigmas of crocus flowers, has a more saturated color. Moreover, it has an aroma that is not peculiar to turmeric.