It makes your curries delectable and your soups sing, but did you know this amazingly healthy spice has uses well beyond the culinary?
Here are 6 Unusual Uses for Turmeric:
1. DIY Makeup
If you’ve ever spilled curry on your clothes, you know it can stain. Put that staying power to good use by adding it to your homemade or store-bought beauty products. A dash of turmeric in your base foundation gives you a bit more of a sunny glow. Add it to your DIY lip balm to brighten up any dark tint, like cacao or red clay. If you want to look like you got kissed by the sun, add a dash to your moisturizer – but not too much or you’ll look like you’re impersonating a Minion.
2. Acne Treatment
Turmeric does a fantastic job of zapping zits and smoothing skin, thanks to its awesome anti-bacterial properties. Your best approach is to apply a turmeric mask made using a couple of tablespoons of gram flour (chickpea flour), a couple teaspoons of raw honey and a few pinches of turmeric. For a creamier facial experience, add in yogurt or coconut cream. Leave it for 15 – 20 minutes and rinse. It’s not just for acne-prone skin – it’s also good for wrinkles, psoriasis, and eczema.
3. Joint Relief
Turmeric has a reputation for reducing inflammation and pain, but it’s particularly good at relieving stiff joints. The best way to do this is by developing a healthy drinking habit – of Ayurvedic turmeric tea. Simmer turmeric in water with some cardamom pods. After about 10 minutes, add almond oil and a natural sweetener like honey or stevia. Many people also add milk to make this both healing and comforting. Here’s another turmeric tonic recipe to help kick inflammation to the curb.
4. Whiter Teeth
It seems counterintuitive that you’d put something so yellow on your yellow teeth, but it really works. Just add it to a homemade toothpaste of coconut oil and baking soda or you can just sprinkle a little on your store-bought natural stuff to brush away the yellow. It may not leave you with minty fresh breath, but at least you’ll get that little ting of sparkle coming off your teeth.
5. Liver Detox
We’ve lost count of the health benefits of turmeric but one that is super popular is to use it as a way to give your liver a reboot. Increasing your turmeric intake is one way to do this or you could go for the full detox cleanse experience by getting your hands on some turmeric root and juicing it into your daily green juices. Pair it with ginger juice and lemon juice for some high-voltage turmeric cleansing action!
6. Treat Allergies.
People swear by turmeric as an antidote to their allergy symptoms. Reports of relief from congestion to sinus pain to itchy eyes are common – this daily tonic seems to help it all. You might have to pinch your nose a bit with this one. Dissolve half a teaspoon of turmeric powder (the fresher, the better) and a half a teaspoon of organic coconut oil in a cup of hot water. Some people also like to add some black pepper to the mix, but that’s up to you. You may want to add a natural sweetener to help the medicine go down.
There’s a good reason that turmeric is featured prominently in Ayurvedic medicine. It’s full of healing power and it tastes great too. We love to put it on our faces, in our hair, on our teeth and of course, in our smoothies.
We bet once you’ve tried it, you’ll never think of it as just a spice again.
