We were introduced to the benefits of drinking turmeric tea by our friend Varuni Kulasekera many years ago when she was importing high quality teas from Sri Lanka, India, China and Taiwan.
When we ordered a selection of teas she always included a packet of dried turmeric pieces and a few black peppercorns from which we would make a tea.
The reason for the black pepper is that the beneficial active ingredient of turmeric is curcumin (which is the most active ingredient and is a polyphenol and antioxidant) but curcumin is difficult for the human body to absorb without the presence of the alkaloid piperine which is one of the main components of black pepper.
This combination has long been a component of both Ayurvedic and traditional Chinese medicine.
There are scientific papers available that show that the rate of absorption into the body of curcurmin is increased by 10,000 times in the presence of piperine. The following article is a fairly sensible one published by the ABC which examines the effect of turmeric and talks about the absorption issue.
Evidence concerning effect of turmeric
We believe that there are a number of health benefits that stem from drinking this tea but we will leave you to do the research because we are not medical experts.
However, even if there weren’t health benefits we would drink it anyway because it tastes delicious.
For those of you who live in Hobart you can usually buy turmeric and ginger from Eumarrah.
Turmeric and Ginger Tea
4
servings5
minutes1
minuteIngredients
15 grams fresh ginger, peeled and grated
10 grams fresh turmeric, peeled and grated
10 black peppercorns
4 cups water
- Optional
Squeeze of lemon juice
Teaspoon of honey
Directions
- Place the grated ginger and turmeric in a tea pot or coffee plunger.
- Add the peppercorns or add a few gratings from a pepper mill.
- Boil the water and then pour it into the tea pot.
- Leave for approximately 4 minutes before pouring.
Notes
- We find that the addition of lemon juice is pleasant in the depths of winter when you may want to ward off a cold.
- If you find that the drink is too savoury for you then you could add a teaspoon or two of raw honey, however we have savoury tastes and rarely add sweeteners.
