For over 5 years, I start my day with my immune boosting turmeric tea. If you follow me on Instagram, you already know my love turmeric tea and turmeric latte. After so many requests from you, I am finally putting together the ultimate Immune Boosting Turmeric Tea recipe that I have perfected over the years.
Turmeric has been used in Ayurveda as a medicine for centuries to treat wounds, infections, colds, liver diseases and other health issues. The curcumin compound found in turmeric is majorly responsible for its healing properties. Research has proven that curcumin is a powerful antioxidant and has anti-inflammatory, antibacterial and anti-fungal properties.
I always add black pepper in my turmeric tea and lattes, and here’s why.
On its own, turmeric is notorious for having poor bioavailability, meaning it is not well-absorbed by the body. However, black pepper contains the bioactive compound piperine, which is known to boost the absorption of curcumin by ~2000 per cent (source). So to improve curcumin’s bioavailability, black pepper should always be used with turmeric in every recipe.
In addition to improving the absorption of turmeric, black pepper also has antibacterial, antioxidant, and anti-inflammatory benefits making it a valuable addition to this tea.
Another ingredient I add to this immune boosting herbal tea is ginger.
Ginger has also been used in medicine for its antimicrobial effects, anti-inflammatory properties and its ability to boost our immune system. I am not saying it, research has shown that ginger may prevent the growth of viruses. Additionally, it is a powerful natural antihistamine and decongestant that helps fight cold and flu.
Who doesn’t love cinnamon? Adding cinnamon to anything makes it better, I love its aroma. That’s why I add cinnamon to my herbal tea too. However, that’s not the only reason why I add cinnamon. This antioxidant packed superfood is full of beneficial compounds that may offer various health benefits, including aiding weight loss, reducing inflammation and blood sugar levels, improving heart health, and even alleviating menstrual cramps.
Coconut oil is another star ingredient in this tea. Having healthy fats in the morning boosts your energy levels and helps your body utilize critical vitamins and nutrients that make your body run. It also helps to regulate your blood sugar level and keeps you satiated throughout the day. Coconut oil is loaded with fats called medium-chain triglycerides (MCTs) that speeds up your metabolism and keep your digestive system healthy. Therefore, I prefer to add it to my morning tea.
Dr. Michael and Dr. Mary Eades in their book Good Calories, Bad Calories write about the role that saturated fats found in coconut oil play in immune health stating that the “loss of sufficient saturated fatty acids in the white blood cells hampers their ability to recognize and destroy foreign invaders, such as viruses, bacteria, and fungi”. Some studies also claim that having healthy fats from coconut oil is also a good way of keeping your body burning fat as a fuel source helping in weight loss. But don’t overdo it! Just a teaspoon of coconut oil is good enough and make sure it is – organic, cold-pressed and extra virgin. No compromises here.
The concoction of this turmeric tea can be changed depending on the weather (summer or winter), and whether you are consuming it for prevention purposes or as treatment. During summer, you need foods with more cooling properties. Hence, you can skip the ginger unless you have symptoms of cold or if you are having trouble with digestion, for which ginger helps and be easy with turmeric and black pepper too. On the contrary, during winter months, the combination of these herbs actually helps to retain body heat and makes you feel warmer. For me, I generally have all the ingredients all round the year as my body has the tendency to stay cool so I don’t have to worry about too much heat in the body.
Time to ditch your coffee and regular tea, and switch to this Immune Boosting Turmeric Herbal Tea in the morning for good health and for strong immunity. It actually tastes good too, thanks to cinnamon.
Of course, consuming ingredients that boost your immunity alone will not help. I am not a health expert, but over the years, because of my work, I have met several wellness and health experts and have learnt that good health and strong immunity is a combination of good sleep, stress management, nutrition, and maintaining a super-healthy microbiome. So make sure you follow a healthy lifestyle with a combination of all the above.
Without further ado, here’s the recipe of the immune boosting tea I swear by!
INGREDIENTS
- 1.5 cup water
- 1 teaspoon organic turmeric powder or 2-inch fresh turmeric grated
- 1/4 teaspoon organic cinnamon powder
- 1/2 teaspoon dried ginger powder or 1.5-inch fresh ginger grated
- 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
- 1 teaspoon organic cold-pressed coconut oil
METHOD
- Add all the ingredients, except the coconut oil, in a pot and bring to boil
- Once the water starts boiling, lower the flame and let it simmer for about a minute
- Now switch off the flame, let the tea sit in the pot for another minute
- In your cup add coconut oil, and now pour in the tea and give it a stir. You can pour the tea with a strainer or just as it is
- Drink it warm
