Turmeric has taken over the spotlight in the last few years as a spice or supplement with super powers. While many think it is the newest thing to hit the shelves, this potent root has actually had a huge following for thousands of years. A member of the ginger family, cooks and healers in Asia and India have been familiar with turmeric’s healing properties and use in cooking since approximately 2000 BC.
The main beneficial component of turmeric is the phytochemical curcumin. It works in tandem with a volatile oil called turmerone among others. Along with the antioxidant properties, additional health benefits of taking turmeric may include:
- Reduced anxiety
- Eased arthritis and joint pain
- Soothing relief for stomach issues
- Balancing blood sugar
- Improving lipid profiles
- Brain, cardio, and tissue health
The downside is that the taste of turmeric on its own can cause many people to avoid taking it. When used in cooking, it may lose some of its beneficial properties. It needs to be combined with a carrier as well as something like quercetin to gain the most rewards from its use.
Related: DIY SHTF Healing Salve
These turmeric drops are our answer to this problem. Enjoy!
Ingredients
- 1/3 cup ground turmeric (approximately 5 ½ Tbsp)
- 1 Tbsp quercetin powder
- 3 Tbsp binding agent: raw honey OR Coconut oil OR Grass-fed ghee butter
- 1/8 tsp ground ginger
- 1/8 tsp ground black pepper
Directions
Wear protective clothing and cover anything that may become discolored – turmeric causes stains if you’re not careful.
- Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and place in the freezer to chill.
- If your binding agent is thick, you can put it in a small saucepan over the lowest heat setting until it is of a pourable consistency.
- In a small mixing bowl, stir together the turmeric, quercetin, pepper, and ginger. Pour in the binding agent and mix thoroughly until you have a mixture that you can use to form pills or small balls.
- If you’re using honey, it will be easy to pinch off pea-sized drops and roll into small balls. For coconut oil or ghee, you may need to use a small spoon or scoop to form the drops. Whichever you’re using, place the drops/pills onto baking sheet you previously chilled.
- Place the baking sheet with drops back into the freezer and allow to freeze until firm.
- Once frozen, remove drops from the sheet and put in a freezer storage bag or container and keep in the freezer.
You can use these turmeric drops as needed. Keep in mind that there is fat and/or sugar in the mixture, so you won’t want to overindulge. As with any additive, diet, or supplement, it is advisable to discuss it with your physician before use.
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Just wondering if these turmeric “drops” can simply be freeze dried and then vacuum packed for long term viability. High fat content doesn’t freeze dry well. Most conventionally powered freezers won’t do well when the SHTF either. Although I do have a natural gas standby generator (whole house) I’m not sure natural gas delivery will continue in the worst case scenario either!
While this is a good article and gives you another way to take turmeric, why go to all that trouble and then have to store them in the freezer? We simply buy turmeric in bulk from a local health food store and then just pack it in gelatin capsules, also available at the store or online. We also pack black pepper in some capsules to take with the turmeric. There is something about the black pepper that makes the turmeric work better. In about 30 minutes of packing, we’ll have enough capsules of both for a couple of months for two people. No refrigeration or freezing needed.
need to know what plants are safe to use.
thanks for not havein a bunch of adds to go through to this .
How can one obtain a uniform dose with this method? Perhaps not absolutely precise, but reasonably uniform.
I get a pretty uniform dose by adding ground black pepper to a bag of turmeric, which is then evenly stirred/dispersed throughout the bag. I then put it in 500mg capsules, & take 10 caps per day, with food containing some type of fat (also for increased absorbtion).
It’s the only reason I can still work out with weights like I do at a local gym (I’m 69). How do I know? If I stop taking it for a week I find out how bad my Osteoarthritis feels without it.
I also take whatever more I wish to add, as golden milk etc.
The only negative side effect for turmeric is yellow fingers, whiskers & clothing if I’m not careful when I’m watching T.V. & filling the capsules.
Very good comment. I also have the turmeric in bulk and the capsule machine. Have been using the golden paste for awhile now with good results. Great tip about the pepper. On my to do list now. Thanx. 😉
Get some of those nitrile gloves like the ones in a medical kit, that keep your fingers clean.
I had never heard of quercetin powder so I just looked it up. WebMD had the easiest to read info. It is known to cause some serious side effects with prescription meds by increasing the effects of some Rx while decreasing others. It can also cause kidney damage if taken in high doses. 500mg is the recommended dose of quercetin powder per day. 500mg is about 1/10th of a teaspoon. This recipe calls for 1 tablespoon which is equivalent to 3 teaspoons or 30 times the daily recommended dose. If the recipe makes at least 30 pills, one per day is all anyone should take with the quercetin in it. If it makes less than 30, you could be getting more quercetin than is recommended. I’m not trying to be an alarmist. I’m just trying to give you all a heads up on something that could do more harm than good.
Thank you for the “heads up”.
It’s the Piperine in the black powder that causes increased absorbtion of the Turmeric. I add ground black pepper to my bulk Turmeric so it can go into the same capsules with the turmeric, rather than have to cap the pepper seperately
By the way, some type of fat is also reputed to increase absorbtion of Turmeric, as does cooking it, which is how it is traditionally used in India. “Golden Milk” is another easy &enjoyable way to ingest turmeric, that I especially enjoy in the colder months. Various recipes for Golden Milk can be found online.
Does wonders for my arthritis.
Silly me! I never thought about mixing the two together.
Is there a ratio of tumeric to black powder?
I keep it simple with a 1 to 1 ratio. I may not need that much pepper but it isn’t going to hurt anything.
Using this recipient, how many mg of Turmeric would be in each drop and what would the % of Curcumin be per drop?
Good alternate way to take in turmeric, and etc. For some other more lightweight regular maintenance methods, I opt to just sprinkle organic turmeric powder into/onto my daily foods. Examples; Soft fried egg sandwich; I sprinkle org. turmeric powder on both slices of bread, and then sprinkle organic ground black pepper, org. garlic granules, then org. red pepper. Read that the black pepper helps the function of the turmeric, that garlic helps to purify the blood, and the red pepper heals mucous membranes.., and any membranes burned by the black pepper. I often have a bowl of chili beans, sometimes with brown rice, and I always add those above four ingredients. I guess the total amounts of those four ingredients is about a level teaspoon worth. altogether for the chili, but about half that for my egg sandwich. The idea of just adding those ingredients to any foods that seem recipe compatible are just good for us, I think. Works with any soup, but also with so much more.., experiment, and adjust the flavors with a splash of true soy sauce, etc. I even use those four ingredients sprinkled on top of my pasta sauce. It’s just good to maintain these four ingredients in any food that you think can be compatible. Hence I won’t be making any ‘drops’, tinctures, or stuffing caps since I get a low daily dose in my foods.., just a few shakes of those little bottles to get that stuff onto my food. Well.., good health to everyone.
I like the making your own capsule idea. Light weight and no freezing necessary. Great for end of world scenario.
I’ve been just stirring a teaspoon of powdered turmeric into my tea or coffee every morning for about 3 months, and have noticed that my joints are hardly hurting at all, even after several hours of weeding. I had run out of my very expensive hyaluronic acid preparation, and just reached for the turmeric. Come to think of it, I’ve had no digestive difficulties since then, either. It will be interesting to see what my lipids look like at my annual checkup. Hard to assess the anxiety levels; craziness abounds everywhere.
This is a nice, clear, easy-to-digest (ahem, npi) article!