ANTI-INFLAMMATORY GOLDEN MILK

(With special thanks to Vince Lombardi!)

My friend, Vince shared this with me almost 7 years ago. I started using it, and in a couple of weeks, I noticed how my hands and feet had stopped hurting…almost completely! Before that, I had basically learned to live with almost continual pain in both hands and both feet all the time. I  have also proven to myself that this stuff, when I  use it properly each and every day, keeps me from getting diverticulitis. I am also convinced it boosts my immune system incredibly, because I don’t get colds, the flu, etc., even when it’s all around me. I will also tell you that I tried, on several occasions, to take turmeric pills or capsules…even the ones with black pepper….to replace this mixture, but it wasn’t nearly as effective! In a few days, my pain would return, and on two different trials of the oral medication, I actually got diverticulitis.

This recipe is actually doubled from the original. I guess it lasts me a bit more than 3 weeks. Most research says that turmeric has to be heated to be effective, and it should be mixed with black pepper to make it more bioavailable to our bodies. Ginger is added here for its anti-inflammatory properties as well as its flavor.

 Ingredients:

• 4 cups of filtered water
• 1/2 cup of turmeric powder (I use organic or high quality brand turmeric powder)
• 4 TBS of dried ginger powder (optional, add more or less to taste, another great anti-inflammatory)
• 2  teaspoons of ground black pepper
  
  
• 1 cup honey (raw, organic and unfiltered)

Directions

Step 1: The Concentrate

1. Bring water to a boil in a sauce pan – then turn to slow boil.
2. Add all ingredients to slow boiling water, except for honey, and mix well.
3. Maintain a slow boil and stir periodically as the mixture thickens a bit.
4. IMPORTANT:  It is important that the water slow boil / cook for about 20-22 minutes to allow the curcumin to go from 1% in solution to 12% in a bio-available solution. You may notice that every few minutes, you will need to drop the heat back a bit, since the bubbling can create quite a mess on the stove around your pot.
5. After 22 minutes, turn off the heat, allow the mixture to cool to lukewarm, and add the 1/2 cup honey, and mix well. 
6. Place in a 1 quart glass mason jar and allow to cool then store in refrigerator. (Note: I usually stir the mixture really wall, and then run it through a larger mesh strainer before putting it in the jar, just to be sure there are no large lumps.)

Step 2: Golden Milk (good hot or cold!)
Ingredients:

• 1 cup of almond milk (I use an unsweetened organic almond/coconut milk)
• 2  TBS (tablespoon) of the turmeric-honey concentrate from mason jar (provides nearly a tsp of turmeric– stir before dispensing from mason jar).
• 1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
• 1 tsp. organic agave syrup

Note here that I have, for the last couple of years, doubled up the mixture in my almond milk each morning. So, I use the same 8 oz of almond milk, but I mix it with about 4 tablespoons of the golden milk mix. I stopped using the vanilla and agave some time ago, because I found I really don’t mind the taste of the golden milk at all, and I can save calories and money!