Here is a wonderful recipe for a ginger and turmeric tea. We were given the recipe at a dinner with friends.  We loved its taste and started to make it ourselves. After months of drinking it without much critical thinking about why it was making us feel better, I decided to do a little research on its ingredients. Below is the recipe and a brief review of the impressive health benefits of the simple and common ingredients.

The main ingredient is fresh ginger root. Ginger has been known for hundreds of years to decrease nausea particularly nausea associated with motion sickness and the morning sickness of pregnancy.

It has also been shown to improve asthma, joint pain and recently there has been evidence about its ability to lessen the mental decline associated with aging.

Fresh turmeric root is the second ingredient. Turmeric is found in curry powders. The active ingredient is curcumin. A review of the studies on turmeric was conducted by the University College Medical School in London and they found that turmeric has been found to:

• Have strong anti-inflammatory and antioxidant qualities
• Nourish the good bacteria in your intestines (prebiotic qualities)
• Improve digestion
• Improve liver, respiratory, and blood sugar regulation problems

The next ingredient is cinnamon. A recent article in The Proceedings of the Nutrition Society gives evidence that cinnamon helps to regulate blood sugar, lowers cholesterol, decreases body fat  and increases lean muscle mass.
The final ingredients are cloves, peppercorns, anise and cardamon.

Ginger Turmeric Cinnamon Tea
Bring two quarts of water to a boil. When boiling, add all the ingredients below and turn off the heat.  Allow to steep in the hot water for 30 minutes and then drain. Can serve cold or hot. Sweeten to taste if needed and store unused portion in refrigerator for future use.
Ingredients:
• Fresh ginger root about the size of 1/2 your hand, wash and cut longitudinally in 1/2 inch wide strips
• Fresh turmeric root, about one third as much as the ginger root, also cut in longitudinal strips
• 6 cinnamon sticks
• 2 teaspoons of cardamon
• 10 cloves
• 10 peppercorns
• 10 anise (comes in little stars)

That is it. Let it steep in the hot water 30 minutes, stir, drain, and enjoy.
The traditional foods contain wisdom and nutritional value beyond all our imaginations. It is a welcome change to see our universities and medical centers embrace and begin to study these age old foods.