You’ve likely tried a home remedy or two in the past. Maybe you are looking for an alternative to traditional medicine. Maybe you prefer a natural approach to healing.
Chances are, you’ve used a few remedies that include honey, turmeric, or both.
These two ingredients have been used for their medicinal properties for thousands of years. Recently they regained their popularity among consumers. Both turmeric and honey are inexpensive options that claim to heal a variety of ailments.
These range from the common cold to an upset stomach to cuts and wounds. With strong antioxidant and anti-inflammatory compounds, it’s easy to see why.
Antioxidant and Antibiotic Properties
Turmeric and honey get their medicinal properties from their antioxidant and antibiotic compounds.
For turmeric, that’s curcumin, a curcuminoid that helps to block inflammation and protect against free radicals.
Curcumin provides both anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties while honey acts as a strong antibiotic. The combination of both ingredients packs a hearty punch that can be more effective than some medications.
Turmeric and Honey
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Health Benefits of Turmeric
Turmeric is a popular spice in Indian cuisine that has also been used as a medicinal herb for centuries.
Turmeric’s healing properties can be linked to curcumin. Curcumin is the active ingredient in turmeric.
It provides powerful anti-inflammatory and antioxidant effects. Turmeric also works well as an anti-septic and anti-fungal. This can help to protect and heal various skin conditions (1).
Chronic inflammation can harm your health. If it’s not addressed, it can result in various conditions, including heart disease, cancer, and Alzheimer’s disease.
Curcumin helps reduce inflammation and has been shown to help reduce the risk of these diseases. However, high levels in the diet are needed to make a difference. Combining turmeric with a healthy diet, rich in plant foods, is likely more effective for inflammation than turmeric alone [2].
Below are some of the most notable health benefits of turmeric:
- Anti-inflammatory
- Reduce the risk of heart disease (3)
- Antioxidant
- Reduce cancer risk (4)
- Anti-septic/anti-fungal
- Can help treat Alzheimer’s disease (5)
Health Benefits of Honey
Honey is known worldwide for its benefits when it comes to fighting infections, but it can do so much more. It has also been used to help treat or reduce allergy symptoms, and improve heart health, blood sugar, and more.
Honey contains powerful antibiotic properties that can be used on the skin or in foods.
It has been used for thousands of years to help treat wounds, cuts, and burns. Studies have found honey to be beneficial in treating partial-thickness wounds and infected surgical wounds.
Like turmeric, honey contains antioxidant compounds, including flavonoids and phenolic acids (6).
Tumeric and Honey: How to Use Them
To get the most out of these ingredients, it’s important to be sure to choose the right variety.
Darker varieties of honey tend to be more antioxidant-rich than lighter varieties. If you are looking to use honey to help with allergy symptoms, you should consider local honey. If you are planning to use it for its wound healing properties, you might consider Manuka honey (7).
Curcumin is found in turmeric in small amounts and is poorly absorbed. To help with absorption, take turmeric with black pepper.
Black pepper is rich in piperine, a compound that can increase the absorption of curcumin by up to 2,000%. Curcumin is also fat-soluble. If you are taking supplemental turmeric, plan to have it with a high-fat meal. (8).
Combining both honey and turmeric enhances the antibiotic properties of both ingredients.
To combine them, simply mix 1 teaspoon of turmeric with ¼ cup of raw honey, and a pinch of ground black pepper.
Incorporate other anti-inflammatory ingredients for flavors, such as ginger or lemon. You can add this to tea or take it straight.
Bottom Line
Turmeric and honey are inexpensive ingredients that have been used for their medicinal properties for years.
Both ingredients contain antibiotic, anti-inflammatory, and antioxidant properties that can help to heal a variety of ailments.
Combining these two ingredients enhances these properties. If you are looking for a natural approach to reduce inflammation, improve digestion, or heal a wound, give this combination a try. It is, after all, nature’s most potent antibiotic.
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