Turmeric Milk: Benefits and side effects

In olden times, queens used to bathe in turmeric milk to keep their skin soft. Turmeric milk is considered as an excellent blood purifier and cleanser. It boosts blood circulation in the body and purifies the blood, which reflects in the form of clear and glowing skin. It cleanses the lymphatic system and the blood vessels from all the impurities.

Turmeric milk is highly beneficial for treating skin-related diseases like psoriasis, acne and eczema. Homemade turmeric is widely used to form turmeric milk since it gives flawless skin without any side-effects.

When mixed with warm milk, the antioxidant potential of turmeric milk enhances, which helps in reducing oxidative damage. Oxidative stress is responsible for age related changes in the structure of the skin and also leads to the manifestation of premature signs of ageing.

Turmeric milk, thus, makes the skin smooth, reduces fine lines, wrinkles and acne spurts. Other than drinking, you can also add a small amount of turmeric in milk and directly and apply on the skin to have a clearer complexion.

The yellow colour of turmeric not only adds flavour to the food but can also be used as an antiseptic for cuts and burns. Drinking turmeric milk helps in reducing pain and stiffness in the body and also induces better sleep. This is an effective remedy for cuts and burns and even for joint pains. It is said that drinking one glass of turmeric milk every day is all that is needed to get the best results.

Calcium is essential for strong and healthy bones and turmeric is a natural healer. So, turmeric milk has dual benefits for your bone health. Since ancient times, it has been used for improving bone strength and in the healing of fractures. Not only this, research evidence favours that turmeric milk may help in the prevention of osteoporosis, the risk of which is higher among postmenopausal women.

Osteoporosis is characterised by marked bone loss and an increased risk of fractures due to the softness of bones. Researchers found that the administration of curcumin-enriched turmeric extract enabled the prevention of bone loss by 50%. While these studies were performed on animal models and lack sufficient human claims, it is highly likely that drinking turmeric milk daily may help in relieving bone pain and in improving the process of healing.

Menstruation is often accompanied by mood swings, back pain and irritability, which is experienced before or during the menstrual cycle. Having turmeric milk helps women in the alleviation of menstrual cramps.

These effects are more pronounced when the consumption of turmeric milk begins two weeks prior to the beginning of the menstrual cycle. It is recommended to drink it twice daily.

Due to the antispasmodic effects of turmeric milk, it aids in the relaxation of smooth muscles of the digestive alleviating stomach cramps. If it does not completely relieve stomach pain during periods, it will surely help to reduce the severity of pain. Further, it also help to regulate blood flow and promotes the normalisation of the menstrual cycle. This can be attributed to its warm energetics.

Body weight is an issue among many but a glass of turmeric milk may help. Turmeric milk aids the digestion of fats and metabolization of fat molecules. Turmeric contains compounds which are responsible for exhibiting anti-inflammatory properties. This property of turmeric helps to suppress white adipose tissue inflammation, which is responsible for the manifestation of obesity.

Turmeric also regulates blood sugar levels, which prevents insulin resistance. As a result, excess fat is not retained in the body. People who are overweight are prone to type 2 diabetes, hence, drinking turmeric milk protects them from this diabetes as well.

Turmeric milk is ideal for relieving a multitude of digestive issues. It helps in improving the process of digestion. It also aids to relieve gas, bloating as well as heartburn resulting from a gastric reflux (backflow of stomach acids into the food pipe).

Turmeric milk stimulates bile production, which increases the flow of bile juices. It also aids in easy elimination of the bile from the body. All these mechanisms help in the process of digestion of fats.

Further, it aids in relieving common disorders of the digestive system such as stomach cramps, diarrhoea and constipation. It may also be helpful in cases of irritable bowel mechanisms. Other than this, it is a common remedy for indigestion.

Asthma is an inflammatory disease of the respiratory passages, causing them to swell. This causes narrowing of the air passage and is manifested by difficulty in breathing and the presence of a wheezing sound during exhalation. Several treatment modalities are available for the management of asthma but the addition of turmeric milk may prove to be beneficial.

Researchers have demonstrated that turmeric milk is a safe and efficacious for the management of bronchial asthma along with medications. Another set of studies have found turmeric milk to be efficacious in the management of sore throat. Sore throat is often caused due to bacterial infection with Streptococcal sp. So, turmeric milk can help in providing relief from a sore throat and in alleviating asthma symptoms.

Alzheimer’s disease is marked by memory loss and diminished abilities in performing everyday activities. It is more common among the elderly and immensely affects their quality of life.

Turmeric milk has been reported to prevent the onset of neurodegenerative disorders like Alzheimer’s. In those already affected, turmeric milk may help in delaying or reducing the progression of the disease. This is facilitated by the removal of amyloid plaque, which is responsible for the progression of the disease. This can be attributed to the presence of the compound called as curcumin, which is naturally present in turmeric milk.

The safety and tolerability of this compound is currently being studied for the case of mild and moderate Alzheimer’s. This will help in providing a clearer picture of its dosage and effectiveness in these patients.

Cancer refers to the uninhibited growth of abnormal body cells. This growth is aggravated by certain compounds, while other compounds may have a role in the inhibition of abnormal cell growth.

Curcumin, the active ingredient in turmeric has been demonstrated to be effective against cancerous cells. This can be attributed to its anti-inflammatory and antioxidant effects. Antioxidant properties help to prevent oxidative damage caused by free radicals, which is one of the mechanisms of cellular change in cancer. A glass of turmeric milk is indubitably not a cure for cancer but will most likely make your treatment process less painful.

AIDS or acquired immunodeficiency syndrome is characterised by marked immunosuppression, which makes the affected person prone to severe illnesses. Gradual wasting of the body tissues and repeated infections are the mechanisms responsible for fatality in AIDS.

With its antioxidant properties, turmeric milk may help in the prevention of these opportunistic infections. This will either help in improving the longevity of those affected or their quality of life.

In fact, researchers in Bangalore are working on seeing the effect of turmeric on the infected human cells. Turmeric extract has already been proved by them to kill HIV cells in laboratory settings but these cells tend to be different in the human host environment. The only known mechanism, for now, is the avoidance of infections in HIV patients.