You could argue no spice has been analysed more than turmeric. This is especially true for its polyphenolic constituent, curcumin. There are more than 11,700 references to it on the National Library of Medicine’s bibliographic database, showing how it has been identified as an aid in healing 800 diseases in animal and in vitro studies.

It’s more than just a little bit good for you but at BALANCE HQ, we like to delve deeper. So, what makes curcumin an Ayurvedic cure-all:

ON YOUR SIDE
Curcumin’s bioactivity helps fight inflammation to such an extent, it rivals some anti-inflammatory drugs, yet doesn’t suffer from the same side effects. It’s still worth checking anything with your doctor before testing this out on yourself, though.

SMART FLAVOURS
People who took just 90mg of curcumin twice daily for 18 months improved their working memory by a staggering 28%, found a paper at the University of California. Don’t be afraid to get heavy handed with this spice rack staple.

HEALING TOUCH
If you scald yourself during cooking, add curcumin to a gel then rub into the sore area to get relief, says a paper in BioDiscovery. A true jack of all trades.

HEAL YOUR HURTS
Curcumin dulls the biological mechanisms that spark inflammation in your tendons, so effectively it can be used to help treat cases of tendinitis.

POWERFUL THOUGHTS
Adding 1g of curcumin per day to your diet helps improve memory in people with early diabetes and the elderly. Use it to smarten up quick smart.

Convinced? Harness the potency of curcumin’s power by following this recipe and tapping into it’s anti-inflammatory, antioxidant and antimicrobial properties to supercharge your health.

TURMERIC PEPPER MILK
Makes 1 big cup, ready in 10 minutes

Ingredients
• 1½ tsp black peppercorns
• 250ml pure coconut milk
• 100ml filtered water
• 1 tbsp grated fresh turmeric root or
1 tsp ground turmeric
• 1 tsp grated fresh ginger root
• 2 tsp coconut blossom nectar
• Pinch of sea salt

1. Dry-toast the black peppercorns over a medium heat until they become aromatic. Crush them in a pepper grinder or pestle and mortar.

2. Bring the coconut milk and water to a light simmer, then add the turmeric, ginger, coconut blossom nectar and salt. Simmer and stir for five minutes until well infused.

3. Filter the tonic through a fine mesh sieve, add the crushed black pepper to the mixture and serve.

Recipe extracted from Tonic: Delicious and Natural Remedies To Boost Your Health by Tanita de Ruijt (Hardie Grant, £12.99)