**REVIEW** Ayurvedic Organic Golden Milk blend Tea Latte

Well, this is one of those columns that I'll be pulling out of my Drafts folder until I can write more posts. I'm currently too occupied with other stuff so do enjoy this.

This is the tea I treated myself to a couple of weeks back.

That is an  Ayurvedic Organic Golden Milk blend Tea Latte.

Fifteen bucks is a lot of money (for me) to pay for a 5-ounce bag of tea so this really was a treat.  On the other hand, I had already been adding turmeric (sometimes with Ceylon cinnamon) to my coffee and teas for a long while because I know that turmeric has a lot of health benefits. What I didn't know is that adding pepper to the turmeric and cinnamon helps the body better absorb the best properties of the spice.

Keep in mind that, whenever a product has any health benefits at all, people get carried away with making further claims about it. Something starts out being good for one thing and before too long someone is claiming it as a cure-all for every malady known to man. All I can attest to is that using turmeric makes me feel that I am doing something good for my body. You know, to counteract all the smoking and cussing.

If you really want to know the benefits, talk to your doctors.

I don't know about this "doc" but this is his graphic so...

(By the way, can we pause just for a moment to discuss the spelling of turmeric? Is it one of those weird Mandela Effects or has it always been TURmeric and not "TOO-mer-ic"? I could have sworn it was 'tumeric' all along. Grammarly disagrees with me and so do the dictionaries I checked. Weird.)

Anyway.

Since I am not a fan of anything too spicy, I was worried about the pepper in this blend. No need. The pepper is discernable but not off-putting. And I am super tastebud sensitive to peppers of any kind. I first tried drinking the tea with only plain warm milk, but it was too "heavy" tasting. I added just a little bit of honey and that evened out the flavor nicely. Keep in mind though that I'm not a big fan of black coffee either.

The part of the product description that convinced me to try this tea is where it states that it's an "Ayurvedic blend that promotes digestion and immune support". I was paying the most attention to the immune support part but the most immediate effects were on my "digestion". Let's just say that this tea has a very mild (but effective) "anti-constipation" effect. ( I know that sounds awkward and indelicate but you try finding a more ladylike way to say it and let me know how it goes.)

I have come to really enjoy the flavor of the tea and I like the peppery 'bite'. Even better than the taste is the slightly warming sensation as the spices hit your mouth and throat. It's very soothing and relaxing. After drinking a cup of this tea and hitting the CBD vape a couple of times, I sleep like I've never sinned.

There are a few more things worth mentioning. For one, I have tried this a couple different ways. Adding it to warm milk with a touch of honey is my favorite. I didn't enjoy blending this into a smoothie (using coconut milk, honey, and ice). I never did try adding it to food because I haven't baked anything in a while. I will have to give that a try. Next thing is, when I do make a milk and honey tea with this, a lot of residue remains in the cup. If I try swirling or stirring in between sips, the residue is too gritty to be pleasant. The last thing to mention is DO NOT GET THIS ON FABRIC. Turmeric is extremely staining. Some of my favorite kitchen towels have permanent bright yellow stains from cooking with and drinking turmeric. The stains are easier to clean off counters if you use bleach or a mix of vinegar (or peroxide) and baking soda. It's easier to just mix this directly over a stainless steel sink. Oddly enough, the turmeric doesn't stain your teeth.

Like I said, I haven't done so yet, but I can't wait to bake this into some of my brown sugar bread. I sometimes add plain turmeric into baked goods and have never had any problems.

The best way to gauge how much I like something is whether or not I plan to buy more. And I will be getting more of this tea. I think it will last a while because I use it maybe once every other night and it only takes a half teaspoon to make an 8-ounce beverage.


Peace
--Free

Love this song but that's some seriously new-age-y album art.
I just checked them for the first time & the 

lyrics are straight-up new age. All I ever heard was "Shine!" 

**Info Probe** Tumeric (for flavor, health & beauty)

Since I posted about the types and benefits of butter (and ghee), I've been thinking of some of the other easily accessible products that we could all be taking advantage of. I'm thinking mainly of food items that lots of other cultures already make use of - and that we Westerners don't.

Turmeric became one of my favorite cooking powders several months back. I started adding it to my coffee and baked foods when I heard that it was supposed to be anti-oxidant and anti-inflammatory. Due to the aging process (and maybe some of the meds I've been on), I needed the anti-inflammatory properties. What I didn't know about turmeric is how many other healthy benefits it can have.

Just like when I was posting the information about butter, I want to point out that it pays to look to a variety of cultures for healthy ideas. Turmeric is, I learned, used in Ayurvedic medicine for treating a number of disorders. Of course, I know very little about the religious/spiritual aspects of Ayurvedic medicine, I can appreciate the things that are beneficial to physical health.

Other than the flavor it adds to food, one of the things I like most about turmeric is the vivid yellow color of the powder. When I bake meats and veggies, I love to add the yellow turmeric with some deep red curry powder.

The yellow color is not just something to please the eyes. Apparently, the main active ingredient in turmeric is something called curcumin. The amounts of curcumin found in turmeric is small and since it's not easily absorbed by the body, some people prefer to get the curcumin in higher doses via supplements. On the other hand, curcumin is better absorbed when combined with fatty substances or black pepper. I am intrigued by the anti-oxidant (and other healthy) claims of a curcumin extract so I've ordered some. Of course, I will let you all know how that works out.

As far as non-food/uses for turmeric, you've probably already heard about using it as an eyeshadow. I think the first time I heard about that was when everyone was doing beauty hacks using cocoa and sugar and other kitchen staples. I'm careful about what I will use on my face - even natural products. I suggest that anyone planning on experimenting with this will make sure to use a lot of caution. I'm not sure if turmeric can

Just for kicks, I did a quick search for beauty tips using turmeric and... there are lots. Pinterest is, of course, loaded with various ideas and then there are all the folks selling books and products that include turmeric. As soon as I saw that turmeric can be used for hair removal, I was out. Here's just one link to give you an idea of some beauty uses. Like I said, proceed with caution.

Because I really like the Wellness Mama site, I wanted to include this link about turmeric. I was paying attention to the cautions as well as to the general info provided.

Since turmeric is mainly used for food, I am including some links for using it in the kitchen:

• I had not thought yet of adding it to my greens! I'm gonna be all over this next time I cook up some collards and kale. There is also a recipe for a ginger-turmeric tea that I want to try out.
• I hate slideshow articles but , hot dang, if Bon Appétit doesn't make stuff look yummy.
• Recipe for making golden paste  - which pairs turmeric with the pepper and oil to increase absorption.
• A few more ways to use turmeric and golden paste in foods/beverages.

So, there you go. There are lots of reasons to look into using turmeric and lots of ways to do so. If anyone has any tips and/or recipes, don't be shy about sharing.

Peace
--Free

**NOTE - For anyone who, like me, wondered if curcumin was the same as cumin, the answer is no.  Maybe I ought to do my next Probe on cumin!



No-brainer DISCLAIMER: I assume you all know that I am not a doctor or any other type of medical professional. You should use your common sense and your doctor's advice when it comes to your health.