Thought this may be of interest to some…a very ancient Indian recipe, but with a fair bit of science to support taking it. It has been used for thousands of years in India as part of Siddha medicine, for a variety of different reasons. While human trails are lacking, there is tentative evidence for the active compounds in turmeric such as curcumin having anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, antibacterial, antiviral, antifungal and anticancer effects.

Some recent research has been of particular interest. One of the main active ingredients, curcumin, has been found to increase levels of brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF), which enhances neurogenesis in the brain.[1] One of the other key active compounds in turmeric, aromatic-turmerone, has also been found to induce neuronal stem cell proliferation and differentiation, both in vitro and in vivo.[2] Curcumin has also recently been found to be at least as useful as Prozac in treating depression, but without any of the side effects of the latter, being very well tolerated.[3],[4] It has also recently been found to increase serum testosterone levels by a little over 250% in rats, and at moderate doses, equivalent to human quantities.[5] Testosterone gets associated with aggression (due to steroid abuse) but is actually a very important restorative hormone which is more associated with feelings of peace and contentment, and levels of it decline as we age, over the age of 30. Curcumin in particular has low bioavailability, but this can be increased by consuming with oils or fats (is soluble in these), and with pepper, as the piperine in this has been found to increase bioavailability by 2000%.[6] The latter studies were conducted with rats, which while being obviously different from us, are very similar on a biochemical, physiological, cellular level. If anyone wants to delve more into the science, a review paper is attached.

So here is the Indian "golden milk" recipe using turmeric. Kinda like a wholesome savoury hot chocolate, minus the chocolate...it definitely grows on you. It makes a great nightcap. Makes you feel really relaxed and you sleep really well and feel good on waking, great before cannabis too, synergises nicely! I’ve heard some people swear it makes a great nightcap if one is suffering from cold or flu.

Recipe:

- 1 teaspoon turmeric powder –
- 300ml milk (or nut milk)
- half teaspoon of pepper
- tablespoon of hemp oil/coconut oil
- dash of cinnamon
- dash of honey

...whizz up together in a blender, or whisk while warming up on hob, then drink anytime or before bed as a post workout, pre bed night cap. Feel free to experiment with recipe’s how one see’s fit, based on preferences. Turmeric is cheap and widely available, and the evidence in so far suggests it could make a viable brain tonic, and it seems to be really quite multifaceted stuff that is worthy of attention.

References:

1. Wang, R., Li, Y.H., Xu, Y., Li, Y.B., Wu, H.L., Guo, H., Zhang, J.J., Pan, X.Y. & Li, X.J. (2010). Curcumin produces neuroprotective effects via activating brain-derived neurotrophic factor/TrkB-dependent MAPK and P1-3K cascades in rodent cortical neurons. Progress in Neuro-Psychopharmacology & Biological Psychiatry, 34, (1), 147-153.

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19879308

2. Hucklenbroich, J., Klein, R., Neumaier, B., Graf, R., Fink, G.R., Schroeter, M. & Rueger, M.A. (2014). Aromatic-turmerone induces neural stem cell proliferation in vitro and in vivo. Stem Cell Research & Therapy, 5, 100.

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih....pmc/articles/PMC4180255/

3. Sanmukhani, J., Satodia, V., Trivedi, J., Patel, T., Tiwari, D,, Panchal, B., Goel, A. & Tripathi, C.B. (2014). Efficacy and safety of curcumin in major depressive disorder: a randomized controlled trial. Phytotherapy Research, 28,(4), 579-85.

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23832433

4. Lopresti, A.L., Maes, M., Maker, G.L., Hood, S.D. & Drummond, P.D. (2014) Curcumin for the treatment of major depression: a randomised, double-blind, placebo controlled study. Journal of Affective Disorders, 167, 368-375.

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/25046624

5. Abarikwu, S.O., Akiri, O.F., Durojaiye, M.A. & Alabi, A.F. (2014). Combined administration of curcumin and gallic acid inhibits gallic acid-induced suppression of steroidogenesis, sperm output, antioxidant defenses and inflammatory responsive genes. The Journal of steroid biochemistry and molecular biology, 143, 49-60.

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24565563

6. Shoba, G., Joy, D., Joseph, T., Majeed, M., Rajendran, R. & Srinivas, P.S. (199 Influence of piperine on the pharmacokinetics of curcumin in animals and human volunteers. Planta Medica, 64, (4), 353-356.

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/9619120

that sounds delicious, thanks for the information!



I use fresh tumeric, black pepper, and coconut oil in my salad dressing. I just wish tumeric wasn't 13 bucks a pound around here

A pre-made mix of turmeric and black pepper is always in my cupboard for spicing up post-run oatmeal. Nice tasty antioxidant hit while refueling glycogen stores

Just never buy the stuff in little glass bottles. Those are intended to impress visitors in houses where people dont really cook.
This sounds bad, I know, but in the US its true: Dont buy turmeric in stores mostly visited by whites. Caucasian cultures just dont use the stuff very much so its only sold in fancy looking spice bottles, usually about $8 for two ounces and usually its quite old. Asian stores always have it cheaper. In my town I made the discovery that a large supermarket where the latinos and somalis all shop has turmeric for even less than the asian shops. In the two other supermarkets on the same street, which have wallpaper, music, and a noticeable relative lack of non-caucasians, turmeric costs ten times as much.

A pound of turmuric is hell of a lot of turmeric!!!!! $13 isn't bad!

Excellent advice!!