How to Start the Day: Coffee or Tea? The Battle with Inflammation

I resisted and did not have coffee this morning. Why you may ask? Well, coffee is my comfort drink in the morning. I love the smell, the taste (with plenty of additives such as sweetener and non-dairy creamer ((as in almond beverage or other non-dairy beverage)). I like having a hot drink to sip on while I read and sit quietly, waking up and taking the new day in; reflecting on things, enjoying the peaceful morning. That is generally how I begin my day. But for the last week or so, instead of coffee I have been drinking an unusual concoction. It seems to help me feel more energetic and has helped me be pain-free. Possibly because it has antioxidants, caffeine, and may have anti-inflammatory effects.

Turmeric-Ginger Black Tea is what I've been drinking each morning. It has an unusual and odd flavor, and it is a bright yellowish-orange color. I'm hoping that it doesn't turn ME that color or you all are going to think I've been using a cheap brand of sunless tanner. LOL!

The recipe:
1 tsp kosher organic Turmeric powder
1/4-1/2 tsp kosher organic ginger powder
2 bags of Twinning's English Breakfast tea
3-4 (8 oz) cups of boiling water
sweeten with stevia (I use about 1-3 tsp. powdered Truvia brand stevia to sweeten this whole batch)

I mix all  ingredients together and let it steep for a few minutes (5 or so), and then I sip on this stuff throughout the morning until it is gone.

I was prompted too do some research on turmeric tea, by a conversation with a friend which reminded me about turmeric having anti-inflammatory properties. After painting on the house so much lately my shoulder injury from a few years ago flared up.  I was literally waking up at night with throbbing pain in my shoulder for about two weeks. I used my oils to ease the misery, but I wanted to try the tea as well because I have heard good things about it.  I also generally take Sulfurzyme (a supplement which is made by Young Living which combines pharmaceutical-grade MSM with Chinese Wolfberry) but of course I'm all OUT when my inflammation starts flaring up.  I am COMPLETELY impressed with the results that I've had while taking the Sulfurzyme, but if you are highly allergic to some forms of MSM you must beware and use Sulfurzyme with caution; one of my family members who is highly allergic to MSM reacts to Sulfurzyme when they take it. 

So anyway, I had heard that turmeric was anti-inflammatory and wanted to try it out. Prior to this, about two months ago I had ordered some kosher organic turmeric and ginger over the internet but when it came in I didn't particularly feel inspired to use it right then (I bought it because I read that it has cancer preventive properties) and so thinking I would look into some recipes in the future, it landed on the pantry shelf and there it sat, untouched. The good thing is that I had it on hand when I was ready to use it.

I've been drinking the turmeric/ginger/black tea for about a week- hit or miss. The first day that I drank it my shoulder stopped hurting all together and did not wake me up during the night. The pain has not been back at night again since. I have had some tension when using my arm during the day working, but minimal ache compared to what was.

After doing a some research I saw that just like everything else "natural", that there is always an argument among the scientists about whether it is truly effective or not. What I found is that in preliminary research the findings from animal and other laboratory studies suggest that a chemical found in turmeric—called curcumin—may have anti-inflammatory, anticancer, and antioxidant properties, but these findings have not been confirmed in people- only in animals and in vitro.

Clinical research which followed show that Turmeric might improve symptoms in anterior uveitis, it might stabilize some markers of colorectal cancer in some patients with treatment refractory colorectal cancer, in high doses may decrease the number of aberrant crypt foci in smokers with abnormalities detected on colonoscopy, it may reduce some symptoms of rheumatoid arthritis and might be more effective than diclofenac, also may might relieve odor and itching associated with skin cancers.*

WARNING!

Turmeric is generally considered safe, but high doses have caused indigestion, nausea, vomiting, reflux, diarrhea, liver problems, and worsening of gallbladder disease. The NMCD warns that it may interact with anticoagulants and antiplatelet drugs to increase the risk of bleeding, that it should be used with caution in patients with gallstones or gallbladder disease and in patients with gastroesophageal reflux disease, and that it should be discontinued at least 2 weeks before elective surgery. 

The ginger also adds benefits to the tea. 

*Clinical research on turmeric is being funded by the National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine (NCCAM) https://nccih.nih.gov/.
Also read about published curcumin research at https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/?term=curcumin