Turmeric is one of the cheap herbs available locally, and known to me since my boyhood.  I know that turmeric is used to treat coughs, colds and insect bites; and mainly a good spice for cooking, particularly curries.

Recently, turmeric has become popular in social media due to the latest medical benefits widely advertised as a great antioxidant, anti-inflammatory and it can reduce "bad" cholesterol that can lead to heart/cardiovascular diseases.  Curcumin, the yellow colour and the chemical in turmeric has been found to fight certain cancers, treat arthritis, cleanse the liver and improves brain function.  It also aids digestion and inhibits blood clotting to help prevent heart disease and much more.

In March 2013, I restarted using turmeric deeply and continuously along with Guyabano and Sambong, six months after I completed my medication for Benign Prostate Hyperplasia (BPH).  To gain the health benefits from turmeric, I started drinking turmeric tea 3 times daily with only few ingredients as follows:  2 quarts of water boiled with 3 pieces of 2 inch of turmeric root or 2 tsp. turmeric powder; honey and calamansi or lemon to taste.  The ingredients are mix well and adjusts flavours to taste.  Sometime, I like to drink this tea over ice.

At the same time, my wife use turmeric spice in most of her food preparation like Chicken wings with oyster sauce, Fish curry, Lumpia Shanghai, Chicken & Pork Adobo, Garlic fried rice, Chicken congee and many more.

Fresh turmeric root or turmeric in powder form can be found in public markets, and several seedlings in pots are available at GeAnn HomeGarden.  Fresh turmeric is slightly hot while powdered turmeric has mild taste.  The skin of fresh turmeric is light brown and similar to ginger.

While there has been a renewed interest in how fruit, vegetables, herbs and spices benefit the body medicinally for good health, consider also that proper eating and exercise is indispensable.  Cheers.