My kids love their turmeric milk, although in our house it goes by names such as “magic milk” – “sleepy milk” – “happy dreams milk” – “magic potion milk” all names that would imply to a stranger that I am adding something quite potent to their milk. In fact, the ingredients are all found in your kitchen and it will not immediately put you or your kids to sleep – sorry. I simply decided to invoke the placebo effect by calling it one of the above names. A few sips in and I usually hear from Vivi “Oh I think I can feel some good dreams coming” and bedtime goes much easier – so it is a win-win. Most of us have heard about drinking warm milk before bed to help with sleep. The turmeric adds the benefit of containing curcumin. Make sure that your turmeric is organic and from a trusted source without any additives or preservatives.  I use Frontier’s organic turmeric (buy here at my amazon store)  and find taste wise that it beats out all others.

“Curcumin is thought to be the primary pharmacological agent in turmeric. In numerous studies, curcumin’s anti-inflammatory effects have been shown to be comparable to the potent drugs hydrocortisone and phenylbutazone as well as over-the-counter anti-inflammatory agents such as Motrin. Unlike the drugs, which are associated with significant toxic effects (ulcer formation, decreased white blood cell count, intestinal bleeding), curcumin produces no toxicity.”  whfoods.com

Turmeric is also high in manganese and iron, is used to help treat inflammatory bowel disease, arthritis, cystic fibrosis, prevent cancer in both adults and children. whfoods.com

All in all, it’s not a bad thing to be adding to our diets and the combination of the warm milk, honey, cinnamon and turmeric makes for a perfect bedtime treat as the temperature drops outside.  Remember to be picky about the source of your milk- make it from grass fed cows, whole fat and whenever possible local and non homogenized.  My recommendation is Kalona SuperNatural whole milk.    Give it a try and let me know how you and/or your family likes it!