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Miscellaneous

Miscellaneous 

Few facts about turmeric: 
Turmeric is used in various ways as follows: 

Intestinal disorders: 
The juice of the raw root or the powder of the dried root mixed and taken with milk or water is very effective for intestinal problems.

Post Partum recovery 
The same juice is good for new mothers soon after delivery. It not only helps in faster contraction of ovaries and inner parts after delivery, but also improves the overall health and promotes breast milk secretion and prevent postpartum depression.

Anemia: 
Turmeric is a rich and ample source of iron. Have a teaspoon of raw turmeric juice with a bit of honey, if suffering from anemia.

Asthma: 
A teaspoon of turmeric powder with a glass of warm milk helps in fighting bronchial asthma and cough. It not only gives relief but also acts as a preventive for further attacks.

Sprains and wounds: 
Apply a medicinal paste of turmeric (turmeric powder mixed with sweet lime juice and salt) on sprain swellings. This paste gives quick and long lasting relief. Powder of turmeric should be sprinkled on wounds/ulcers for speedy healing.

Cuts and burns: 
It should be immediately applied on cuts, bleeding or burns. It is an antiseptic and stops bleeding and heals the cut or burn.

Throat pain and cough: 
Add little turmeric, black pepper powder, sugar and ghee and drink it to get relief.

For skin diseases and itching: 
Mix a spoon of turmeric with butter or coconut oil and massage on your skin.

Burning sensation in the eyes: 
Boil water. add turmeric and cool it. Wash your eyes with the water.

For sinus problems: 
Fry turmeric, jaggery and ghee in equal proportion, store it in a bottle and take a pinch of it everyday.

Flatulence: 
½ tsp powdered turmeric taken thrice a day relieves flatulence and loss of appetite.

Diabetes and other diseases: 
10-20 ml of expressed juice may be taken daily in skin diseases, diabetes and jaundice. ½ tsp each of turmeric along with amla (gooseberry) powder should be taken daily early in the morning. In small pox & chicken pox, a coating should be applied to facilitate scabbing.

Common colds and scorpion bites: 
Sprinkle turmeric powder over burnt charcoal and inhale the fumes. This is highly beneficial in asthma and common cold. In cases of scorpion bites, the bitten area should be exposed to the same fumes for a few minutes to minimize toxicity.

Use of Turmeric powder: 
The use of turmeric dates back nearly 3000 years to the ancient edic culture of India. Since then, it has been used as important spice, beauty product and in spiritual ceremonies. There are various benefits and uses of turmeric powder from food to medicines. There are hardly few recipes in which turmeric powder is not used in Indian dishes. Almost all Indian vegetable and meat dishes use turmeric either as separate spice or in the spice mixture. A small pinch of turmeric powder would add an orange-yellow hue to salad dressings. It is also a great spice to complement recipes that use rice, lentils and dry beans. Turmeric powder is one of the most significant coloring materials of India. Turmeric color also serves as a chemical indicator since it changes its color on adding acids or alkalis. Turmeric powder can be used for encapsulation and preparing highly beneficial turmeric health tablets. It is an essential ingredient in various Indian food preparations for taste and coloring and in various herbal preparations. Turmeric powder, extracts and curcumin also exhibit antioxidant property. Turmeric powder's flavor could also be described as peppery, or even warm in the mouth.

Processing Care: 
It is necessary to care raw turmeric rhizomes freshly unearth for its attractive yellow color and the characterized aroma. Without proper care turmeric lacks both. The fingers and rhizomes of turmeric are boiled separately for 30-40 minutes until bubbles and white fumes come out, then drained and dried in the sun for 10 to 15 days, until they become dry and hard.

The dry turmeric is then cleaned and polished mechanically in a drum rotated by hand or by power to make powder.

Buying and using Turmeric Powder: 
The flavor and aroma of turmeric is more if volatile-oil content is more. Its coloring powder is more with higher curcumin content. Turmeric most often is used in prepared mustard — where color, flavor and aroma are important, though their relative importance differs with the mustard type.

Turmeric is mixed with other coloring ingredients to attain various shades of yellows and reds. Natural colorants such as turmeric are becoming increasingly important to industrial users as safety issues arise for artificial coloring materials. Many food manufacturers simply prefer to keep all their ingredients natural or resulting from natural sources in response to consumer demand.

How to handle Turmeric powder? 

  • Turmeric powder should be stored in a cool, dry place protected from light.
  • Too much heat will volatilize and dissipate its aromatic essential oil
  • High humidity will cause it to cake.
  • Sunlight will cause it to fade.
  • Older stock is used first.
  • Tightly close containers after each use.
  • Exposure to air for long time will cause flavor and aroma loss.