Golden Milk – Recipe to Balance All Doshas

Oh Golden Milk! Ayurveda is brilliant for its herbal wisdom, such as the benefits of turmeric – but even more so, for its genius in combining. Making dishes, tonics or formulas to create a balanced, whole, all-six-tastes intelligence that super charges healing is a unique forte in Ayurvedic medicine. It’s one of the many reasons I love it, because it is a science of relationships!

That is why this ancient and popular Ayurvedic recipe for Golden Milk is so effective – Ayurveda knows that turmeric’s potency is enhanced when its bitter taste is balanced by the sweet taste. Bitters help the body detoxify, while sweet increases the bio-availability to carry the medicinal qualities of bitters well into your deeper tissues.

Of course, when Ayurveda speaks of the sweet taste, it means foods that are naturally sweet, sometimes almost bland – like rice, wheat, potatoes, parsnips, milk, butter, but also delicious like bananas, berries, almonds, coconut.

Turmeric is said to balance all doshas, be cleansing to the blood and lymph, helping to dissolve tumors and blood clots, improving circulation, promoting healthy menstruation, strengthening muscles, healing soft tissue injury, decongesting the liver, aiding in the digestion of sugar, fats, and oils, and supporting those with diabetes and hypoglycemia.

Below is a delicious and essential Ayurvedic recipe that offers all these healing benefits. Enjoy!

Golden Milk

Serves 2

Ingredients

• 2 c fresh Milk
• 2 t Turmeric powder, or a 2-inch coin of fresh Turmeric root, peeled
• A dusting of fresh cracked Pepper, or a small pinch of ground Cardamom, or both

Directions

1. Put the ingredients in saucepan.
2. Whisk the milk gently while bringing to a gentle boil.
3. Serve and drink warm.

Warning: Wear an apron. Turmeric stains!

Dairy Free Golden Milk

Serves 2

Ingredients

• 2 t Turmeric powder or a 2-inch coin of fresh turmeric root, peeled
• 2 c fresh Almond milk* or Coconut Milk
• 2 t raw Honey, optional
• 1 t Ghee or Coconut oil, optional

Directions

1. Add the ingredients to a blender on high speed and mix for a few minutes to heat the drink.
2. Enjoy it warm.

For Vata: Blend in a date and skip the honey. Add a shake of ginger and a dash of cardamom
For Pitta: Replace the honey with maple syrup
For Kapha: Add generous shakes of ginger, black pepper and cinnamon

*How to Make Almond Milk

Makes about 2 cups

Ingredients

• 1 c raw Almonds
• 4 c Water
• 2-3 Medjool dates, chopped
• 1 t Vanilla Extract
• 1 pinch Himalayan Pink Salt

Directions

1. In two cups of water, soak the almonds overnight, for a minimum of 8 hours or up to 2 days.
2. Drain and rinse.
3. Pour your almonds in a high speed blender and cover with two cups of water.
4. Slowly turn your blender from low to the highest speed and blend for two minutes.
5. By the time you are done, it should be foamy and very well blended, with the almonds broken up into a fine meal.
6. Pulse a bit longer if needed to get it completely smooth.
7. Place a nut bag or a generous strip of cheese cloth into a strainer and put the strainer over a large bowl, or a 1 quart Pyrex.
8. Pour the almond mixture into the strainer.
9. Lift the nut bag or cheese cloth and twist to squeeze all the liquid into the bowl.
10. Pour this liquid back into your blender and add the dates, vanilla and salt.
11. Blend again on high speed until no bits of dates remain.
12. Drink immediately, or store in an airtight jar up to two days in your refrigerator.

References

1. National Center for Biotechnology Information: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2637808/
2. University of Maryland Medical Center: http://umm.edu/health/medical/altmed/herb/turmeric