A few of my favorite things

afolckomer
Jul 16, 2015
3 min read

So these are a few of my favorite things.

And if you catch that Sound of Music reference, I love you even more.

I know I'm not Oprah, but I decided to start a segment on this site that features some of my favorite services and products that I find myself often speaking about with my patients. These are things that I feel have incredibly convenient and useful therapeutic properites. This is important because it's an extra tool in your tool box that you can use to stay in control of your health.

So here goes favorite thing number one:

Temple Turmeric.

This stuff is good. Juice is such a convenient item to grab and refuel with, but Chinese medicine often doesn't love the idea of juicing because raw fruits and vegetables have such an energetically cold property. But sometimes you just want something cool and refreshing, right? And then you regret it because you experience fatigue, bloating, or digestive upsets... which are often just blamed on "fiber". Not true. Cooked vegetables and fruits have all the fiber beneficts, without the discomfort. So what's the difference? Their temperatures. Your body should be about 98.7 degrees and introducing foods that your body literally has to cook takes energy. Energy that we are supposed to be gaining from food sources, not losing. People, who are often labled as having a Spleen Qi deficiency, aren't typically great recipients of raw, cold foods (especially in Winter) because of the afore mentioned reasons....until Temple Turmeric.

Where you can find it: Whole Foods, local Co-ops and other grocery stores that carry juice blends. Can also be ordered on Amazon and their website will also direct you on where to buy.

What makes it special: The combination of cool, refreshing ingredients such as peppermint and coconut with warming herbs such as Turmeric, black pepper and ginger. IT'S A BRILLIANT COMBINATION. The addition of the warm spices and herbs bring the temperature property up, so you can feel refreshed without experiencing an energy slump or digestive disruptions. But even better, Turmeric is a powerful herb that has been used for centuries in various parts of the world. It is one of the most highly researched botanical supplements in the world for it's active ingredient, "curcumin", a polyphenol suggested to have antiseptic, anticancer, antibacterial, antifungal, antiviral, antineoplastic, antihyperlipidemic, antimutagenic and anti-flammatory properties. WOW. Studies have found Turmeric to be able to prevent and, in some cases, even reverse Liver disease, inhibit tumor growth, prevent Alzheimers and help fight depression. It's also used in supplement form for it's anti-inflammatory properties in the treatment of arthritis. The folk's at Temple Turmeric are up to date on their research, because they include black pepper in their elixirs. Black pepper increases the bioavailability of turmeric, thus increasing it's therapeutic qualities.

The popular ingredients found in this line of juice also happen to be included in the Traditional Chinese Materia Medica. These herbs are as follows

-Black Pepper, "Piperis Fructus", "Hu Jiao" in TCM is used to warm and wake up the digestive organs and relieve pain.

-Honey, "Apis Mellifera", "Feng Mi" used to moisten the lungs, stop cough, tonify the digestive organs and boost energy.

-Ginger, "Zingiberis Rhizoma Recens", "Sheng Jiang" used to fight and prevent common cold, boost digestion, stop nausea and vomiting, fight toxicity, stop cough

-Lemon, "Citrus Limon", "Ning Meng" used to regulate the Liver, detoxify, replensih fluids, aid in digestion and alkalize the body.

-Peppermint, "Menthae Haplocalysis Herba" "Bo He" fights and prevents common cold, regulates the Liver, cools the throat, vents rashes, and soothes irritiability and emotional instability.

-Turmeric, "Curcumae Longae Rhizoma", "Jiang Huang" alleviates pain, promotes circulation, protects and regulates the Liver, and promotes healing.

-Cardamom, "Amomi Fructus", "Sha Ren" boosts the digestive organs, stops nausea, diarrhea, and vomiting, and used to treat morning sickness

-Cayenne, "Fructus Capsici", "La Jiao" warms digestive organs and stops pain.