Years of playing sports and being active have left me with tons of aches, pains and the crackling knees of a 90-year-old. Like most exercise-savvy individuals, I often find myself reaching for popular painkillers, like ibuprofen and aspirin, any time I’m feeling sore, which is typically the majority of the day.
While beneficial in moderation, these non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) can do more harm than good when taken around the clock on a regular basis. The constant dosing will leave you needing more to put the pains at bay, putting your liver, stomach, and intestines at risk.
In order to save myself and my precious organs, I wanted to find an all-natural and safe alternative to these painkillers. My grandfather, a 86 years old who battles back issues, started taking a mixture of turmeric, honey, and lemon three times a day. He insisted it helped his pain and lower his consumption of over-the-counter medicines, so my mom tried it out and found the same results. I was eager to know if it would have a similar effect for me.
Since food trends are all the rage these days, I have heard tons about how great turmeric is and the versatility it has to offer. It only makes sense that it could work as a replacement for Motrin and Tylenol. Besides, two of the most intelligent individuals in my life saying it works? It must be true, and I had to find out.
The Recipe
• 1 cup honey
• 2 tbsp turmeric
• Juice of 1 lemon
#SpoonTip: Because turmeric can be a little pricey, look for it in bulk-food stores for a bang for your buck!
Mix these simple ingredients and store it in an air-tight container (mason jars are ideal).
The procedure is simple: Take a spoonful of the mixture 3 times a day, preferably after each meal, and see magical benefits.
First Impression
I was a bit weary to try this after I made it, because I am very particular when it comes to the textures of anything I consume and it definitely looked a bit…different. For the sake of Spoon University, I took my spoonful and honestly, I didn’t really know how to feel.
It had an odd consistency, one somewhere between pancake syrup and water, making it almost thick at the same time that it was thin and runny. The taste is very sweet from the honey, and it was a little overwhelming for me at first. Even though I have a serious sweet tooth, the ratio of honey in each spoonful was a bit much for me.
If you’re at all worried about the spice level of the turmeric in the mix, don’t be. It adds more of an earthy flavor to the after taste, which balanced out the honey nicely. Overall, it went down like a cough syrup: not necessarily pleasant, but doable.
I repeated this per the instructions and tried to take it after meals whenever I could.
The Results
Around the 5th or 6th day, I did notice that I was taking less ibuprofen than I normally do and my bodily aches were not as bad. Though it may just be from the tablespoons of pure honey I was shoveling into my mouth, I felt a bit more energetic each day as well.
Would I try this for longer than a week? Sure, why not. I want to see if it would work past the “placebo phase” and really help me in the long run. I seriously recommend any Motrin-addicts like myself to give it a try. It’s fairly inexpensive and worth it if it actually does ease any daily discomforts.
Give it a go and see if you can kick Motrin, Tylenol, and Aspirin to the curb!