This morning I make some homemade Thai Iced Tea. I vaguely followed this recipe using whole cardamom pods, black tea, coconut milk and raw honey. I added a bit of vanilla, cinnamon and black pepper to spice it up a bit. I also drank it hot. So maybe I made a Thai-inspired Chai Tea. Whatever it was, it was delicious!
Unfortunately, I didn’t take any pictures. I can’t be asked to think ahead B.C. (Before Caffeine) in the morning.
Yummy cardamom!
I drank my tea slowly, ate some breakfast (I’ll share my fantastic whole grain pancake recipe soon) and realized I had been up for a few hours and hadn’t washed my face. I got to thinking about how much I had been seeing Turmeric in face masks recently and decided I needed to try one out myself.
Turmeric has tons of benefits! And there’s science behind these beneficial effects.
- Anti-inflammatory
- Similar to ibuprofen and other NSAIDs (non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs). The strength is different though.
- Antiviral
- Anti-fungal
- Anti-bacterial
Turmeric is currently being studied for its effects on cancer, Alzheimer’s, among other human diseases. It’s also being toted as anti-aging.
Raw honey also has tons of great benefits. It’s antiviral, anti-fungal and super moisturizing. We all know that coconut milk is great too. It’s super moisturizing,
Why do all of these plant and animal products has antiviral, anti-fungal and antibacterial properties. It totally makes sense evolutionarily; viruses, fungi and bacterial attack more than just humans. My hypothesis is that other organisms have evolved these properties as it has helped them survival longer (thus reproduce more, the driver of evolution).
Fun fact, Turmeric is in the Zingiberaceae Family, the same family as Ginger and cardamom. You can think of them as cousins. Maybe I’ll try some cardamom in a mask soon or a triple whammy – cardamom, Ginger, Turmeric Mask.
EWW!
This mask looks absolutely terrible. Or maybe turmeric yellow just isn’t my color.
Turmeric is used as a dye. I was a little worried that my skin would turn yellow, but luckily it didn’t. I only left the mask on the 15 minutes.
It tasted pretty good though! Please don’t actually eat it, that’s weird.
I wouldn’t be surprised if this mask has some anti-aging properties but who knows how good one application would do.
The Microsoft Age Guesser sure thinks it works.
Younger After the Mask!
Potential benefits of this mask include:
- Anti-Acne
- Anti-Aging
- Moisturizing
- Calming and Soothing
- Reducing hyperpigmentation
Here’s your recipe.
Turmeric, Raw Honey and Coconut Milk Mask
- 1 Tablespoon (3 tsps) Raw Honey
- 2 teaspoons Organic Coconut Milk
- 1 teaspoon Organic Turmeric Powder
Turmeric, Raw Honey, Coconut Milk Mask
Mix together in a small bowl, apply a thin layer and leave for 15 minutes.
Note: Turmeric has been used as a dye. Don’t leave this mask on for too long. There is a chance it could stain your skin. You may want to do a test patch to make sure it doesn’t.
Recipe Card:
Other references:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Turmeric
Turmeric Root”Curcuma longa roots” by Simon A. Eugster – Own work. Licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0 via Wikimedia Commons – http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Curcuma_longa_roots.jpg#/media/File:Curcuma_longa_roots.jpg
Wild Strawberry Ranch 
