Golden Glow: Unlock Your Skin's Secret Weapon

Can you guess this week's herb for skincare based on the clues?

• Yellow in color.
• Staple in South Asian cooking.
• Used extensively in skincare, cosmetics and holistic health remedies.
• Known for its anti-inflammatory properties and potential benefits for immunity.
• Considered an ancient remedy with a long history of use.

If you thought about turmeric you are correct! In this week's article we will be discussing turmeric especially wild turmeric's (Kasthuri turmeric) benefits, a DIY face mask and a drink.

Why is turmeric known as a natural remedy for the skin?

Anti-inflammatory Properties: Inflammation is when part of your body gets red, swollen or painful because it's trying to protect itself from something harmful. Turmeric has an active compound called curcumin, which can help calm down redness, swelling and discomfort.

Antimicrobial Properties: Turmeric has properties that can fight bacteria. One type of bacteria called Propionibacterium acnes (P. acnes) often causes acne. Turmeric's curcumin compound can stop these from developing. This is a great way to help stop new acne from appearing on the skin.

Skin Healing and Scar Healing: Turmeric not only helps reduce redness and fight acne-causing bacteria but also speeds up the healing of wounds and reduces scarring. This means it can smooth out the skin and make the marks left by acne less noticeable over time.

Suitable for all skin types: Turmeric is usually safe for most skin types as long as it's used in the right amounts. However some people might have allergies or irritation from it. Therefore it's a good idea to test a small amount on your skin first to make sure it doesn't cause any problems.

DIY time!!

I will be mentioning two ways to use turmeric.

• A simple turmeric drink
• A simple turmeric mask

Turmeric Drink

Ingredients

1. Wild Turmeric Powder Pinch (1/8 teaspoon)
2. Hot water

Instructions

1. Add wild turmeric to hot water and let it steep.
2. Leave it for 10 minutes. If you don’t like hot drinks, you can leave it for 20 minutes and drink it when it is cool. (I prefer drinking it when it’s lukewarm.)
3. You can strain and enjoy the drink. This step is optional. 

The drink leaves an aftertaste which I personally don’t prefer. So once I am done drinking I take one teaspoon of honey. Do not mix this with the drink. Hot water is not good to put with honey. It can be less beneficial. 

Turmeric Mask

Ingredients

1. Wild Turmeric Pinch
2. Oats 1 tsp
3. Coffee ½ tsp
4. Honey ½ tsp
5. Water/ Aloe Gel/ Milk as needed

Instructions

1. You can grind oats and make them into a fine powder. I use my pestle to crush it and sieve it.
2. Mix it with wild turmeric powder and coffee and to combine these ingredients we are going to use honey. 
3. We need this as a paste. Therefore you can add a little bit of water or aloe gel if you have oily skin and if you have dry skin, add a little bit of milk.
4. Once it’s a good paste apply it for 20 minutes.
5. To remove it scrub it in circular motions very gently and wash it off with cold water. 
6. Before applying I would suggest you wash your face and put on this mask.

(Safety Precautions: Always use organic turmeric and not the synthetic ones. Please do a patch test before you try the mask. And an allergy test as some individuals are allergic to herbs. DO NOT SKIP THIS STEP.)