Golden milk for restless nights

Golden milk (haldi doodh) is the most common household use of turmeric in India, and it is also one of the few preparations that fits the classical logic of the herb almost perfectly.

Curcumin is fat soluble and poorly absorbed on its own. Warm milk supplies the fat, and a pinch of black pepper adds piperine, which slows how quickly the liver clears curcumin. That is why the traditional recipe is turmeric plus fat plus pepper rather than turmeric alone.

How to make it: warm a cup of milk (dairy or oat), whisk in half a teaspoon of turmeric powder and a very small pinch of black pepper, simmer gently for three to four minutes, and sweeten with a little jaggery or honey once it has cooled slightly.

Take it about an hour before bed. Ayurveda reads restless sleep as excess movement in the system, and a warm, slightly sweet, oily drink is grounding in exactly that sense.

Who should be careful: anyone on blood thinners, people with gallstones, and anyone with active acid reflux who finds warm milk at night uncomfortable. Keep courses to a few weeks at a time rather than year-round.