My dad usually brews luyang dilaw and I am guilty of totally ignoring it….until I went to Paris. It is true that Parisians are wine drinkers, but not all of them, and not all the time. Since I usually kill time before fetching my husband from work, I usually just sit in a cafe and indulge in people watching…mainly because I don’t have too much euros to burn. Hihihi!

I have observed that Parisians are fond of ordering ginger tea after meals. Restaurants even have ginger apple tea in their menu and it is considered a specialty. Of course, I didn’t order the special tea. It’s something like 8.50 euros, roughly 510 pesos…quite expensive for a cup of tea. Curious as a cat, I ordered the plain ginger tea instead and hoped that it will be well worth my 5.00 euros. My order came in an elegant tea cup and I was also given honey to go with it. And my, it was delicious! At that moment, I remembered my dad and his ginger tea that I usually hide from. I vowed to join him in his tea sessions when I get back…since his are free and comes with honey too.

I have always suspected that there’s more to his tea sessions than meets the eye. And well, I was right! I interviewed him about his ginger tea and this is what he said:

The best ginger to drink is luyang dilaw, or what they call turmeric in English. The other kinds of gingers are just good for salabat and nothing more than that. But luyang dilaw is a gem on its own. It can cure the following:

1. Intestinal Worms – As you know, we all have worms inside our intestines. The story of how the worms got inside us is another topic altogether, let’s stick to luyang dilaw for now. Drinking turmeric on a regular basis kills these intestinal worms which usually constipates us, bloats our stomach, or even cause nervous disorders.

2. Gallstones – While laparoscopy is the usual solution for the discomfort brought about by gallstones, I think that it is quite risky in a sense that we are losing an organ in the process. I believe that it was put there for a reason and we should do everything to go on with life with all our organs intact. These stones, which are bile deposits that had solidified due to too much cholesterol or bile salts, can actually be melted by luyang dilaw.

3. Diseases Associated with High Cholesterol – Luyang dilaw can aid in bringing down your high cholesterol levels by helping you produce more of your HDL, otherwise known as the good cholesterol. HDL’s job is to pick up the bad cholesterols in your blood and deposit it back to your liver for proper disposal. If your cholesterol levels are good, you avoid the risk of heart diseases. This is also a good alternative for the maintenance medicines prescribed to lower your cholesterol levels. These medicines usually affect your liver in a bad way when taken for long periods of time….to the extent of liver damage.

4. Other common illnesses such as sore throat, cuts, diarrhea, bruises, dandruff, and fever.

How do you prepare your luyang dilaw magic? Just go to your local market and buy them for only 10 to 20 pesos, depending on their size. Clean them well and cut them to pieces, without removing the skin. You’d be surprised to know that while it is called luyang dilaw, its insides are actually orange. Boil them in a stainless or clay pot, never aluminum, for 15 to 20 minutes. Also, it is necessary keep your pot open whenever boiling herbs. Allow to cool until you can already drink it up. Add honey to taste. Monette says the beautiful people of Paris adds apple to this tea. Feel free to try this as well. For bruises, dandruff, and cuts, just apply the ginger juice to the affected areas. – Nick Bagtas