Another forum led me to a long youtube video in which a new age woman makes "golden milk" -- a drink made with lots of turmeric for its anti-inflammatory effect. Her method is tedious and she uses real honey and real milk. Here's a modified and simplified low carb version.

1/2 teaspoon turmeric
10 fl. oz. unsweetened almond milk (or substitute 10 oz water + a rounded tablespoon almond butter)
2 fl. oz. thick coconut milk
non-caloric sweetener to taste (about 1-2 teaspoon equivalent)

Combine ingredients (if using water + almond butter, use a shaker bottle or blender to combine). Warm in the microwave or on the stove. Serve.

I just tried a mug of this with a full teaspoon of turmeric and it wasn't bitter. I'm not sure if the turmeric is having an anti-inflammatory effect yet. I don't know how I'll know.

I think ginger would be good in this too. Turmeric and ginger work together nicely and they're both anti-inflammatory.

How did it taste? I'll have to give it a try.

It tastes good. I wouldn't quite crave it like I crave chocolate but it's good. I've been doing one a day and my knee is nearly as good as it is on Aleve, but without the liver toxicity. It took 2 or 3 days to get there. Twice a day would probably be better.

I'm making it like this now:

10 oz. unsweetened almond milk
1 oz. thick coconut milk (ie, 2 T)
1 level teaspoon ground turmeric
1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
non-caloric sweetener to taste

I wouldn't go any higher on the turmeric because it can get bitter in large quantities.

I haven't tried fresh turmeric and fresh ginger because they're not convenient but I'm sure they'd be good.

Are you confusing Tylenol with Aleve? I knew tylenol has liver issues, but not naprosyn. Naprosyn has its own issues like weight gain, stomach ulcers, and bloating. Bleh.

http://articles.chicagotribune.com/...ic-pain-tylenol

Have you seen fresh tumeric in a store?

I just assumed Aleve is bad for the liver because it's an NSAID. I kind of remember from that Eades book that discussed the liver that all NSAIDs clog up the liver. I don't know where that book is right now.

Googling "naprosyn hepatotoxicity" now, I see that the incidence is low but when it occurs it mostly occurs on women.

Still, weight gain is a good enough reason to avoid Aleve.

I just looked now to see the effect of turmeric on weight loss. Most report that turmeric aids weight loss; one study (in a quick search) showed that mice who received curcumin had slower weight loss.

I've seen fresh turmeric root in the grocery many times. It looks like miniature ginger with orange flesh. It's related to ginger. I remember reading in the Penzey's catalog that whole turmeric root is hard as a rock and is hard to work with. They were probably referring to the dried root, though.

I've been taking tumeric (capsules) off/on for a couple of years now - it does help with inflammation and helps the skin (my skin cleared up niceley when taking it) - I also lost 7 pounds when I first started without trying.

The only thing with it, it irritates the stomach - so if you have GERDS, acid reflux or anything like that - be careful and make sure you take it with food. Start on low dose and work your way up to see how you handle it.

Wow, can't wait to try this. Hope it will help with my Achilles tendinitis.

Could I substitute soy milk for almond milk? I would think so.
I'm allergic to nuts.

Oh darn, I can't use tumeric with my coumadin. They are both blood thinners.

I was making something similar to this during the winter; I did it the first time when I started to get the sniffles, and then found I liked it so much that I made it for me on cold, rainy days when DH wanted cocoa LOL. I used full fat dairy milk, but would imagine that any other milk of choice would be just as good.

I heated several cups of milk to just below a boil, and added lots of "warm" whole spices - a cinnamon stick, a couple of star anise pods, several cardamom pods (cracked open), 5 or 6 slices of fresh ginger, about 10 black peppercorns (cracked) (there is evidence that turmeric is better utilized if taken with black pepper). Choice of spice was what I like, and what I had; fewer, or more, are optional. I let it sit off heat for an hour or so to let the flavors be absorbed into the milk (just because I prefer it that way; using powdered spices would no doubt be equally nice, and certainly quicker). After steeping I re-heated the milk, poured it through a strainer, added a tablespoon of powdered turmeric (would have used fresh had I had it), and a half teaspoon of vanilla extract (sometimes I put a piece of vanilla pod in the steeping milk), and drank it down. It took care of the sniffles if I did it early enough in the process, and I found it a very soothing, comforting drink.

I've been trying turmeric for my aches and pains. So far I haven't noticed any difference. I still need to take naproxen before bed time if I don't want to be too uncomfortable in bed.

Thanks for answering the question that's been lodged in my mind since this thread surfaced again. Does it really work for anyone else who has tried it?

I'd settle for placebo effect at this point!

Herbal/natural medicine (or "kitchen medicine" as I like to call it) is a hobby of mine - mostly theoretical, as I don't get sick much since I retired from working with school age children LOL. I have done a lot of reading on the subject. According to my notes turmeric is anti-inflammatory, but my notes only mention inflammatory skin conditions, nothing about joints. Its possible that I just didn't write it down, but more likely that I didn't find much information about it. It is also, apparently, a digestive aid, and has been used in India as a styptic and disinfectant for wounds. And, as stated in my previous post, it did help nip an incipient cold in the bud - though that may have also been the hot milk, or just coincidence. Not to say that it isn't helpful for sore joints, only that I didn't find much evidence of it in my reading.
Disclaimer: this is a hobby of mine; I am in no way an expert, and have not taken any formal classes.