What Is Golden Paste?
This thick paste is a mixture of
The finished mixture is the colour of turmeric, a deep golden yellow, that gives Golden Paste its name. However, please consult with a naturopath veterinary surgeon before trying to give this to your dog. There are a number of contras-indications and you must be sure your dog is clear.
What Is Curcumin?
You will sometimes hear it mentioned in the same content as turmeric. Turmeric itself contains many different substances but the group known as the curcuminoids are the ones that are good for our health. Curcumin is the most active of the curmininoids and gives turmeric its flavour and its distinctive yellow colour.
Making Turmeric More Effective
To make turmeric for dogs, humans and other mammals more absorbable and useful to the body, it is mixed with piperine, the active ingredient in freshly ground black pepper. This increases the absorption of curcumin by 2,000%. Mixed with oil, especially coconut oil, the bioavailability is increased because curcumin is fat soluble and the presence of oils slows the rate of metabolism in the liver.
This increases the time curcumin is in the gut thus increasing the opportunities for absorption. Other oils like olive oil or linseed (flax) oil also work well. All these oils also have their own health benefits in addition to those of curcumin.
Taking the paste little and often enables the turmeric to be in the gut for longer overall, thus increasing its opportunities for absorption. Without the addition of piperine and oil, the vast majority of curcumin will be passed out of the gut in brightly coloured faeces!
Golden Paste Recipe – The Cooked Version
There are many ways to make Golden Paste, but I’ve found the following to be a great method :
- Mix turmeric powder with water and simmer for about 10 minutes until it forms a paste. If the paste is too thick, add water and conversely, if it is too runny and thin, add more turmeric powder. An approximate guide is 1 cup water with 0.5 cup turmeric powder to start with. You can alternatively use freshly grated turmeric root.
- Off the heat and when it has cooled down a little, mix in approximately 1/4 cup coconut oil and 1.5 teaspoons of freshly ground black pepper.
- Then store it in the fridge in a glass jar with a screw top lid for up to 2 weeks, so you can scoop out a teaspoon at a time for your dog … and you! It is delicious! It never lasts 2 weeks in my fridge! I love it! But I make it differently as I prefer everything raw!
Golden Paste Recipe – The Raw Version
- Blend the flesh of a fresh young coconut with its coconut water, (easy here in Colombia LOL), or use ready made coconut cream, or milk, preferably raw and unpasteurised.
- Add several turmeric root pieces and blend to form a golden milk or a thick golden cream
- Add 1.5 teaspoons of freshly ground black pepper
- No need to add oil because using whole coconut contains the coconut oil and using whole turmeric also contains curcumin oil, so the curcumin is naturally more bioavailable.
To vary the flavour, I sometimes one or more of the following:
- Ceylon cinnamon which stops the cat pee smell that some dogs exude when consuming turmeric (apparently other types of cinnamon are less effective, but I haven’t tried it myself)
- a drop or 2 of stevia to sweeten it
- a little honey (pure, raw and organic of course)
- Pet Plus
- Engevita nutritional yeast flakes
- Marmite
Your imagination is the only limit! As a delicious warm drink, add some boiling water. If it’s for your dog, make sure it’s not too hot! I love it as a warm drink any time of day, but especially in the evening. So it’s perfect to share between dogs and dog owners! Some cats even like it!
How to Use Golden Paste or Golden Milk
You can give this delicious concoction directly to your dog or mix it with dog food, preferably raw of course. As with everything new, it is wise to start with a small amount and observe the effects. 0.25 teaspoon of golden paste, or less if you have a very small dog, would be plenty at first.
Start once a day, then increase to twice, three times and four times a day. Giving a little and often enables the turmeric to be in the dog for longer, as each dose is fairly rapidly used and excreted. This increases the chances of your dog receiving the beneficial effects. Be very observant of the effects.
How Will You Know If It Is Working?
You will know when you have reached the right amount if you notice your dog’s tumour is either shrinking or at least not increasing in size, or the inflamed, irritated skin calming down with reduced itching, or the aching arthritic movements easing up.
Some dogs are more suspicious than others and may reject adding turmeric to their food, so try a different approach, maybe offering the golden paste on its own, or flavoured with your dog’s favourite morsels! If you give too much at first, your dog may vomit or have loose stools, and you will be reminded of why this is called golden paste!
Turmeric stains, so be careful not to get it on your clothes or furniture … or your carpet! If you have overdone it, just stop the golden paste for a few days until the digestive tract regains its normal function. Then introduce the golden paste again in much smaller quantities and gently increase the frequency and quantity over the coming weeks.
What Are The Health Benefits Of Turmeric?
Curcumin is the active ingredient in turmeric. As always, everything is more effective when consumed raw, unprocessed, unrefined and whole rather than cooked, processed, refined and isolated, although the industry would have you believe otherwise!
- the curcumin in turmeric is a potent antioxidant; it stimulates the body’s own antioxidant abilities
- it has potent anti-inflammatory properties, matching the effectiveness of pharmaceutical anti inflammatories, but without the negative side effects, so has numerous uses in the treatment of inflammatory conditions like arthritis, dermatitis, IBD (inflammatory bowel disease) to name but a few
- reduces pain, largely because of its anti inflammatory action
- improves endothelial function thus reducing CVD (CardioVascular Disease) and regulating blood pressure
- reduces CVD factors by being both anti-inflammatory and antioxidant, as well as acting as a blood thinner by regulating blood clotting factors
- warming, so speeds up the immune response
- improves the immune system, is antibacterial and has antiviral and antifungal activity
- normalises blood sugar
- reduces LDL cholesterol
- may prevent and remove many types of cancer by its potent antioxidant properties and by killing cancer cells, reducing angiogenesis (blood vessel development) to cancer growths and reducing metastases (spread)
- may improve brain function and reduce age related brain deterioration by reducing inflammation, reducing amyloid plaque and possibly stimulating the development of new neurons and neuronal connections; also increasing neurotransmitters dopamine and serotonin
- protects the liver from toxins, largely by its antioxidant activity, preventing the oxidation (free radical damage) of fats
So, if your dog suffers from any of the conditions mentioned above, Golden Paste may well be part of the solution. But consult with your naturopathic veterinarian first! Please note!!! There are many diseases which are contra-indicated for turmeric and could make it potentially unsafe for your dog.