Felicia Chin and Cynthia Koh take this 'health' drink every day: I ask them why and try it myself

Turmeric powder, lemon and pepper.

Though it may seem like a strange combination for a beverage, actresses Cynthia Koh and Felicia Chin are trying it for 21 days straight.

As someone familiar with turmeric — Indian mums and grannies swear by it — I asked the two for their reasons behind this morning routine and the supposed health benefits it brings.

Cynthia, 49, is no stranger to healthy food and holistic lifestyle practices — remember her sound therapy?

She started drinking turmeric water after a friend of hers shared its health benefits. Felicia, 39, joined in when Cynthia shared about it on her Instagram Story on Nov 27, inspired by her call for others to join her. 

They're on day 12 as of today (Dec 8).

Cynthia told us that on a recent trip together she noticed her friend appeared to have "something different" about her and had lost weight. When she learnt about the turmeric-lemon mix, she decided to give it a go to get back to healthy habits after "binge eating" during her holiday.

Her previous go-to drink was celery juice but she said that it "takes a lot of time and effort" to prepare every morning.

"It's something I can do only when I have a very calm morning and I'm not rushing anywhere, so I thought maybe the turmeric-lemon drink would be a good alternative for me to replace the celery."

Cynthia has a recipe up on her second Instagram page. She uses a tablespoon of turmeric powder, half a lemon and a dash of cayenne pepper to make the bright yellow beverage.

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She drinks it "first thing in the morning", around 15 minutes to half an hour before she takes her breakfast and said it helps with her bowel movements.

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"It’s supposed to help detox, maintain good cholesterol, promote heart health, has anti-inflammatory properties and many wonderful benefits which I’m sure you can find on Google," she wrote in her Instagram post, though she warned her followers not to take it as medical advice.

Felicia, who stars with Cynthia in the upcoming drama I Do, Do I?, only puts one-fourth of a tablespoon of turmeric in her drink and adds black pepper instead of cayenne pepper in her concoction, having read up on how the compound piperine in black pepper helps the body absorb more curcumin, the active compound in turmeric.

She previously shared how she struggled with body image issues and almost had bulimia in her younger years, and nearly fell back into poor eating habits to "look better on screen".

But Cynthia, Felicia told us, was a "very good influence" on her.

"One month prior to filming the drama, I started becoming more aware of how I've been treating my body, because I've been really lax ever since I got married last year and gained quite a bit of weight," Felicia said.

After having a lot of "good joyful food" like instant noodles for supper, she felt like she should be healthier, not just to lose weight, but to "treat [her] body better".

She had coincidentally bought some turmeric powder while on a trip to Japan after filming for I Do, Do I? concluded, and joined in with the turmeric-lemon trend after seeing Cynthia's post on day one.

Felicia's husband, actor Jeffrey Xu, only tried the turmeric drink twice but found the taste to be "too acute". His mother, however, has drunk it for three days and is still going strong.

Trying the recipe

With Cynthia and Felicia's recommendations, I decided to make the drink myself.

My family cooks a lot of Indian dishes at home, so we had a packet of turmeric powder handy and I took one spoonful and mixed it in warm water.

Unlike Cynthia, I don't have a manual juicer at home so I squeezed half a lemon into the drink. I don't have any cayenne pepper either, but instead of trying any other chilli powder, I used black pepper like Felicia.

I expected the turmeric to be intense, but was still not prepared for how overpowering the flavour would be. After trying the drink, I realised that I could taste none of the lemon or pepper.

Despite the turmeric being fully mixed into the water, the texture still felt pretty powdery to me — or maybe it was just a side effect of the strong flavour.

The amount of warm water I used was way too generous as well, and I would recommend adding less so you can drink it as a shot instead.

Overall, the idea of forcing down a drink doesn't really appeal to me, but with so many recipes using turmeric as a spice, I think I'll be sticking to turmeric in food from now on.

Potential health benefits?

While peppers and lemons are commonplace in most kitchens, turmeric may be a new spice that is worth adding to your pantry.

According to Mary-Eve Brown, an oncology clinical dietitian and nutritionist at Johns Hopkins Medicine, curcumin has antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties.

“Anyone who’s trying to manage inflammation could benefit from adding some turmeric to their foods,” she wrote, citing conditions such as arthritis and other joint disorders, colitis, allergies and infections.

Research has also shown possible benefits in helping with degenerative eye conditions, metabolic syndrome, high blood cholesterol, anxiety, muscle soreness and kidney health, Brown wrote.

It could help with depression as well.

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However, too much turmeric can increase the chance of kidney stones and Brown recommends getting "curcumin and most other nutrients in whole food form rather than to take turmeric pills, tinctures, capsules or gummies".

When asked whether she has noticed any differences after drinking her turmeric-lemon concoction daily, Felicia said: "I feel like my complexion may have gotten a bit brighter. A few people have complimented me on it. But other than that, to be honest, I'm not sure."

She also told us that she tore a ligament in her ankle three weeks ago and is undergoing physical therapy for it. The anti-inflammatory benefit of turmeric was "one of the big reasons" she wanted to try it out following her injury.

Felicia added that drinking the juice also helps start the day strong, and she and Cynthia said that they might continue beyond the 21 days.

"I think you just feel really good starting your morning with something warm and good for your body," Felicia said.

Cynthia added that "prevention is better than cure" and people should change their eating habits instead of waiting for something bad to happen.

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"There are a lot of herbs we can use in the kitchen, and Celtic salt and even raw honey are good [for us]," Cynthia added.

If people wanted to start making positive steps to improve their health, Cynthia recommends they "start from food, start from the things you use daily in your kitchen".

Felicia added: "I feel, overall, there are good benefits to [taking the turmeric-lemon drink], and I think it helps with energy level and can help everyone, young or old. That's something that has attracted me to it, and I'm sticking to it.

"Anyway, the turmeric powder comes in a very big bottle, and it's gonna take a long time to finish it," she laughed.

I Do, Do I? follows the lives of three multiracial couples and is available on meWATCH from Dec 18, and airs on Channel 8 on weekdays starting Dec 21. It also stars Ferlyn G, Panitsara Yang, Zong Zijie, Tyler Ten, Aileen Tan, Jason Godfrey, Juin Teh, Herman Keh and Marcus Chin.

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drimac@asiaone.com

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