It’s the end of October, which means soon we’ll need to be protecting ourselves from the cold weather and cold viruses. With a toddler in preschool, I feel like I’m constantly fighting off the viruses she brings home. But thanks to a local juice store, I’ve discovered a method of boosting my immune system and decreasing inflammation: turmeric, lemon, and ginger shots!
These 2-ounce shots are highly concentrated, work very quickly, and burn like hell. I recommend keeping a glass of water nearby to use as a chaser. As someone who has used these shots multiple times in the past month whenever I felt like I was coming down with something, I can attest to their effectiveness. Even though my husband and daughter had colds this month, I never came down with one!
Already have a cold? Try my simple cold remedies, which use raw honey and essential oils to soothe sore throats, reduce coughing, and clear sinuses!
The benefits of curcumin, found in turmeric, are numerous. I highly recommend consuming it in some form every day. If the thought of juicing and drinking a shot every morning doesn’t appeal to you, you can always try it in my delicious Golden Milk!
In case you missed my post about the benefits of turmeric, here’s a recap:
Benefits of Turmeric:
- Prevents cardiovascular disease at a magnitude comparable to that of 30-60 minutes of exercise per day (Source)
- A safe and effective remedy for rheumatoid arthritis (Source)
- May work as well or better than leading anti-inflammatory drugs for osteoarthritis. (Source)
- A powerful antioxidant (Source)
- Decreases the damaging effects of lupus on the kidneys (Source)
- May reduce the symptoms of Alzheimer’s disease (Source)
You can increase the bioavailability of turmeric by combining it with black pepper, which contains piperine, a potent inhibitor of drug metabolism, meaning it slows the liver’s ability to eliminate the curcumin. Even just a pinch of pepper increases bioavailability by 2000%! Also eating it with fat helps it travel through the lymphatic system, bypassing the liver and increasing absorption.
Benefits of Ginger:
- Anti-inflammatory (Source)
- May be effective as a migraine remedy (Source)
- Reduces morning sickness nausea, motion sickness nausea, post-operative nausea, and chemo therapy vomiting (Source)
- May reduce heavy menstrual bleeding and IBS cramping (Source)
- Helps protect DNA from oxidative damage (Source)
Benefits of Lemon:
- Source of vitamin C, an antioxidant
- Helps boost DNA repair (Source)
- Aids in antioxidant absorption, especially in tea (Source)
All you need to make this simple turmeric, ginger, and lemon shot is a juicer or a high-powered blender. To use a blender for juicing, blend all ingredients until no large chunks remain. Pour blender contents over a cloth-lined strainer that rests over a large bowl. Allow liquid to strain through, then make a pouch with the cloth over the remaining pulp and squeeze out the rest of the liquid.
Personally, I prefer to use a juicer. If you don’t have one, I recommend asking for one for Christmas. I use a Breville, but there are lots of options!
After you make your juice, you can pour it into individual 2-oz bottles, store it in a jar, or pour it into an ice mold to save it for later.
- ~7 oz turmeric root (large handful)
- 3-4 lemons, rind removed
- ~6 oz ginger root (one large root), roughly chopped
- 1 sweet apple, quartered
- Pinch black pepper
- Run all ingredients through a juicer, or blend in a blender and pour through a cloth-lined sieve to strain out pulp.
- Pour juice into individual bottles, one large jar, or an ice cube tray to store.
- To serve, pour about 2 ounces into a glass and add a small pinch of black pepper. Drink like a shot and chase with water.
Store juice in the fridge up to 4 days.
I recommend taking these shots every other day, unless you feel like you're fighting off a cold, in which case every day would be appropriate.
Our local juice store sells these shots, which they call “The Sting,” for $6 per 2-oz bottle. Well this recipe makes 15 ounces for the same price!
If you don’t believe in the benefits of turmeric, ginger, and lemon, I dare you to try these juice shots every morning for a week. You’ll be hooked, just like I am!
♥ ♥ ♥
We’ve really been enjoying fall here in the Fowler house! We’ve taken Abby to the Dixie Classic Fair, a pumpkin patch, and a fall festival. The weather here in Winston has been so great, it’s been hard for me to sit inside and work on my blog! But don’t worry, I have more delicious recipes up my sleeve!
What are some of your favorite fall traditions?
Where did you buy your glass bottles? Is the seal on the cap fairly tight or did you switch to another brand? Do you feel it’s easier to deal with in the longrun to portion out the juice in the 2oz bottles or just keep it chilled in one large glass bottle?
Hi! I actually saved them from a juice store here in Winston, so that’s probably not very helpful to you. I’d check a craft store or Amazon. I only portion the juice into the small bottles if I’m giving them to people, but it’s more convenient to keep all of the juice together and portion it out right before drinking. I hope that helps!
I have a nutrabullet can that be used instead.
I’ve never used one before, but if you’re able to juice with it, go ahead!
I read through comments to try to find this out, but when you do yours with a juicer, you don’t peel the turmeric or ginger, is that right? I have a Champion masticating juicer…
Correct! Sometimes I cut off the tough, dried ends of the ginger root, but no, I don’t peel them.
Can you take this everyday to help with inflammation? I have bad knees and I just take turmeric capsules to help with the inflammation.
Thank you
Yes! When I have bouts of arthritis, I pretty much take one of these or make golden milk every day. You should try to figure out which is more effective for you — the capsules or the shots — and keep taking those. I hope you find relief!
Try taking omega 3 capsules they are great for inflammation and pain.
Hello ! Do think adding a lil raw honey to the shots would hinder the effectiveness ?
I think adding honey would be OK, if that’s what you need to get them down! I prefer to add a sweet apple to the juicer to give these extra sweetness though.
I can’t find fresh tumeric. Only the kind in the spice aisle. Would it be possible to make this still with that? How much would I use.
Sure! I’d aim for 1/4 teaspoon of ground turmeric per shot, because studies show that 1/4 tsp. is a good dose for reducing inflammation. If you know you’re experiencing lots of inflammation (achy joints, etc.), you may want to add more than that. It’s up to you!
Hi! Since this makes 15 oz. or approximately 7 two ounce shots, would I add 1/4 tsp of tumeric seven times?
I can’t find fresh tumeric either.
You could do that, or just stir in 1/4 teaspoon in each shot before taking it. If that’s too strong for you, you can reduce the amount in the next shot without ruining the whole batch. Just a suggestion! Sorry you can’t find fresh turmeric. That’s so frustrating!
I know it’s a bit late since you posted but just in case you still need an answer. I order my Turmeric and Ginger through Amazon.
I have found fresh turmeric in our fresh markets, but the freshest, I found at amazon. So I order mine.
I just bought a box of fresh tumeric on amazon
I live here in Winston as well, so I’m curious where you find your fresh tumeric??
And just had my first “Sting” today, so I’m anxious to have more, but would rather make it myself
I buy my turmeric from Whole Foods, Fresh Market, and Harris Teeter (in a pinch). It’s in the produce section near the ginger root, usually. Good luck!
I dont have a juicer so ill be using a blender to make this drink. Just to make sure you are supposed to peel the turmeric and ginger right? Also how do i add the lemon? Just squeez all the juices out?
Since you’ll be blending everything then filtering out the pulp, you don’t need to peel the ginger or turmeric. For the lemons, I would cut the peel off with a knife and remove most of the seeds (because they can be bitter), then blend the rest of the lemons with everything else before straining out the juice. Hope that helps!
If you can’t get fresh turmeric can you use powdered turmeric? Thamks
You can use powdered turmeric; I would add 1/4 teaspoon to each shot and stir it well.
Can this be used for cancer patients
I would discuss it with the oncologist first, but I don’t know of any possible issues with taking these shots. I certainly would never tell anyone to take these instead of their prescribed medication.
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️Hey Mary, we actually made these juice shots for our fitness vlog. They turned out really good. Quite a success. Thanks for sharing and helping us save money. 👍
Where i live I can’t get hold of root turmeric, please could you let me know what the equivalent would be with powder?. Thanks.
Sure! I’d try 3/4 to 1 teaspoon in the whole batch, or you could add 1/4 teaspoon to each shot.
What Breville juicer do you own ? I’ve been looking at he Breville juicers are there are quite a few options ! Thanks for this awesome recipe !
My exact model isn’t made anymore, but I’d say it’s closest to the Juice Fountain Plus. You probably can’t go wrong with any of them — it just depends on your budget. All of them should get the job done!
You do not take rind off lemons
I do! I cut them off with a knife before adding them to the juicer.
Hi, I’d like to say that I do a lot of Juicing, and I have read SO, SO many times that if your just drinking the lemon alone, your not getting the full and best out of the lemon!! They suggest to freeze the lemons and cut them in pieces and use the whole lemon to blend for the drink….That the RIND is the MOST IMPORTANT BENEFICIAL of the Lemon!! Yes, Zest, or blend the Rind……VERY IMPORTANT!!! Seems also that for some reason the freezing makes it so much easier to blend…..Also freezing the lemons helps them to last longer…..Thank you…..God Bless!!!
I’m deffently going to try this recipe. I’ll probably freeze some of it to put it in my smoothies. I can’t find fresh turmeric around me, is it ok if I use powder?
Yes! I recommend 1/4 teaspoon per serving 🙂
I have been making these shots for some time now and it has cleared up some wrist pain I was experiencing. I take the ginger , lemon and turmeric with some apple juice.
Good info thanks !
I saw that it says you store this for 4 days if you only use one bottle a day will it last more then 4 days? I plan on putting it in 2 oz bottles.
It will probably last that long, but freshly-made juice is really best to drink ASAP because it starts to lose its health benefits right away. You could try drinking 2 bottles per day, or give some of them away 🙂
I have been making something similar to this for about 4 months now and taking everyday. I haven’t had any cold or flu either and I feel really good. I use powdered turmeric for now until I can use up the big bottle I own and then I will try whole tumeric. I also keep the peel on the lemon. I did some reading and found some great benefits in the peel. But I buy all organic lemon and ginger and clean it well. The Scandinavian people drink ginger shots everyday. That is where I learned about them. They are strong but I do think they have great health benefits. I have esophageal varices and they were enlarged. But my last doctor visit he said they weren’t enlarged. So I don’t know if that is because this drink but I was happy to hear it.
That’s great! Glad to hear it has helped you so much!
I forgot to put the apple🤔 is it just to cut some of the butter and is it ok that I’m drinking my first batch without the apple? Really loving these shots❤️
Sure! The apple is just to add some sweetness to make the shots more palatable. If you like them without, that’s totally fine!
Would there be a reason why I only got 8 ounces of juice verses 15 ounces could it be that I left out the apple?
The apple definitely adds a good amount of juice. It could also be that your lemons weren’t very juicy.
Thank you I was good without! One more question is this fine to take for someone that takes blood pressure medicine? I would think it would be helpful 😊
I haven’t read anything that indicates that you should avoid ginger or turmeric when taking BP medication. I also think it could help!
Thank you we are going with it loving the shots! We have used turmreric powder in our smoothies so we are believers! So excited I found your blog😊
Where do i get the shot bottles?
Mine were recycled from juice stores, etc. Now I mostly just pour the whole batch into a jar and keep it in the fridge. When I’m ready to take a shot, I pour about an inch into a glass and add black pepper.
how much turmeric do i use if it is powder form
For maximum benefit, 1/4 teaspoon per serving is the recommendation.
Hi would you recommend any other citrus juice instead of lemon one that is readily available in the supermarket such as grapefruit? Is there anything specific to lemon juice that is not present in other citrus juices!
I’m going to switch to making the shots with organic ground turmeric and ginger so wanted to add a juice i can buy in.
Thanks
Roger
I don’t generally recommend grapefruit juice because it can interfere with certain medications. You may certainly use other citrus juices like lime or orange, but fresh juice is preferable because it hasn’t been heated during the pasteurization process.
Does this juice also help fight cancer or inflammation?
I haven’t seen any research on cancer, but there have definitely been studies on turmeric and ginger that show a significant decrease in inflammation after consumption. If you want to learn more, I suggest doing a search in the nutritionfacts.org archives!
I made this in my vitamix and it’s very thick. How can I thin it out?
If you use a blender, you need to strain the liquid to remove the fiber. You could start with a metal strainer to remove the large particles, then use something more tedious like a nut milk bag or a multi-layered cheese cloth if it’s still too thick.
Do I have to strain it if I use my vitamix? I haven’t strained it and it’s truly quite liquified…but now I’m worried that if I am harming myself that I have it with the fibers.
You won’t harm yourself by adding the fibers, it’s just thicker and less palatable. If you can drink it that way, go for it!
Have a question. Can you use another fruit instead of lemons. I can not have citric acid foods. Can Dark cherries be used instead and if so how much?
I’ve never juiced cherries before, but you could try (start with a large handful)! I’d just double up on the apple or use celery — something mild that will add a good amount of juice.
Hi, How long does it last in the freezer?
I wouldn’t keep it longer than 3 months.