Most turmeric (and all "fresh" food in the grocery store) is weeks or months old by the time it's purchased. After harvesting before they reach maturity, and therefore their nutritional peak, the plants must be processed, washed, weighed, then sent on a boat, flown, or trucked to a distribution center, then transported all over the North American continent.
Since food grown outside the United States is generally cheaper, the likelihood that your food was mass produced in Mexico or Central/South America, sprayed with insecticides, pesticides, and herbicides (yes, even organic!) and treated with a petroleum based preservative, before it makes the long journey to you, has risen exponentially over the past 2 decades. Most fruits and vegetables are grown in depleted soil, (a result of mono-cropping and overfarming) which decreases their mineral and micronutrient content.
Turmeric and ginger, in particular, are likely to be sprayed with a waxy substance that helps it to last longer while it sits on a cargo ship. Most turmeric found in mainland grocery stores comes from tropical regions without much infrastructure, so, by the time it arrives in he US (usually to California) on a boat, it's already a few weeks to a month old. If you live outside the West Coast, your turmeric and ginger will then travel from distribution center to distribution center before ending up in your store. This drives up the price, while decreasing the quality. Turmeric and ginger are both potent, effective medicines when they're fresh and properly grown in rich soil. Hawaii has a perfect climate for growing these roots, and mineral rich soil, due to the volcanic activity in this island chain. Secret Harvest Hawaii takes great care to harvest directly from small permaculture farms, and ship immediately to you, within a few days of removal from the earth.
Some of the more common uses for these foods are to treat depression, inflammation and pain (of all kinds, but particularly of the joints,) to regulate hormonal fluctuations and menstrual pain, to aid in gut repair and the treatment of autoimmune disorders, to lower cholesterol, and for the prevention and treatment of both cancer and Alzheimer's Disease. See these links below for peer-reviewed, scientific study on turmeric, from the US National Library of Medicine, the National Center for Complementary & Integrative Health, the University of Michigan, OMICS International, and Johns Hopkins University. These are but a few of many studies:
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5664031/
https://nccih.nih.gov/health/turmeric/ataglance.htm
https://www.uofmhealth.org/health-library/hn-2175005
https://www.omicsonline.org/searchresult.php?keyword=Turmeric
https://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/news/publications/johns_hopkins_health/summer_2013/a_simple_spice_that_may_battle_cancer
The goal of Secret Harvest Hawaii is to bring powerful tropical botanical medicine to the mainland US, to make it affordable and accessible, and to raise awareness around these important foods and how they can be used to benefit you and those you love.
We offer the whole root, in addition to our signature Kauai Gold Turmeric Tonic Blend, which is wonderful for traveling or on-the-go days. Our Kauai Gold Starter Kit is our recommended way to begin to experience the benefits of these remarkable plants.
Mahalo