Healing Turmeric-Ginger Broth
Ali Segersten Jan 19, 2017 25 comments
Learn how to make the most delicious, anti-inflammatory turmeric-ginger broth—one that not only warms your body, but soothes your nervous system and stimulates healthy digestion from the inside out.
I love adding chopped fresh turmeric to chicken soup, but this recipe takes the turmeric content and bioavailability to a whole new level. I’ve created a richly nourishing broth that uses both fresh turmeric and dried, powdered turmeric, layered with warming ginger, healing aromatics, and nourishing fat to support your body’s healing pathways on every level.
This isn’t just soup—it’s liquid gold for your gut, immune system, and soul.
How is Turmeric Anti-Inflammatory?
Curcuminoids are beneficial polyphenol compounds found in turmeric. They shut down, or dampen, the primary inflammatory switch in the body—nuclear factor kappa beta (NF-kB)—a powerful step in healing the root causes of chronic disease, including:
- Autoimmune conditions
- Type 2 diabetes
- Alzheimer’s disease
- Osteoporosis
- Food allergies and sensitivities
- Cardiovascular disease
- Cancer
Turmeric is what we call an adaptogen—a master balancer. It works intelligently within the body, turning down inflammation while turning on antioxidant and detoxification genes.
Disease is caused by getting too many things that you don’t need—inflammation, stress, toxins, infections, allergens—and too little of the things that you do need—antioxidants, relaxation, movement, whole foods, and the nutrients that support your body’s deep repair.
Turmeric, in its wisdom, helps restore that balance at the root.
Specifically, curcumin activates a transcription factor called Nrf2, which signals your cells to produce their own antioxidants and protective proteins. This includes hundreds of detoxification enzymes that support liver function and cellular defense.
It also has antimicrobial properties, helping to address root causes of inflammation like bacterial, viral, and fungal overgrowths. When inflammation decreases and cellular resilience increases, healing becomes possible.
Why This Broth Supports “Rest and Digest”
The power of this broth extends far beyond its anti-inflammatory ingredients. It’s deeply supportive for the digestive system—calming, gently stimulating, and grounding all at once. Here’s how:
- Ginger enhances gut motility and stimulates the migrating motor complex (MMC)—a rhythmic, wave-like motion in the small intestine that clears food particles and bacteria between meals. This natural “cleansing” mechanism helps prevent bloating, SIBO (small intestinal bacterial overgrowth), and supports nutrient absorption. In a clinical trial, ginger significantly increased gastric emptying and the frequency of antral contractions in patients with functional dyspepsia, confirming its prokinetic and motility-enhancing effects.
- Curcumin helps restore gut barrier integrity. This golden compound strengthens the intestinal lining by upregulating tight junction proteins, reducing leaky gut and preventing bacterial toxins like lipopolysaccharide (LPS) from entering the bloodstream. Remarkably, curcumin achieves this even without significant systemic absorption, working directly on the gut lining. Less LPS means less inflammation—and a more resilient, peaceful gut.
- Warm, fat-infused broths naturally invite the parasympathetic nervous system—the “rest and digest” state—to take the lead. Slowly sipping this soup, especially when paired with mindful breathing or a moment of stillness, signals safety through the vagus nerve, calming the body, increasing digestive enzyme secretion, and supporting absorption.
- Aromatic herbs and spices—like garlic, ginger, turmeric, and bay leaf—gently awaken the senses and digestive secretions. The smell, warmth, and taste of this broth engage the cephalic phase of digestion, which begins before the first bite. This sensory stimulation prepares the body to fully receive nourishment.
Bioavailability Tip: Fat + Heat = Enhanced Absorption
The polyphenols in turmeric are lipophilic—meaning they are absorbed best when consumed with fat. This is why traditional Indian cooking sautés turmeric in ghee or oil: it maximizes bioavailability and deepens flavor.
In this recipe, we begin by gently sautéing turmeric powder, fresh turmeric, and fresh ginger in oil to awaken their aromatic compounds and enhance absorption. This traditional step not only deepens the flavor, but also allows the healing compounds to fully infuse into the broth as it simmers for hours, making them more bioavailable.
A Word of Caution:
This soup is potent—so potent, in fact, that it will temporarily stain your children’s faces yellow if they slurp it joyfully (which they likely will). It will also permanently stain white tablecloths, light napkins, clothing, and countertops.

About the Author
Alissa Segersten, MS, CN
Alissa Segersten, MS, CN, is the founder of Nourishing Meals®, an online meal-planning membership with over 1,800 nourishing recipes and tools to support dietary change and better health. As a functional nutritionist, professional recipe developer, and author of The Whole Life Nutrition Cookbook, Nourishing Meals, and co-author of The Elimination Diet, she helps people overcome health challenges through food. A mother of five, Alissa understands the importance of creating nutrient-dense meals for the whole family. Rooted in science and deep nourishment, her work makes healthy eating accessible, empowering thousands to transform their well-being through food.Nourishing Meals Newsletter
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I love garlic in soup broths…
I love garlic in soup broths.
Is it okay to add garlic to this or is it left out for a specific reason?
Thanks for this Ali - you…
Thanks for this Ali - you are great!
I can't wait to brew up a batch - I love Tumeric - except when it spills onto my wifre's tablecloth - I can't get it out.
Thank you for sharing the…
Thank you for sharing the recipe for Turmeric soup. Can’t wait to share some with sick friends. I know it works well for arthritis pain.
WOW! This is amazing …
WOW! This is amazing ... haven't tried it yet, but just reading about it makes me feel healthy! Looking forward to trying this soon.
You can get turmeric out if…
You can get turmeric out if your clothes by putting it out in the sun for a while. Truly amazing! Not a permanent stain.
This soup is so awesome! I am newly grain-free and this recipe helped me get through the tough first week; then it was just so darn good I made it again! I just toss that tasty chicken meat back in with a couple handfuls of power greens, simmer a few minutes and it's good to go. My family and friends call it SuperPower Soup!
Hi Ashley,
The broth should last a week in your quart jars in the fridge. Yes you can also freeze it! :) Follow the directions for freezing broth that I have in this post: http://www.nourishingmeals.com/2015/12/how-to-make-nourishing-beef-bone-broth.html
It says that the broth can be refrigerated for later use. Can it also be frozen? How long can it be refrigerated (or frozen) and still be good to use? Thank you so much for this recipe... it's extremely delicious but there's so much broth that I don't know what to do with it all!
Hi there, thanks for your comment. It really depends on where you are sourcing your turmeric from. Make sure to buy organic! I usually assume most folks here already do that. There has been lead found in a number of cheap non-organic sources of turmeric. Some of the major organic brands have tested out ok w/o lead contamination. As for the olive oil, you are just sautéing at a low heat here...not heating high enough to reach smoke point. If you are really concerned you could just try another oil like coconut oil or avocado oil.
Turmeric and bones both have significant amounts of lead. Is this a concern? Also olive oil smoke point is really low, it creates carcinogens when sautéed is there another oil that would be just as good?
You can either add some cooked fish to the soup when it is hot, or cut up the raw fish (minus the skin) into cubes and gently simmer it into the soup for about 10 minutes before serving. :)
I there,
I would suggest some kind of firm or semi-firm, low mercury, white fish such as black cod. You can learn more about safe fish through EWG's website: http://www.ewg.org/research/ewgs-good-seafood-guide
And then I compost everything in our city composting bin. I actually don't ever throw away any food stuff. :)
Hi there,
I usually will use the bones and veggies and make ANOTHER batch of broth, using less water the second time. After the second batch the veggies are usually totally broken down and all of their goodness is in the broth. :)
I was wondering what type of fish you would suggest? I am thinking frozen fish at Trader Joe's to keep the price down. What would you recommend?
What do I do with all the wonderful diced and cut stuff. I don't want to just throw it away, it still has lots of flavor
Hi Wendy,
Thanks for the feedback! It is the perfect recipe to help stay warm and nourishing through winter. :)
Thank you for the feedback Charlene! Your chicken-noodle-vegetable soup combo sounds great. :)
I made the broth as suggested and WOW, it is phenomenal! So delicious and nourishing. Made the noodle soup as suggested. My husband and I were even drinking it plain out of mugs at lunch! Perfect for this bitter winter weather. Thanks Alissa!
Turmeric broth is tasty! Thank you for the recipe. I was skeptical at first with that much turmeric but I found that the flavor to be very pleasant. We used it to make noodle soup. I could not find the thai noodles but I did find Lundberg brown rice spaghetti noodles and it was very tasty. I added zucchini, mushrooms, sweet potatoes, a sweet onion, spinach, and the chicken.
Charlene
Hi Rainy,
Yes, you could omit the fresh turmeric and replace it with 2-4 tablespoons of dried (powdered), in addition to the 2 tablespoons already called for. Start with the lesser amount if you are unaccustomed to the flavor of turmeric. :)
Hi Alison,
I don't have a vegetarian version. But....you could probably create one quite easily by adding 1-2 more tablespoons of oil when sautéing the spices. Add another onion, extra celery and carrots, along with some kombu seaweed (4-inch piece), and just omit the chicken. Bring to a boil, then simmer on low for a about 2 hours. Let me know how it turns out! :)
I will try a vegetarian…
I will try a vegetarian version today and report back.
I'm going to try this soup tomorrow. Sometimes our store's turmeric is old and rotten looking. Can powder be used instead of fresh?
Looks amazing! Is there a vegetarian version?