All Episodes
Previous Next
Aug. 31, 2024 - Health Ranger - Mike Adams
23:35
Mike Adams Sermon #034 - Song of Solomon - Turmeric and the Bible's healing spices
| Copy link to current segment

Time Text
Welcome to today's sermon.
I'm Mike Adams, and the topic for today is turmeric, which you might think, whoa, wait a second, is that actually mentioned in the Bible?
And indeed, we have to do a little bit of botanical archaeology digging to find out that it is, in fact, at least many experts agree that it is mentioned in the Bible as saffron, and that it's found in Song of Solomon 4,
verse 13, which says, Your plants are an orchard of pomegranates with pleasant fruits, fragrant henna with spikenard, spikenard and saffron, again, there's the saffron, calamus and cinnamon with all trees of frankincense, myrrh and aloes with all the chief spices, and it goes on.
So this is a very spice-rich section of the Bible.
Now, when I read these, like Song of Solomon, you're like, well, where's the song?
Because I'm reading this and it doesn't seem like a song.
Nothing rhymes. Well, that's because, of course, it wasn't written in English in the first place.
So what it was originally written in, I think, would be Hebrew in this case.
This would be...
It would have rhymed in Hebrew words, right?
And, by the way, if you read Song of Solomon, Solomon...
Solomon was getting it on with some hot queens or something, right?
I mean, if you're really reading Song of Solomon, it's...
Woo! It's steamy, okay?
We'll just say it that way. So I decided...
Since I do songs, you know, I mean, I record songs.
I got a song coming out that God is with us.
I've already finished the song.
I played part of it for you here in the sermon.
So I thought, why not just take the verses of Song of Solomon and put them into a song in English and just like sing out Song of Solomon in a rap style.
So that's what I did. And I'll play it for you here now.
I had to add a couple of words to make it rhyme.
I had to add words like fruity loops and things like that.
But now it rhymes, okay?
But I want to tell you, as you hear the song that you're about to hear, I did not make this up.
I didn't make it dirty, okay?
The dirty part is in the Bible.
All I'm doing is singing what's in the Song of Solomon, which is pretty steamy stuff all by itself.
So give this a listen.
And this begins, by the way, if you're curious, this begins the lyrics with chapter 4.
What is it? Verse...
12, a garden enclosed is my sister, my spouse, a spring shut up, a fountain sealed.
Okay, so that's where the song begins.
And almost every line in the song is from the Song of Solomon.
So give it a listen. What'd you say again?
Your teeth are like a fucking short sheep.
Come off wash and from the hills so steep.
Your navel is a rounded goblet.
Your waist is a heap of wheat.
Your lips are like a strand of scarlet.
And your mouth is lovely, like a bridal wreath.
Your temples behind your veil are like a piece of pomegranate.
Stuck in your teeth.
Your neck is like the Tower of David.
Your hair is like a flock of goats.
The clothes you have on smell like Lebanon.
Your breasts are like fawns that can float.
Song of Solomon What you say again?
I am a law and my breasts like towers.
I bathe in grape juice, vineyard showers.
If a king could give all the wealth of his house to his spouse, the fires could never be doubted.
Oh, wake, oh north wind, come, oh south.
How much better than wine is your love?
I have taken off my robe, I have washed my feet, open for my sister, my dove.
There are sixty queens and eighty concubines, but my dove is awesome as an army with banners.
Your hair is like a flock of goats.
Your neck like a tower.
And for me, that's all that matters.
All right.
I don't know if you could make sense of all the words, but it's, again, the words are right out of Song of Solomon, chapter 4 for the most part, which does say things like, your hair is like a flock of goats, and your teeth are like a flock of shorn sheep.
Your mouth is lovely.
Your neck is like the Tower of David built for an armory, right?
And so, of course, I had to make fun of some of that, you know, given the modern day, like, you wouldn't describe a woman you love in those terms, probably.
Or she would leave you if you did.
Like, your hair is like a flock of goats.
Your neck is like a Tower of David, you know.
Yeah, probably wouldn't go over that well.
But the whole reason I started that song was because I wanted to sing about the herbs and spices and put those to rhyme.
And then it turns out, if you really, really read the Song of Solomon, it's like a sex poem, pretty much.
So it's not really about spices, is it?
So the only place that turmeric is mentioned in the Bible...
At least as Saffron is actually a steamy sex poem scene from King Solomon.
So there you go. You know, for all you men listening, if you're of dating age and if you're single, you know, try that.
Next time go out, you see a woman, you want to impress.
Hey, your hair is like a flock of goats.
Try that. Oh, and your teeth are like a flock of shorn sheep.
And your neck is like the Tower of David.
Just kind of see how that goes.
Anyway, believe it or not, I actually left out the dirtier parts from Song of Solomon because I didn't want you to think I'm making this up.
So there are a couple things that...
Nope.
Nope. Like in Chapter 5, I just said, nope, that's too much.
That's too much. Alright, but getting to the herb itself, as you know, I've got quite a library of looking at herbs and plants and nutrients, and quite a few that are from the Bible.
It's very difficult, by the way, to find books that talk about herbs or plants or foods in the Bible, because apparently it's not a very popular pop culture topic.
But I was able to get my hands on a book called Plants of the Bible by Michael Zohari.
I had to buy it used, and on the inside cover it says, Reference material not to be removed from the library.
Well, it got removed from the library.
It was in the public library of Cincinnati and Hamilton County, it turns out, for whatever reason.
And let's see.
And now I bought it and it's in my hands.
So I don't know if the library of Hamilton County is missing this book.
Probably going to be some overdue monies involved.
But in the meantime, we shall learn from it.
If you go to page 206, it talks about turmeric or saffron crocus.
Now, this is what's interesting.
Saffron in Hebrew is called carcom.
It's mentioned only once in the Bible in association with spikenard and cinnamon, which are spices imported from the Far East.
So some commentators have identified it with curcuma longa, the Indian turmeric of the ginger family, and others with true saffron, which is crocus sativus, which was imported from neighboring countries.
The first species was never grown in this country, and the second probably only in post-biblical times.
But stay with me here.
This gets interesting. Since the Arabic name for turmeric is curcume, it's starting to sound familiar?
Because, of course, curcumin is the most prominent chemical constituent in turmeric.
Interesting, right? Okay, so the Arabic name for turmeric is curcume.
And for saffron, it's saferum and curcum.
There is linguistic support for both interpretations that turmeric might be saffron or it might be the curcum version.
Anyway, curcum thus appears to be a homonym for two different plants in different periods.
Thus, the botanical archaeology gets a little bit complex here.
But it says here that all Talmudic sources concerning carcum indicate a plant whose flowers were collected both for coloring and for healing purposes.
Well, so that leans towards turmeric, doesn't it?
Because turmeric is used for dyes.
Continuing, in view of this and the fact that the garden saffron can easily be cultivated in Israel while curcuma cannot, there is no doubt that the sown carcum fields mentioned in the Mishnah refer to Crocus sativus.
So then it goes on to talk about turmeric as being, you know, yellow or orange substance, which was crushed into a powder called curcumin.
It's used to color and flavor curries and to dye cloth.
It is sold in Arab markets as curcum and is used both as a condiment and a medicinal drug.
So now if we go to another book, Herbs of the Bible, By Dr.
James A. Duke, who I cite from repeatedly.
I love this book, Herbs of the Bible.
Turmeric, he lists turmeric, which is interesting because, again, turmeric is not directly mentioned.
But here's what Dr.
James Duke says.
He says, Okay, I confess.
I want turmeric to be the saffron mentioned in the Bible.
It's such a good herb that it deserves to be in the Bible.
Ha, ha, ha. Your teeth are like a flock of shorn sheep.
It just keeps reminding me of that.
As a chemical indicator, turmeric changes color in alkaline and acid substrates, so you can use it as a pH tester.
Did you know that? Turmeric rhizomes yield an orange-yellow essential oil used in flavoring spice products and in perfumery, and then it says powdered turmeric is an antioxidant.
But as I know, turmeric is a very powerful anti-inflammatory natural medicine from the mind of God.
And in fact, Dr. Duke goes on to explain that.
The essential oil of turmeric contains curcumin and has shown anti-arthritic and anti-inflammatory activity in rats.
Well, it's more than rats.
It's in humans, too.
So let's take a look at the folklore, or the various medicinal uses of turmeric across the planet.
And by the way, it's also known as a powerful anti-cancer herb.
And a neuroprotective herb, as well as something that helps stabilize blood sugar.
Perhaps not as effective as cinnamon, which is also mentioned in Song of Solomon, but nevertheless, turmeric is very powerful.
So from the book by Dr.
Duke here in Folklore, medicinally, turmeric is regarded as a cure for liver and ulcer troubles and It's an ointment.
It heals skin sores.
Asians use the turmeric rhizome for jaundice, and research claims that turmeric possesses liver-cleansing qualities.
Very powerful.
Ayurvedics use the essential turmeric oil as an antiseptic, an antacid, I'm not sure what that is.
Perhaps we'll look it up. And a tonic in small doses and as relief for spasms in larger doses.
There you go. Bottled with milk and sugar, it's used as a cold remedy.
Now, have you ever heard of something called golden milk?
Golden milk and...
I'm familiar with a formula.
I actually helped formulate something, a product, a powdered product that's a kind of golden milk, and it's got turmeric and coconut milk powder with ginger.
And I believe palm sugar is in that formulation as well.
It makes a super delicious, it's kind of like a sweet curry milk.
A sweet curry coconut milk.
So if you've never tried that, or if you think that, that sounds yucky, actually you might want to try that sometime.
It's very, very therapeutic, and it's quite delicious.
You can also, you can adjust the strength of it by using more or less water, or you can mix it with other forms of milk, like almond milk, if you want to.
You can have just a taste of it.
And it's almost like, what would you call it, like a turmeric ginger latte or something?
Or, you know how eggnog has certain spices, I forgot, I mean nutmeg and whatever else is in eggnog, but that's a delicious wintry treat, right?
When it's properly spiced and sweetened.
You know, it's like drinking dessert, but it's a spicy dessert.
Well, you know what?
Turmeric and ginger with Some sweetener and some coconut oil or coconut milk can go down very well.
You've probably heard of ginger candy or candied ginger, which is ginger with like sugar crystals.
And that's quite delicious too, isn't it?
So these tastes can actually go together quite well.
Continuing with the book here, turmeric is given to stop diarrhea.
Indians apply the turmeric root to leech bites.
I hope that's not a common problem.
Inhaling fumes from burning turmeric relieves nasal congestion.
The turmeric root, parched and powdered, relieves bronchitis.
A paste made from fresh turmeric rhizome is applied to the head to counteract attacks of vertigo.
Did you know that? I did not know that.
If you feel dizzy, some turmeric.
Hmm? Cambodians apply turmeric leaves to reduce fevers, and turmeric and alum are blown into the ear to relieve infections.
A paste of the flowers is used to cure ringworm, other parasitic skin diseases, and gonorrhea.
Well, no wonder Solomon liked turmeric.
I mean, talk about 60 queens and 80 concubines.
And virgins without number, by the way, that's, is that chapter 6, verse 8?
Is that chapter 6? Yeah, chapter 6, verse 8, right there.
60 queens, 80 concubines, and virgins without number.
You're going to need some turmeric, probably, just guessing.
I don't know what's going on there.
I'm not saying it.
It's in the Bible. Anyway, continuing.
In Madagascar, the turmeric rhizome is used as a mild laxative, an astringent, an anti-flatulent, detergent, diuretic, stimulant, and tonic.
Well, that explains even more because isn't there another verse?
I should put this in the song.
Your navel is a rounded goblet.
Your waist is a heap of wheat.
So, might need a little bit of help there with the digestion.
I'm just, I don't know.
Your neck is like an ivory tower.
Your nose is like the Tower of Lebanon.
I really need to add this all into the song.
It's just so good. Anyway, I almost can't help myself.
You know, I mean, I have a sense of humor.
I love to laugh.
Laughter is actually good medicine.
I'm not mocking Scripture.
Just to be clear, I'm having fun with Scripture and encouraging people to read it.
Because, you know, if you don't read Scripture, you miss so much.
You know, a church isn't going to tell you this.
Not a regular church.
They're not going to read you this stuff.
Your hair is like a flock of goats or whatever.
Maybe they will, but they're not really going to explain what this chapter is all about.
So I enjoy getting into what Scripture actually says.
I enjoy interpreting it, I think, with a fresh perspective.
I especially enjoy healing herbs and natural medicine, superfoods, and all of these amazing anti-cancer, anti-inflammation, anti-arthritic substances, and so on.
So I love the fact that this is all mentioned.
That's what brought me to the Song of Solomon, was actually looking at where turmeric might be mentioned in the Bible.
The way I tour the Bible is by first looking for foods and herbs and oils.
And that carries me throughout the Bible.
That's why I jump around, by the way.
So if you're wondering, like, is there a method to this madness?
Yeah, it's pretty much wherever the foods and herbs lead me in the scripture.
That's the method.
Anyway, bottom line on this is turmeric is, of course, not strongly or specifically mentioned.
There's no healing powers of turmeric that are directly mentioned by God or Jesus or his disciples or Moses or Abraham or anybody.
But no doubt, many people, especially I would say in the New Testament, ate turmeric, and it was considered turmeric.
An imported food, a food from the East that was probably quite familiar to many people in the Middle East.
It would mostly come from India, where it's even more deeply embedded in the cultural and cuisine history of that civilization.
So turmeric, I consider it to be a biblical superfood or a super spice, and it's something that I consume every single day, and I have for 15 years maybe.
So just to let you know my recipe, I blend up an avocado and a frozen banana, and I put some coconut water, some whey protein.
What else did I put in there?
I put in some black cumin seed oil, some broccoli sprout powder, and turmeric.
And whatever else I want to put in there, add some water.
Oh, sometimes I put rolled oats in there.
Yeah, just uncooked raw oats, which adds a lot of fiber and a little bit of sweetness, so you're getting kind of an oat milk effect.
Which is quite good, believe it or not.
You can blend up oats into a smoothie and then it creates a very nice thick ice cream kind of smoothie.
The avocados make it very delicious.
The sweetness from the coconut water, the banana, and the whey protein.
It's just super delicious.
And I drink that kind of smoothie every single day.
And it has been my breakfast and lunch every day for, like I said, maybe more than 15 years.
I've kind of lost track.
But given that I used to be borderline diabetic, type 2 diabetic, have not been ever since I started drinking this.
And the only downside being that it will turn, like if you have dental work in your mouth, in like porcelain crowns or whatever, it'll turn them a little bit orange.
Not in the front.
You notice I don't have orange-looking front teeth.
Although that would be super gangsta, you know?
I don't have orange teeth in the front, but in the back I do.
And I'm reminded of that by my dental hygienist.
And the first time she looked in the back of my mouth, she's like, number one, why do you have so many teeth?
Because I still have all my wisdom teeth.
I've never had teeth pulled.
And secondly, she's like, why are they orange?
And then I have to explain turmeric and blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, anti-cancer, superfoods, spices, blah, blah.
And at that point, she's like, can I just clean your teeth?
Yeah, maybe just don't even ask next time.
You wanted to know.
You asked the health ranger why his teeth are orange.
You're going to get the story.
So there you go, folks.
There you go. With apologies to all dental hygienists out there who are doing a great job.
All right. That's today's sermon.
I know a little bit offbeat, maybe a little bit unusual.
We didn't go into a lot of scripture, but turmeric counts.
And I'm going to throw the song here for you at the end one more time because I think you'll enjoy it.
So enjoy the Song of Solomon.
A garden and clothes with my sister, my spouse.
A spring shut up, I found a seal in your house.
Your plants are an orchard of pomegranate fruits.
Fragrant and a spikenard.
Fruity loops.
Spikenard and saffron.
Columns and cinnamon.
All the trees and frankincense make you want to get with them.
Myrrh and outlows with all the cheap spices.
God's healing molecules certainly enticing.
Song of Solomon.
What'd you say again?
Song of Solomon.
Yeah.
Your teeth are like a vodka, short cheap.
They come off wash or from the hills so steep.
Your navel is a rounded goblet.
Your waist is a heap of wheat.
Your lips are like a strand of scarlet.
And your mouth is lovely, like a bridal wreath.
Your temples behind your veil are like a piece of pomegranate.
Stuck in your teeth. Your neck is like the Tower of David.
Your hair is like a flock of goats.
The clothes you have on smell like Lebanon.
And your breasts are like faws that come full of...
Song of Solomon. What you thinking?
Song of Solomon. And she said, I am a ball and my breasts like cowers.
I bathe in grape juice, vineyard showers.
If I can get We're good to go.
▲
Export Selection