Jamu Kitchen is blurring the lines between food and medicine“Our ethos is simple,” says Tanita de Ruijt, founder of Jamu Kitchen, a new London-based wellness brand. “We want to bring you what our ancestors have known for generations - foods for pleasure as well as healing, using influences from traditional Asian food cultures.” Their mission is to blur the lines between food and medicine. “Our tonic combines mystical connections to the ancient world and demonstrable nutrition benefits in the modern one.”Jamu Kitchen (whose name derives from an Indonesian style of herbal medicine) has been studying centuries of spice smashing and pestle-pummelling recipes for inner and outer health and beauty. Their first product, a Turmeric Tamarind Tonic is infused with spices typically used in Asian countries for their medicinal qualities. Turmeric has been used for thousands of years as a spice and medicinal herb. Curcumin is the main active ingredient in turmeric, which has has powerful anti-inflammatory properties and is very high in antioxidants. Researchers have been studying curcumin as a beneficial herb in cancer treatment and believe it can affect cancer growth, development and spread at the molecular level.Consumers are increasingly looking to the history books for culinary inspiration. The Slow Food movement has fully embraced this, at the same time defending regional traditions and a slow pace of life, largely in retaliation to the general speed of food production and culture (keep your eyes peeled for our Slow Food briefing as part of the Slow Report).“The trend of eating ‘like our ancestors’ is growing,” says de Ruijt. "Think bone broths and fermented foods – these are the cornerstones of ancient Asian food cultures, but us westerners don’t seem to have put two and two together yet. We've also been keeping an eye on the turmeric trend,  Turmeric tonics and teas now rank with green juice and coconut water as the next magic remedy in the eternal quest for perfect health.”Turmeric Tamarind Tonic is available now from 26 Grains.Still hungry for more? Sign up for our weekly supplement featuring the latest news, profiles, features and innovation