THERE were numerous reasons why Celtic enjoyed such success this season and managed to reclaim the cinch Premiership trophy they let slip from their grasp last term.
Ange Postecoglou, the hitherto little-known Greek-Australian coach who was a surprising choice to take over as manager from Neil Lennon in the summer, was certainly a major factor.
The new players Postecoglou brought in - Joe Hart, Cameron Carter-Vickers, Carl Starfelt, Josip Juranovic, Reo Hatate, Liel Abada, Jota, Giorgos Giakoumakis, Daizen Maeda and Kyogo Furuhashi - helped to transform the Parkhead club’s on-field fortunes too.
And supporters being allowed back through the turnstiles after coronavirus restrictions were finally relaxed by the Scottish government also made a huge difference.
But did Celtic’s willingness to embrace a nutritional product that was inspired by ancient Eastern medicine also give them a vital edge over their domestic rivals during their long, hard campaign?
The Glasgow giants entered a partnership with The Turmeric Co, the company that was set up back in 2018 by former Reading, West Bromwich Albion and Wales striker Hal Robson-Kanu, in November last year.
Callum McGregor and his team mates have been using the range of naturally produced shots ever since and their sports science staff believe they have improved both their recovery times and performance levels.
Celtic are not the only club to spice up their season; Liverpool have as well and the Carabao Cup and FA Cup winners will attempt to add the Champions League trophy to their haul of silverware and complete a treble in Paris on Saturday night.
Elsewhere, Scotland, who are on an eight match unbeaten run and are set to play in the Qatar 2022 play-off semi-final against Ukraine at Hampden next Wednesday evening, also use The Turmeric Co shots.
“Elite sport is all about margins,” said Robson-Kanu. “If you can improve your recovery by one per cent across the whole team that is a significant improvement.
“Sportsmen and women are hyper-aware of what can improve their recovery, improve their performance. When we launched The Turmeric Co, there was an immediate, massive demand for the product we had.
“Within two or three months of us launching, we were supplying the English national rugby team and Team GB athletes. We now have a fantastic relationship with Celtic.
“Our association was initially driven by their nutritionalist. He wanted to offer a natural solution to their players and staff that would support the health of their team.
“The feedback from Celtic, from their nutritionalist and from their head of sports science Anton McElhone, has been absolutely phenomenal. They are really delighted with it. It has played a key role in the recovery and health of their players and backroom staff.”
Robson-Kanu added: “Sports teams are so keen on partnering with us. But many other elite teams purchase the product directly from us. Liverpool Football Club are massive purchasers of our product, as our Tottenham Hotspur. The Scottish FA purchase the product for the Scotland national team.
“Not only does our product serve players who are involved in high performance and are acutely aware of the fine margins that enhanced recovery and enhanced immunity can give them, but they can benefit the health of clubs’ fanbases as well.”
Robson-Kanu, who scored for Wales in their famous Euro 2016 quarter-final victory over Belgium in France, first became aware of the positive benefits of good nutrition when he was an aspiring professional after undergoing two major operations.
“It was borne out of necessity,” he said. “I wanted to recover and play at a level I thought I could. The surgeon said to me that I would probably never play without pain, inflammation and swelling in my knee again.
“After two-and-a-half years of surgeries and recovery, I got back into training again. But I was hampered by pain and inflammation. I turned to prescribed medication, anti-inflammatories and pain killers. But my body had an adverse reaction to them. I started passing blood in my urine, I got nausea.
“I needed a natural solution to help me recover from the pain and inflammation I was experiencing without any adverse effect. My father and I went on a research binge and started to look at all different types of methods which could reduce pain naturally and help me recover naturally.
“The big area we identified was nutrition. We realised that a lot of Eastern medical practices and ancient Ayurvedic practices would talk about a number of key ingredients, such as watermelon, pomegranate, pineapple, ginger root and turmeric root.”
Robson-Kanu added: “My father gathered all of these raw, natural, fresh ingredients together and started mixing them into a format that I could consume. I was a fussy eater as a teenager, but he made an elixir which was both potent and very palatable. It tasted great.
“I had never had anything like it before because the majority of these ingredients are not in western diets or easily accessible. But I didn’t have any other option so I just took this elixir a couple of times each day. After a number of weeks I started to see a little less restriction, a little less pain.
“Around six weeks after I started taking this product a number of times each day I woke up, got in the shower and suddenly realised it was the first time in two-and-a-half years I had woken up without pain and restriction in my knee. It was a lightbulb moment for me.
“Up until then, everybody had told me it was impossible for me to recover and be pain-free. But through the power of natural nutrition I had proved them wrong. A year later I made my first team debut, a year after that I made my Premier League debut and a year after that I made my international debut.
“As I began to play at the highest level, I noticed that I was recovering quicker than my team mates, that I wouldn’t get as run down. We realised it was a really powerful product that we were making as a home recipe and remedy. The product became a core part of my career. It has been my secret weapon.”
Thomas Hal Robson-Kanu is founder of The Turmeric Co. which partners with professional sports teams, national governing bodies and elite athletes to enhance their recovery and holistic health with its naturally produced shots. www.theturmeric.co
