Hot and Cool Foods

Indians have traditional beliefs about food and its effect on the human system. Living in a hot, tropical country, they still believe that the best drink is steaming hot tea. In the South, people drink gallons of coffee made from a filtered decoction. All over India the most common cool drink is nimbupani or fresh lemonade made from lemon juice, water, sugar and a pinch of rock salt.
Of these drinks, tea, hot and served with milk or cold and served with a wedge of lemon and lemon water are supposed to be 'coolin' and coffee is heat producing to the humans. Similarly milk, yoghurt, butter and buttermilk(lassi, cchaas, piyush ets) and gulkand(a preserve of rose petals and sugar) are cooling. Pickles, pineapples, mangoes, spices like cardamoms and cloves produce heat. Mothers constantly tell their children to eat or drink foods that will keep the stomach cool and especially pregnant or mentruating women are advised to keep away from heaty foods. In fact, those who believe in the grassroots medicine system of the Indian masses, firmly say that diseases like dysentry, acne, skin disorders, piles, a sore mouth or throat, chicken-pox, measels or a fry racking cough etc. are generated by excessive heat within the body. Similarly chest congestion or a constant running nose is due to excess cold in the body.
An Indian family usually has a storehouse of household remedies for quick relief in almost all common diseases. Some people even make their own antiseptic ointments and paste to cure wounds, mictures to set minor fractures, hair and body massage oils, cosmetics, astringents and facial or body packs. Indians also believe that certain plants or trees keep the atmosphere around the house clean. Neem, Ashoka, Eucalyptus are among the trees planted strategically in the periphery of houses to keep the air pure and uncontaminated.