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Pathimukham: The Magenta Coloured Beverage That Keralites Drink And You Should Too.

Drinking water is fine, but what if you could supercharge it?

Indians drink water in a matter-of-fact way. The most distinction one can draw between different types of water can be between tap water, mineral water and sparkling water. But down South, especially in Kerala, people refer to normal water as pacha vellam, meaning, raw, untreated water. And for good reasons too, since historically, Keralites have been drinking water from underground wells. To treat the water and make it free from any impurities, Malayalis have relied on Ayurveda for centuries and with the advent of each season, the water changes hue with the addition of different herbs, as prescribed in our ancient texts. Whether it be in their homes, or out in hotels and restaurants, everybody has a pitcher of hot infused water that is customary to serve along with meals or to drink as is. In summers, it is mostly Pathimukham, which is dried wood shavings of SappanWood tree or East Indian red wood tree. The heartwood or the core of the bark of the tree is white but after sun-drying, it turns red, after which it is turned into thin strips. When boiled in water, the wooden shaving diffuses the red colour into the water making it more nutritional and filled with various properties that it becomes better than normal water. If you're still scratching your head on whether or not to adopt this habit, here's a 5 nutritional benefits from having Pathimukham. 

Anti-microbial properties : Water boiled with sappanwood shavings have anti-microbial properties in them due to the presence of methanol in the wood itself. It inhibits methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus bacteria, which causes infections and food poisoning.  

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