Pathimukham: The Tea on Kerala's Second Favourite Beverage
Supriya Unni Nair delves into the intricacies of the popular medicinal drink, pathimukham, and its Ayurvedic significance.
As the morning rays of sunlight wash over her kitchen, I watch Santha carefully lift a vessel of boiling water from the stove, the steam rolling off the deep ruby-red bubbles on the surface.
Another memory, in another time: The sun's rays are higher up in the sky. I am seated at the luncheon area of a wedding hall waiting for the sadya to be served on the banana leaf, watching servers deftly pour warm magenta water into individual glasses laid neatly on the long table.
My mind wanders again, this time to a hot summer evening. The sun is on its way homeward now, and at a small cafe, Jose rattles off the late afternoon menu to my family. His eyes never leave us as he pours warm pale pink water into the glasses on the table, stopping with almost robot-like precision at the edge of each glass so as to not spill.
The water is pathimukham. From shades of deep ruby-red to the ever so subtle blush pink, it is found ubiquitously in Kerala nowadays, in homes and restaurants.
At the Heart of The Medicinal Tree
The shades of pink are thanks to the heartwood — the central most part of medicinal trees. Sold in packets as tiny shavings, it only takes a sliver or two of these, added to water and boiled to conjure up the deep red hue. The more diluted it is, the paler it becomes.
Shafee Ahmed, general manager at the E-Hotel in Chennai explains that the trend of serving pathimukham instead of water in restaurants picked up only in the '90s when people started getting conscious about their health and nutrition. Shafee, who owns restaurants in his hometown of Kozhikode, Kerala, has seen customers insist on pathimukham. "It's a general belief that after a heavy meal, warm pathimukham will ease the stomach, especially if you've had fried food."
Pathimukham is also believed to have antibacterial properties, and is said to be an antioxidant and a diuretic. Its taste is somewhat acquired. Some swear that it has a woody aftertaste whereas others don't think it has any taste at all. I, for one, belong to the latter tribe.
The pink tints may vary, but the water is always served warm — whether in the middle of a sweltering summer or in the cooler monsoon months.
What is it about this pink water that has captured the fancy of Malayalis? And why would a cuisine set in a tropical humid climate encourage warm drinks even in summer?
Glass of Pathimukam
Image credit: Madhu Samayal
Ayurveda and Medicinal Drinks
For answers, I turned to the Arya Vaidya Sala in the village of Kottakkal, Kerala. AVS as it is known, is a 120- year-old Ayurvedic institution which has put this hamlet on the global map as one of the first and prime centres in India for authentic Ayurvedic treatments — for locals and for visitors from across the country. It has seen the likes of presidents and prime ministers from India, and abroad, visiting for treatments.
Dr Indira Balachandran, Project Director at the Centre for Medicinal Plants Research at AVS explains that in Kerala, the heartwood of Caesalpinia Sappan of Fabaceae family is used as a dahasamani (thirst quencher). In Malayalam, she points out, it is called chappangam as well as pathimukham.
"It's not that all liquids are recommended warm in Ayurveda. In the case of water, warm water is considered best as it aids in good digestion and it is said to be light. Water at room temperature is also good, " she says.
Unfortunately, most untrained people often mistake pathimukham for its more potent cousins karingali and padmaka, and make their own concoctions. This is served more often in households than in restaurants.
Both karingali and padmaka are also used the same way — boiled in water; and with the same pink hues. But Ayurveda physicians point out that these are medicinal.
According to Dr Indira, padmaka is the heartwood of a Himalayan tree Prunus cerasoides of Rosaceae family. A middle or large sized tree, found in the temperate Himalayan region from Garhwal to Sikkim, up to an elevation of 910-1820 m and mainly sourced from Nainital. Karingali, known as khadira in Sanskrit, on the other hand, is the heartwood of a tree Acacia catechu of the family Fabaceae. It is a moderate sized tree, found mostly in dry parts of India. The heartwood is collected by professional herb collectors from Tamil Nadu and Andhra Pradesh and distributed to make Ayurvedic medicines.
Ingredients for karingaali
Image credit: Malabar Foodies
She elaborates on the use of these two herbs: "Padmaka is astringent (kashayam) and bitter (tikta) in taste. In Ayurveda, the taste of the drug is very important as it determines the general action of the drug. It is cold in potency (sitavirya), laghu (light in action & digestion) and increases vata. It cures herpes, type of lesions, skin disorders, all burning sensation, and kapha predominant diseases. Padmaka is a ‘garbhasthaapana’, that is, it helps in the continuity and proper maintenance of the fetus/embryo. It enhances taste, controls vomiting, heals ulcers & quenches thirst."
Karingaali or khadira is cold in potency (sitavirya), gives strength to the teeth and is also used as an herbal toothbrush. It is bitter (tikta) and astringent (kashaya) in taste. Khadira helps with skin disorders, cough and distaste. It helps to deplete fats, diminishes worms, and is good for prameha (diabetes), vitiligo, edema, pitta and rakta diseases as well as anaemia.
"There is actually no reference in Ayurveda for the daily consumption of medicated water," explains Dr Indira. "These are potent medicines and recommended for use in specific disease conditions and not for general use."
Patronage of Ayurvedic Physicians
This perhaps explains why the erstwhile royal families in Kerala prefer jeerakavellam (water boiled with jeera), and chukkuvellam (water boiled with dried ginger). In the olden days, Ayurvedic physicians received royal patronage, and the whole palace was expected to follow their instructions to the T. "When we were younger, jeerakavellam or chukkuvellam were staples at all meals. Pink water was associated with something medicinal, and not used every day," recalls Thankamani Thamburatti, matriarch of Allada Swaroopam, a branch of the Zamorin's Royal family from Nileshwar, Kerala.
Dr Indira recommends mixing up the three— jeeravellam, chukkuvellam and pathimukham once in a while. As with everything else, pathimukham, like any other beverage would work just fine when used sensibly.
CK Sajan, a Chennai-based food consultant, has fond memories of school vacations, when his grandparents used to measure and serve pathimukham to the whole family during mealtimes. I distinctly remember the shock on visitors' faces when they saw the whole family sipping on this deep red liquid in my grandmother's fancy glasses. l am sure they must have thought we were being fed wine," he chuckles.
Years later, during his visits to Kerala, he still drinks pathimukham, especially after a heavy meal. "I've passed this tradition down to my daughter, it's now a sort of family ritual," he says. "I feel like we're playing a small part in keeping alive an ancient practice."
Supriya Unni Nair is a Bangalore-based Independent journalist and author.
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