Discovering an age old Indian Remedy - Haldi Doodh (Turmeric and Milk)

Being Mom is no easy job.

It is tough enough on regular days – but at least it is a lot of fun

The job however becomes heart wrenchingly painful and really difficult to handle – when little ones are ill. I am Mom to an eight year old and I can vouch for that.

When you are a Mamma – your little one suffering from fever – is TERRIBLE! And coughs, colds or throat pains are sometimes just as bad. An upset stomach can upset you terribly. And an injury on their person can leave you aching and hurting more than you can ever imagine.

You want to do something to make things better. Something – anything!
But WHAT?

I have often found myself asking this question in desperation when my daughter is ill.

As a doctor – I know that most coughs, colds and fevers are caused by viruses and that - viral infections do not require to be treated with antibiotics. All that one really needs to do to treat a viral infection is – to take lots and lots of rest – and do nothing else but wait.

But it is tough to see your little one suffer and not do anything about it. And patience is the one virtue that is really put to the test when your little one is ill.

It was once when I was almost running out of patience and resisting the urge to give my baby a drug for a terrible cold that she had caught – that I discovered something that I could actually DO.
I was pacing the corridors of my house with a cranky ill baby – when a neighbourhood Aunty – my neighbour’s mom walked in.
As her kind and gentle eyes probed me – a flood of tears threatened to overcome me and my voice shook as I conveyed how desperate I was to do something and how I could think of nothing to do to alleviate my little ones symptoms.
And she said – “Have you given her Haldi wala doodh (milk with turmeric added) yet?”

Of course I hadn’t.
Home remedies were not something I had ever practised too much of and I didn’t know too much about them – but Aunty insisted – and I thought – why not.

Milk and haldi were both things that could not be classified as drugs. Milk was something I believed in anyway – because it was a complete food that supplied all the nutrients in a glassful. And the goodness of Haldi was what prompted its use in almost every Indian dish. Together they were sure to be even better.  And if they relieved symptoms and helped my baby recover – why not?

And so with Aunty’s help – I went about making and administering Haldi wala doodh that day. It gave me the satisfaction of doing something without doing something wrong (like administering and extra drug – just to tide over the cranky atmosphere in the house). And my baby finally fell asleep – so maybe it worked.

I then read up on Haldi and found an article on the Huffington Post called “5 Ways Modern Science is Embracing Ancient Indian Wisdom” and in that they called Turmeric “A Miracle Cure’. Turmeric the article says is a powerful anti – inflammatory agent – which is probably why it reduces symptoms if you take it when you have a cold or even if you are injured. It also supposed to reduce indigestion and heartburn. That is an added plus point because colds usually also leave one with a gently revolting stomach and if this mix calms that down – even better.

There are of course articles warning against the excessive use of the spice and articles that advice it’s restricted use in certain cases.

But by and large – a tiny pinch of turmeric in a glass of milk – appears to be a time tested and harmless home remedy that is according to ancient Indian wisdom – also very beneficial in many ways.

Mooshake is a brand that has recently come out with turmeric milk in various appealing flavours.
Moms like me will now not need to leave cranky ill children alone to whine while they prepare haldi wala doodh in the kitchen. Luckily for them – the haldi enriched flavoured milk from Mooshake is packaged in Tetra Pak cartons and for them – is now just the ‘snip of a scissors’ or ‘a prick of a straw away'.

#MilkJustGotSooper
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