With temperatures relentlessly exceeding 45°C across India, the Union Ministry of Ayush, in coordination with the Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS), has issued an urgent public health advisory.
While plain water is essential, the government’s official guidelines highlight that it isn’t enough on its own to beat extreme heat stress. To prevent heat stroke, your body desperately needs traditional, mineral-rich alternatives.
Here is the breakdown of the official AYUSH-approved drinks and foods to keep your system hydrated and protected.
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1. The Ultimate Electrolyte Hydrators
When you sweat, your body loses vital sodium, potassium, and magnesium. The advisory highlights traditional combinations that act as natural oral rehydration solutions (ORS):
Coconut Water & Tender Flesh: Labeled as nature’s ultimate electrolyte drink. It naturally replenishes potassium and magnesium lost through sweat.
Homemade Lemon Water (with Salt): A direct, easy-to-make substitute if commercial ORS packets are unavailable.
Nelli Mor (Gooseberry Buttermilk): A staple from Siddha medicine practices. Blended with deseeded amla, curry leaves, ginger, and rock salt (Indhuppu), it provides a powerful punch of Vitamin C and sodium.
Buttermilk & Lassi: Recommended to be consumed daily with a pinch of salt to maintain baseline fluid levels.
Sugarcane Juice: Packed with natural calcium, magnesium, and iron to provide an instant energy boost during peak heat hours.
2. Traditional ‘Deep-Cooling’ Drinks
These herbal infusions and traditional recipes are explicitly recommended by Ayurveda, Unani, and Siddha systems to reduce core body temperature:
Amra Prapanaka (Raw Mango Panna): A classic Unani and Ayurvedic remedy made from roasted unripe mango pulp, water, and sugar/salt. It has been used for generations, specifically to prevent heatstroke.
Nannari Paanagam: A cooling Siddha drink combining Indian sarsaparilla syrup, lime juice, water, and soaked basil (sabja) seeds.
Bael Sharbat: Made from wood apple, this is highlighted as an excellent traditional option to cool the digestive system, which typically slows down in summer.
Cooling Water Infusions: Upgrade plain drinking water by infusing it with khus (vetiver), sariva (sarsaparilla), jeera (cumin), or dhanyaka (coriander seeds) to cool the body from the inside out.
3. High-Water Foods & Snacks
Instead of heavy meals, the advisory suggests leaning on light, easy-to-digest seasonal fruits and vegetables that boast over 90% water content:
The Trio: Watermelon, Musk Melon, and Cucumber. (Watermelon fits all cooling, hydrating, and electrolyte profiles).
Cooling Snacks: Sattu drink (roasted gram powder mixed with jaggery or rock salt), falsa (Indian blackberry), munakka (raisins), and petha (ash gourd).
The Energy Quick-Fix: Drinking milk with a little added sugar is suggested as a quick way to sustain energy and hydration if you are out in the sun.
Stop Drinking These Immediately
The Ministry issued a strict warning against beverages that actively accelerate dehydration by forcing your body to lose more fluid than it takes in:
1. Tea & Coffee (Diuretics that flush water out of your system)
2. Alcohol
3. Carbonated Soft Drinks & High-Sugar Beverages
4. High-Protein or Stale Foods (These require massive amounts of internal water to digest, spiking your metabolic body heat)
