Try spicing up your water

Flavouring water will not only lend it an exotic aroma and taste, but also aid in better health. Radha Prathi shows you how to brew a few simple water concoctions.

Water certainly does wonders to your wellbeing, if taken adequately. It has not just
sustained and nourished life, it has doubled up as manna from heaven. If you glance through the recipes of just about every kind of food and drink, water will most likely figure as one of the ingredients.

If you are a keen observer, with keener taste buds, you must have noticed that water tastes different when it is sourced from diverse origins. For instance, the taste of tap water is very different from that of well water or borewell water, or the water from spring, river or pond, as the case may be.

The salinity and the mineral content of water actually play a big and effective role in lending water its very own specific taste. However, when water is purified, by boiling or distilling, it becomes almost tasteless.

Have you ever considered spicing up your water? There are several ways to make your own flavoured water at home and lend it some exotic taste. What’s more, these flavoured waters have therapeutic effects, too.

When you decide to flavour water, there are some ground rules that you must follow compulsorily. Always bring the water to a boil, put off the heat, add the flavouring ingredient to the water, put a tight lid over the water and allow it to cool before decanting the water into another container. This waiting period will help ensure that the water is flavoured uniformly.

Here go a few simple and healthy options to flavour your water. Whoever said water is supposed to be tasteless and colourless! So, go ahead and experiment.

The following measurements are given for two litres of water. It is quite likely that you will be trying these concoctions out again and again in different permutations and combinations...

Half a teaspoon cumin (jeera) can help you overcome gastric problems and aid in digestion especially after a very heavy and rich meal. If you feel queasy after an oily meal, add two teaspoons of jeera to hot water and drink while it is still warm. The mixture will help you ease your stomach.

Half a teaspoon of caraway (ajwain) can take care of your tummy aches and can aid in digestion too.

Half a teaspoon of aniseeds (saunf) can help in overcoming acidity. If you think that your next meal will be postponed indefinitely, sips of this flavoured water can help you fight the looming acidity.

Ten basil (tulsi) leaves can help you overcome your cold and cough, and it will certainly soothe your throat when you drink it while it is still warm.

Ten small mint (pudina) leaves can help you overcome gastric and acidity problems and refresh you.

If you happen to be wearing braces or suffering from toothache, the fluoride content in mint can cleanse your teeth and even numb the pain temporarily.

Two cloves or one pod of cardamom will turn out to be your very own mouth freshener and a great rejuvenator. Try this flavour on your special guests and soon they will be asking for some more.

Four roasted and smashed peppercorns can be a great reliever for a runny nose. If you add more peppercorns, then it will make you sneeze continuously and help get rid of any headache caused by cold.

One betel leaf can aid in digestion and can help you overcome nausea. If you are the sort who is allergic to bus rides or boat rides, carry a bottle of this flavoured water with you and drink it every half hour. That should help you overcome any nausea
during the journey.

Two pinches of dry ginger powder can prove to be a great source of immunity against cold and cough. Consume it daily for a week or ten days, during the change of seasons.

Three to four strands of khus khus roots will not only lend an exotic aroma to water, but will also be instrumental in bringing down the body heat and leave you cooler.