Guides
Know what you consume.
Where the pink comes from, how Kerala households make it, and how to drink more water without sugar, dye or caffeine. What we know, and where we read it.
Kerala’s water pot
Why is the drinking water pink in Kerala?
Homes and restaurants across Kerala serve warm, pink drinking water. Where the colour comes from, how households make it, and what to check first.
Pathimugam · Caesalpinia sappan
Pathimugam, explained: the wood behind Kerala’s pink water
What pathimugam (sappan wood, Caesalpinia sappan) is, its names across India, how Kerala households use it, look-alike woods, and who should check with a doctor.
Two woods, two waters
Pathimugam and karingali are not the same water
Rose and amber: how Kerala’s two wood waters differ in colour, taste and strength, and why karingali carries a daily limit.
Caffeine-free
What to drink instead of your evening chai
Thirteen caffeine-free drinks Indian kitchens already make, from jeera water to buttermilk, and the everyday drinks that quietly contain caffeine.
Everyday water
How to drink more water without adding sugar
Seven practical ways to drink more water through the day, several borrowed from Kerala’s water pot. No sugar, dye or caffeine required.
Research notes
What the research on sappan wood shows, and what it doesn’t
Every published study on sappan wood that we know of.