My family is from the Kutch region in India. Kutch is the desert area by the Indian border with Pakistan. It used to be its own state, but merged with the state of Gujarat after Indian independence in 1947. Although my family is Kutchi, my mother was born and raised in Mumbai.
At the first symptom of sickness, my mom makes a drink called “haldi walo dood”. That translates to milk with turmeric (Kutchi does not have a written language). This healing drink has been used by innumerable generations of my family.
Haldi Walo Dood
Mix 0.5 teaspoons of turmeric with 1 cup of milk. Microwave for 2 minutes. Add 1 heaping teaspoon of sugar. Stir, and microwave for another minute. Drink as hot as possible.
It is optional to add 2 cloves.
Annotation: Recently, scientists have been exploring the healing properties of turmeric, in an example of bioprospecting. This spice was profiled in a NPR segment, “To Cut The Risk Of A High-Fat Meal, Add Spice.”