Nannari Sarbath Recipe: South India's Natural Body Coolant (2026)

What Is Nannari Sarbath? South India's Summer Secret

Nannari sarbath is a cold South Indian drink. You make it from the dried roots of the nannari plant. In English that plant is called Indian sarsaparilla. Its botanical name is Hemidesmus indicus. Homes in Tamil Nadu and Kerala have mixed this drink for summer heat for a very long time.

I first drank nannari sarbath at a road stall in Chennai. The seller stirred a dark amber syrup into cold water and passed it over in a steel tumbler. It tasted like nothing else I had tried: earthy, a bit sweet, cool in the throat for hours. I asked him how to make it at home.

What Does Nannari Mean, and What Is It Called in English?

Nannari is the South Indian name for the root of a climbing plant, Hemidesmus indicus. You boil the dried root to make a cool, sweet syrup. In English the plant is called Indian sarsaparilla. So nannari sarbath just means a sweet drink made from that root.

Kerala's State Medicinal Plants Board lists the names this way:

• Malayalam: nannari, naruneendi (നന്നാറി, നറുനീണ്ടി)
• Tamil: suganthipala. In Tamil Nadu the drink is still sold as nannari sarbath.
• Sanskrit: sariba
• English: Indian sarsaparilla

One thing to keep straight: this is not the sarsaparilla used in American root beer. That one is a Smilax plant from a different family. They share a name in English and nothing else.

നന്നാറി വെള്ളം is simply nannari water: two spoons of the syrup stirred into cold water. The recipe below makes the syrup from scratch.

The Siddha Medicine Heritage Behind Nannari

Few Indian herbs have been written about this much. A 2020 review (Nandy et al.) tracks the root through Ayurveda, Siddha and Unani. The old uses were for fever, skin trouble and urine trouble. Siddha texts from Tamil Nadu call it a "sheeta virya" herb. That means a root held to be cooling.

What the record says: Kerala's State Medicinal Plants Board calls the root bitter, sweet and sharp-smelling. Its list of old uses covers burning feet, skin disease, fever and weakness. That is a state register of custom. It is not proof the drink treats any of it.

The plant is a twiner. It grows in dry parts of South India and Sri Lanka. Sellers dry the roots into dark brown sticks. Those sticks smell earthy, a little like vanilla. That smell comes from one compound in the root, 2-hydroxy-4-methoxybenzaldehyde.

5 Key Cooling Benefits of Nannari

Nannari has five traditional uses in South Indian summers. Most of them rest on long custom, not on human trials. Here is what is claimed, and what has actually been tested.

1. Reduces Body Heat (Natural Coolant)

This is the famous one. Siddha and Ayurveda both group nannari as a cooling root, and homes serve it during heat waves and summer tiredness. No human trial has measured a drop in body temperature from drinking it. What a cold glass does for certain is add water and a little sugar, which is most of what helps in the heat.

2. Supports Kidney Health

This claim has the most lab support of the five, and it is still only animal work. In a 2011 rat study, a water extract of the root at 400 mg per kg raised urine output and sodium loss about as much as a standard water pill. Rats are not people, and a spoon of syrup is not a 400 mg per kg extract. Traditional healers did use the root for urinary trouble. Do not treat it as a cure for stones or infections.

3. Blood Purification Support

"Blood purifier" is the old phrase for this root. Grandmothers still serve it for pimples and rashes. The root does hold saponins and tannins, and state herb lists do name it for skin trouble. But no human study shows that drinking sarbath clears skin or cleans blood. Treat this one as custom, not medicine.

4. Relieves Digestive Discomfort

Many people drink nannari sarbath after a heavy meal and feel lighter. Traditional texts list the root as carminative, which means it was used for gas and bloating. Again this is custom. There is no human trial on nannari and acidity.

5. Prevents Heat Stroke Symptoms

A glass of sarbath is water, sugar and, if you add it, a pinch of black salt. That mix helps you stay hydrated in the heat, which is what heads off the headache and the tired feeling. Credit the water, the sugar and the salt here. The root brings the flavour.

How to Make Nannari Syrup at Home (From Scratch)

Making the syrup at home is the old way. Shop syrups often carry added flavour and a preservative. Your own syrup keeps 2 to 3 months in the fridge. It also tastes far better.

Ingredients (makes 500 ml syrup):

• 50 g dried nannari roots (available at Indian herbal stores, Khari Baoli, or Amazon)
• 500 ml water
• 300 g sugar (or equivalent jaggery for a more traditional version)
• Juice of 1 lemon (added after cooling - prevents crystallization)

Steps for Nannari Syrup:

1. Wash the dried nannari roots under running water to remove dust.
2. Add roots and 500 ml water to a heavy-bottomed pan. Bring to a boil.
3. Reduce heat and simmer for 30 minutes. The water will turn dark amber and fragrant.
4. Strain the liquid through a fine mesh. Discard the roots.
5. Add sugar to the strained liquid. Stir until dissolved.
6. Simmer again for 10 to 15 minutes until the syrup reaches a one-string consistency. (Drop a little on a plate - it should form a thin string between your fingers.)
7. Turn off heat. Let the syrup cool completely.
8. Add lemon juice and stir. The lemon prevents sugar crystallization in the fridge.
9. Pour into a clean glass bottle. Store in the fridge.

How to Make Nannari Sarbath (The Final Drink)

Ingredients (1 glass):

• 2 tablespoons nannari syrup
• 200 ml cold water or chilled soda water
• A squeeze of lemon (optional)
• Ice cubes
• Pinch of black salt (optional, traditional addition)

Steps:

1. Add ice cubes to a tall glass.
2. Pour the cold water or soda water over the ice.
3. Add 2 tablespoons of nannari syrup.
4. Squeeze in lemon juice and add black salt if using.
5. Stir well. Serve immediately.

Party serving tip: For gatherings, use an InstaCuppa Glass Beverage Dispenser with a large batch of nannari sarbath pre-made. The 5-liter capacity handles 20+ glasses. The inbuilt thermometer shows you the temperature. Guests can serve themselves without any fuss.

How to Serve and Store Nannari Sarbath

Serving suggestions:

• Serve very cold - the cooling sensation is best with ice
• Traditional style: mix with plain cold water, no soda
• Modern twist: use chilled soda water for a fizzy version
• Spiced version: add a pinch of cumin powder and black salt
• Best time: mid-morning or afternoon during summer heat

Storage:

• Syrup lasts 2 to 3 months in the fridge in a sealed glass bottle
• Do not store prepared sarbath (mix fresh each time)
• Keep syrup away from direct sunlight