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.

Nannari in English: What Does Nannari Mean?

Nannari in English is Indian sarsaparilla (Hemidesmus indicus). Nannari is the South Indian name for the root of this climbing plant. You boil the dried root to make a cool, sweet syrup. 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

Nannari words in English, one by one:

• Nannari root in English: Indian sarsaparilla root. This is the dried root you buy.
• Nannari sarbath or nannari juice in English: Indian sarsaparilla syrup drink. "Sarbath" is the South Indian way of saying sharbat. English spells it sherbet. Wiktionary defines it as "a traditional West and South Asian sweet drink". The word came into English from Turkish, Persian and Arabic.
• Nannari soda: the same syrup stirred into chilled soda water, not plain water. It is a fizzy nannari sarbath.
• Naruneendi: another Malayalam name for the same plant. So nannari and naruneendi are the same root. The Tamil name in the Kerala list is suganthipala, but Tamil shops still call the drink nannari sarbath.
• Nannari plant: a thin climbing vine with a woody root. Its leaves can be oval or long and narrow, and its small flowers are yellow to brown. The Kerala board says it grows in India and Sri Lanka, in forests and on the plains.

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 Traditional Medicine Heritage Behind Nannari

Nannari has a long history in Indian folk medicine. A 2020 review (Nandy et al.) sums up its use in traditional Indian medicine, including Ayurveda. The old uses it lists include fever, skin disease and urinary disease. The same review is frank about the gap: the plant "is not fully assessed on the basis of its safety and efficacy on human."

What the record says: Kerala's State Medicinal Plants Board calls the root bitter, sweet, astringent and aromatic. It also lists it as "refringent", an old herbal word for cooling. Its list of old uses covers burning sensation, skin disease, fever and general 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 India and Sri Lanka, in forests and on the plains. Sellers dry the roots into dark brown sticks. Those sticks smell earthy, a little like vanilla. Most of that smell comes from one compound, 2-hydroxy-4-methoxybenzaldehyde. A CSIR-CFTRI study in Mysuru found it is more than 90% of the root's fragrant oil (Nagarajan and Rao, 2003).

5 Traditional Cooling Benefits of Nannari (and What Is Proven)

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. Body Heat: Is Nannari a Body Cooler?

This is the famous one. People call nannari a body cooler. Kerala's herb board lists the root as cooling ("refringent"), 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. More Urine (the Kidney Claim)

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 in 5 hours about as much as two standard water pills (frusemide and hydrochlorothiazide). It also raised sodium and potassium in the urine. 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. The "Blood Purifier" Claim

"Blood purifier" is the old phrase for this root. The Kerala board uses the old word "depurative", which means the same thing. Grandmothers still serve it for pimples and rashes. Lab work finds aromatic aldehydes, phenolics and triterpenoids in the root (Nandy et al., 2020), and the state herb list does 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. Gas and Bloating

Many people drink nannari sarbath after a heavy meal and feel lighter. Kerala's herb board lists 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. Staying Hydrated in the Heat

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. The WHO advises, "Drink water regularly (1 cup of water per hour and at least 2–3 litres per day)" in hot weather (WHO heat and health fact sheet). Credit the water, the sugar and the salt here. The root brings the flavour. A drink does not treat heat stroke. The WHO says, "Heatstroke is a medical emergency." Get medical help fast for confusion, fainting or very hot skin.

How to Make Nannari Syrup at Home (From Scratch)

Making the syrup at home is the old way. With a shop syrup, read the label to see what is in it. Your own syrup has just four things: root, water, sugar and lemon. Kannamma Cooks, a Tamil recipe site, says homemade nannari syrup keeps for up to about a month in the fridge.

Yield and time: about 500 ml of syrup, enough for about 16 glasses at 2 tablespoons (30 ml) a glass. Allow about 10 minutes of prep and 45 minutes of cooking, plus time to cool.

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, for a fresh sour taste)

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 adds a fresh, sour note.
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.

Does nannari sarbath have sugar? Yes. This syrup uses 300 g of sugar for about 500 ml, so 2 tablespoons (30 ml) carry roughly 18 g of sugar. That is about 70 kcal a glass, using the Health Canada value of 387 kcal per 100 g of white sugar (Canadian Nutrient File). For a lighter glass, use 1 tablespoon of syrup.

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 of 200 ml. The inbuilt thermometer shows you the temperature. Guests can serve themselves without any fuss. On 14 October 2026 it cost Rs 3,299 (MRP Rs 3,499) and was in stock.

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 keeps for up to about a month in the fridge in a clean, sealed glass bottle
• Use a clean, dry spoon, and throw the syrup out if it smells sour, fizzes or grows mould
• Do not store prepared sarbath (mix fresh each time)
• Keep syrup away from direct sunlight