{"id":14433,"date":"2025-07-16T18:50:10","date_gmt":"2025-07-16T18:50:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/14433\/"},"modified":"2025-07-16T18:50:10","modified_gmt":"2025-07-16T18:50:10","slug":"the-aromatic-roots-indians-turn-to-for-cooling-relief","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/14433\/","title":{"rendered":"The Aromatic Roots Indians Turn to for Cooling Relief"},"content":{"rendered":"

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Living Paradigms is a series about what we can learn from the customs and cultural practices of others when it comes to solving problems. It is sponsored by Wonderstruck<\/a>.<\/p>\n

During the scorching summers in Bharuch, a city on India\u2019s west coast, Anjali Choudhary\u2019s drawing room on the ground floor became unbearably hot. With no air conditioning and temperatures surging to 110 degrees Fahrenheit, it was difficult even to sit in the room, she says. Then, last summer, Choudhary came across a special type of curtain, made of dried roots of vetiver grass, commonly known as khus.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Vetiver (Chrysopogon zizanioides) is a tall bunchgrass that grows abundantly in India. Its exceptionally dense root system can extend up to six feet deep in six months<\/a>, making it an excellent solution to soil erosion. Out of the soil, the dried gnarled roots provide a whole new service: cooling.<\/p>\n

\"TwoTwo khus curtains hang outside Choudhary\u2019s ground-floor drawing room. Courtesy of Anjali Choudhary<\/p>\n

Woven khus curtains or screens are typically hung in doorways or windows and sprayed with water. As hot air passes through the damp screen, it undergoes evaporative cooling, significantly reducing indoor temperatures. The khus curtains Choudhary bought online came with a purple cloth border. She hung<\/a> two of them on the concrete awning of her drawing room window, at a slight angle, and sprayed them with water throughout the day.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Generations of South Asians made curtains and mats out of these unassuming roots, incorporated them in refreshing beverages and extracted essential oils from them to beat the heat. But as rising temperatures and rising incomes made mechanical cooling more common, khus began to disappear from homes. Now, experts say this low-cost, low-tech cooling solution is worth revisiting as India grapples with extreme heat driven by climate change \u2014 and exacerbated by air conditioning.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe great irony of air conditioning is that it heats the planet,\u201d says Sylvia Houghteling, an art historian at Bryn Mawr College specializing in South Asia who has written<\/a> about the cooling history of khus. While simple fixes like khus can never fully replace ACs, she says, \u201cthese modes of cooling that aren\u2019t simultaneously emitting carbon [and] burning energy to produce, I think are really important.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

For Choudhary, the khus curtains have made a real difference. \u201cAfter putting [up] the khus curtains, the temperature is somewhat regulated, we can now easily comfortably sit,\u201d she says.\u00a0<\/p>\n

This wasn\u2019t Choudhary\u2019s first time using khus. When she was growing up, desert coolers, boxy devices consisting of a fan, a water tank and wet wick or padding, were a common fixture in Indian homes, including hers. The padding to soak the water and cool the air drawn in by the fan was often made of khus.\u00a0<\/p>\n

The curtains aren\u2019t new either. Traditional South Asian blinds, known as chicks, were made out of khus roots and hung in places where you could sprinkle them with water regularly without fear of ruining carpets or furniture, says Vibha Varshney, who heads the biodiversity and food unit at the Centre for Science and Environment in New Delhi. They can help to keep people cool outdoors, too: They work great on balconies and verandas and can also be used in public spaces. Earlier this year, Mahila Housing Trust, a nonprofit that works on heat resilience, teamed up with city officials to retrofit<\/a> some bus stops in Ahmedabad with khus blinds and a high-pressure mist system to bring relief to commuters.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\"AnjaliAnjali Choudhary sprays water on a khus curtain outside her bedroom window. Courtesy of Anjali Choudhary<\/p>\n

Beyond evaporative cooling, khus also works in an unexpected way: through scent. \u201cI sometimes place some roots in an urli [traditional bowl], sprinkle water on them and keep them under the fan,\u201d says Varshney. \u201cJust the fragrance makes the room feel cooler.\u201d<\/p>\n

Certain smells can feel warm or cool to us. Mint gives off a distinct coolness, while the smell of chili peppers or garlic is often associated with heat. Scientists say<\/a> this happens because some odors can trigger sensors in our face that detect temperature, pain and touch. Known as trigeminal perception, this phenomenon is sometimes referred to as the \u201cfeel\u201d of a smell.\u00a0<\/p>\n

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When sprinkled with water, khus effuses a woody, earthy aroma that many find soothing. \u201cWhen water is thrown on it, winter seems to arrive in the midst of summer,\u201d one 16th-century historian wrote. In a 2021 study<\/a> on vetiver oil\u2019s complex chemical composition, chemists wrote it has a \u201cquasi\u2010pheromone\u2010like effect\u201d on perfumers and consumers alike, noting that it appears in more than a third of all fragrances.<\/p>\n

Khus has also been part of traditional South Asian systems of medicine. Dr. Trupti Patil-Bhole, an associate professor in Ayurveda at Bharati Vidyapeeth University, describes a recipe from 100 B.C.E. to treat fever: Six herbs, including khus, are mixed with a large quantity of water and boiled until the solution has been reduced to half its original volume. Drinking this, she says, aids in bringing down the burning sensation of the skin and internal organs.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Research has shown that the chemicals in vetiver roots have antimicrobial, anti-inflammatory and antipyretic (fever-reducing) impact, among many others, says Varshney: \u201cInflammation and infections tend to increase body temperature, and vetiver could be cooling the body by reducing these.\u201d Studies<\/a> suggest that vetiver oil inhibits the synthesis of fever-inducing substances called prostaglandins.<\/p>\n

\"Sharbat,Sharbat, a refreshing drink make from khus. Credit: mirzamlk \/ Shutterstock<\/p>\n

The most popular khus preparation these days is a sweet, sticky emerald green concentrate available in bottles, which can be diluted with water to make a refreshing beverage. \u201cHowever, this is full of sugar and the green color is from the use of a dye,\u201d says Varshney. Instead, she recommends a simple cold infusion in water. Many people merely toss a handful of dried roots into a terracotta pot of drinking water to enhance the soothing effect of the naturally cooled water inside the pot.\u00a0<\/p>\n

When Mughal rulers who came to India in the 16th century missed the cool climes of their Central Asian homeland, khus came to their rescue. In the 18th century, khus screens signaled privilege, and they appear in paintings depicting Rajput rulers, says Houghteling. However, traditional cooling solutions like khus were sidelined during the colonial era, she explains, when British officials instead favored importing ice<\/a> all the way from New England. \u201cThat kind of silences or overwrites a long history of very intentional cooling that used more readily available materials and deep knowledge of more sustainable means of cooling,\u201d she says. Later on, the convenience of ACs \u2014 instant cooling at the press of a button \u2014 made it a more popular option than khus coolers or screens that needed to be doused with water and could make a mess. \u201cOur houses are no longer designed in a way that we can put the khus blinds,\u201d says Varshney.\u00a0<\/p>\n

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Air conditioners became a status symbol for India\u2019s burgeoning middle class, and now, the country is one of the world\u2019s fastest-growing AC markets. To be fair, air conditioning is a necessity in India\u2019s extreme heat and can save lives. Solutions like khus screens work best as a complement to air conditioning. Think about it, Houghteling suggests, \u201cnot as full climate control but as the creation of micro-climates so that you\u2019re not just blasting everything with air conditioning but creating small spaces of coolness.\u201d<\/p>\n

Khus screens may also not work for all spaces. Choudhary first hung them over her bedroom window, from curtain rods indoors, but it made the room too humid. The blinds may also not be effective if there\u2019s no ventilation, she says, and drenching them every day can test one\u2019s patience.\u00a0<\/p>\n

But it\u2019s worth the effort, Choudhary says: Not only does it reduce her electricity bill, but as she puts it, \u201cyou are contributing to your planet\u2019s health, so why not.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n