With Holi around the corner, by now you must be done with shopping of colours and water pistols for the festival. Although, well-known as the festival of colours, it is also a festival of delicious food. From gujiyas, to puran polis, Holi is a foodie’s delight. But all the celebrations and festivities are incomplete without bhaang. Bhaang is an intoxicant and is an integral part of Indian tradition as it has been used by godmen to achieve a state of trance and meditate for a long time.
With Holi around the corner, by now you must be done with shopping of colours and water pistols for the festival. Although, well-known as the festival of colours, it is also a festival of delicious food. From gujiyas, to puran polis, Holi is a foodie’s delight. But all the celebrations and festivities are incomplete without bhaang. Bhaang is an intoxicant and is an integral part of Indian tradition as it has been used by godmen to achieve a state of trance and meditate for a long time.
How is bhaang made?
Bhaang is a drink made by mixing crushed leaves, buds and flowers of the female cannabis plant with ghee and other spices. This mixture is then blended with milk to prepare bhaang or thandai. Nowadays thandai is easily available without cannabis and is comparatively safe and not an intoxicant.
What can bhaang or thandai do to your body?
Drinking bhaang is a tradition in India since ancient times for its medicinal properties. Cannabis when consumed in limited and monitored quantities is known to have various health benefits like easing pain and preventing carcinogenesis. However, bhaang can have some side effects on your health, if you have an overdose of it.
- Induces psychosis: Drinking too much bhaang can lead to grandiosity, excitement, hostility, uncooperativeness, disorientation and hallucinations.
- Makes you feel good: This ‘good’ feeling is obviously due to the presence of cannabis and can take you into a trance and also temporarily relieve any kind of pain.
- Increases heart rate and alters blood pressure: Even if there is no conclusive research that says bhaang can increase heart rate and blood pressure, various studies have proved that cannabis, which is an integral part of bhaang, can increase heart rate and alter your blood pressure3.
- Does not kill you: Bhaang is not fatal even with the presence of cannabis. According to studies, there have been zero deaths due to cannabis overdose. But an overdose of bhaang led to the death of a 25 year old male who had already suffered from rheumatic heart disease. The deceased had consumed around 300 ml of bhaang and had died with 24 hours of consuming bhaang.
Things to remember before drinking bhaang:
- Avoid consuming bhaang on an empty stomach. Ensure you eat something before drinking it.
- Don’t mix it with any other type of alcohol and avoid drinking it if you suffer from heart problems and if you have blood pressure problems.
- Keep it away from children.
Holi is a festival that celebrates the victory of good over evil, so let’s substitute those chemical laden colours with non-toxic and organic colours and celebrate a healthy and safe holi. Here are some tips for a safe Holi.
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