Medical reasons behind hanging lemon and chilli in home

There are lots of possibilities for you to spot a black rope tied with lemon, chilly, turmeric, coconut, alum stone (படிகாரம்) and palm pin (ஈச்ச முள் ) on the entrance door and on some vehicles too. People believe that it absorbs the negative vibrations, protects from the evil spirits and acts an evil eye. It is not the only reason why our ancestors made us do that, though some of the actual purposes has been lost as the days went on and now we have made it as a holy practice to tie them on our possessions. But do you know it actually acted as a first aid kit that could save them from venomous bites...?

Source: Internet

During olden days there were fewer facilities compared to what we have today. Those days there was no electricity, no hospitals nearby, no medical shops and not enough transports facilities, so the people used to tie this black rope with lemon, chilies, turmeric, alum stone and palm pin in their houses entrance or in their bullock carts. At night times when people reach their home late or when they travel through the dense forest using bullock carts, they might have been bitten by some venomous insects and snakes. At that time of emergency, people will make use of this rope tied to these things. If the person is bitten, they rub alum stone on their bitten spots so it prevents the poison traveling over the body. The person is asked to swallow the chilies to know the serverity of the poision on the person's body, if the taste of hot is less that means the person has been affected by the venom. The dizziness of the person is lowered by drinking lemon extract. Then the severeness of wound is found by cutting the wound by palm pin. The blot clot is stopped by applying turmeric on the wound. If the person is bitten by a spider, the person bites a piece of coconut and drinks the coconut water.

There are few other reasons why our ancestors used these, modern science says that the lemon and chilies are rich in vitamin C. The lemon and chilies tied to a cotton thread vaporizes the nutrients on air. The air containing vitamin C is a powerful antioxidant when that air is inhaled it protects against our immune system deficiencies and cardiovascular diseases. 

The truth behind this is not been known to us, we still consider it as holy practice and we follow it by tieing at the doors and front of the vehicles. So it is better to teach our future generation for knowing the value of these rituals so that we don't lose our tradition and to make use of them in a better way possible. 

So next time when you see one of this you know why it is tied for.