MadrasGrove

Mix 1–2 tablespoons with lukewarm water or rice water into a smooth running paste. Wet your hair, massage into the scalp for two minutes to let the botanicals work, then rinse clean.

It will not foam heavily — that is the real texture of nature, not a flaw in the batch.

Take a spoonful and mix with plain or rose water, or rice water, into a soft paste. Use it in place of soap — work gently over damp skin, then rinse.

Mild, low-lather, faintly earthy. Your bathroom will smell like a herbal shop for a while. We consider this a feature.

Mix two to three tablespoons into a little water first, to a smooth, lump-free paste. Stir that into two cups of boiling water or milk and simmer on medium heat for around 2 minutes, until it thickens into a porridge. Take it sweet — jaggery — or savoury: cool it a little, then mix in salt, buttermilk and chopped onions.

The same mix also rolls into laddoos — a second way to eat it.