Archive · 9 Aug 2026
Acharya Balkrishna recommends bottle gourd on feet to ease fever
A man named Acharya Balkrishna shared a trick that families used long ago.
If someone has a high fever, you can cut a bottle gourd into round pieces.
Then you rub those pieces gently on the bottom of the feet.
Some people say this makes a sick person feel cooler and calmer.
Bottle gourd is a vegetable that is mostly water, so it feels cold on the skin.
Long ago in India, Ayurveda healers said bottle gourd has a cooling power.
They used it for fevers, coughs, and other aches.
The vegetable also has vitamins that help the body fight sickness.
But doctors say there is no proof that this trick lowers a fever.
If you have a fever, see a doctor, because this is only for comfort, not a cure.
Acharya Balkrishna shared an old home remedy in a Facebook video: rubbing cut bottle gourd pieces on the soles of the feet to ease high fever.
In Ayurveda, bottle gourd is considered cooling in nature ('sheeta virya') and has long been linked to fever, or 'jwara'.
Bottle gourd, known as lauki or ghiya in Hindi, is one of the oldest cultivated vegetables, grown over 10,000 years ago in parts of Asia and Africa.
The vegetable is over 90% water and rich in vitamin C, B vitamins, calcium, and iron, which support the immune system.
Modern health experts say no strong clinical trial proves the remedy lowers body temperature, and fever may signal a serious underlying condition.
- Who
- Acharya Balkrishna, who spoke about the remedy in a Facebook video.
- What
- Recommending an old home remedy of rubbing cut bottle gourd on the soles of the feet to ease high fever.
- When
- Recently, in a Facebook video (exact date not specified).
- Where
- The practice draws on Indian kitchens and the Ayurvedic tradition; the video was posted on Facebook.
- Why
- Ayurveda classifies bottle gourd as cooling in nature ('sheeta virya'), and the practice is believed to calm the body and bring comfort and relief during fever.
Traditional Ayurvedic View
Modern Medical View
Effectiveness of the remedy
Traditional Ayurvedic View
Bottle gourd's cooling 'sheeta virya' nature and centuries of Ayurvedic texts and home practice support its use to soothe fever and bring comfort and relief.
Modern Medical View
No strong clinical trial proves that rubbing bottle gourd on the feet lowers body temperature; the support comes from tradition, not modern medical studies.
Role of home remedies in fever care
Traditional Ayurvedic View
The remedy calms the body, senses, and mind during illness and is a safe, simple practice for easing discomfort.
Modern Medical View
Fever can signal an infection, viral illness, or another underlying condition; home remedies offer comfort but are not treatment for the root cause.
- Remedy promoter
- Acharya Balkrishna, via a Facebook video
- Remedy
- Rub cut round pieces of bottle gourd on the soles of the feet, or leave them there for some time
- Hindi names
- Lauki or ghiya
- Ayurvedic property
- Cooling nature, called 'sheeta virya'; linked to fever or 'jwara' in Sanskrit texts
- Water content
- Over 90% water
- Nutrients
- Vitamin C, B vitamins, calcium, and iron
- Cultivation history
- One of the oldest cultivated vegetables, grown over 10,000 years ago in parts of Asia and Africa
- Clinical evidence
- No strong clinical trial proves it lowers body temperature; applying it to the skin is generally safe for most people