Kerala is known for its Ayurveda and nature-based healing treatments. The state offers healing, cleansing and other Ayurveda-based practices. Adding to the same is the use of hemp, at Poonthottam Ayurvedasram retreat, which uses the herb for cure. Here’s all you need to know about this hemp cafe. By Anushka Goel
India is not home to a lot of hemp-based wellness resorts, but the first such place in Asia is Poonthottam Ayurvedasram, a retreat in Kerala. The place offers hemp-based healing, with the use of culinary experiences, massages and a lot more, allowing the visitors to indulge in the healing properties of this herb, and help treat ailments.
Located in the Kulakkad hill region in Kerala, the place is among the many in the state that offer Ayurvedic treatments to visitors. However, the use of cannabis is what sets this retreat apart from others.
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A peek into the hemp cafe and retreat in Kerala
The cafe and retreat has been started by the Bombay Hemp Company, in association with Poonthottam Ayurvedasram retreat, focusing on the principles of AyurCann. Run by Ayurvedacharya Vaidya PMS Raveendranath and his wife Latha Raveendranath, the place which has about 28 beds, is surrounded by a flower garden with over 20o varieties of plants (hence the name Poonothottam, which means flower garden in Malayalam).
Hemp seeds, oil and powder are used in the food here – steaming idlis to fresh salads in the form of a dressing, vegetable stir-fries and a lot of other such dishes. Cannabis leaf extracts are also used to make medicines and nutritional products to use Ayurvedic practices for healing, which are then used to treat patients on prescription by the therapists here at the facility.
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Apart from medication, the facility offers guided yoga sessions, education on the use of cannabis for medical treatments, counselling sessions and a lot of other activities, too. This is not all – the scenic location of the facility, amid coconut and rubber plantations as well as rice fields, makes it a visual and sensory treat.
How to reach
The place is a three-hour drive from the Kochi airport.
Know more about the retreat here.
Hero and Featured Image: Courtesy of @ayurvedasram/Instagram
Related: Mumbai Gets India’s First Hemp-Based Cloud Kitchen
Written By
Anushka Goel
Anushka has previously worked with publications such as the Times of India and Being Indian. A graduate from Xavier Institute of Communications, she specialises in entertainment, food and travel. She also likes to write about sustainability and beauty. When not working, you can catch her reading a book, tending to her plants, cooking or playing an instrument.
