Asking Minds

India is a kind of country which consists of a variety of people and religions. Many amongst them used to believe in superstition and follow the tradition which is followed by their ancestors without questioning them once or finding out the truth or fact behind it. Everyone surely encountered it at least once in their lifetime. So, let’s discuss one such fact which is commonly believed by people. What is the scientific reason behind hanging lemon and chilli?

In India, You might see lemon and chilli hanging on doors of shops, homes etc and also in vehicles but why are people practicing this thing from old times? Do they really believed that it will keep away evils and black magic or was there any another reason for using lemon and chilli on doors and vehicles by people from decades.

• The scientific reason behind hanging lemon and chilli on entrance –
  Long ago, the technology was not that advanced so pesticides were not available. So, our Ancestors invented this insecticide from Lemon and Chilli. They used to put the lemon and chilli on doors of their shops or home to keep away the mosquitoes and insects because they used to live in the homes made up of mud and stones.
  Lemon and Chilli are very rich in vitamin C. So when the lemon and chilli were pierced by a cotton thread, the fluid ( acid from the lemon ) stick all over the thread and the smell of it get spread into the surrounding environment with the help of air. This smell helps to repeal the mosquito & fly to enter into shops and homes and in the same way, Chilli too is remedial as it acts as germ-killer when hung outside.

• The scientific reason behind hanging of lemon and chilli on vehicles –
  Just like the technology was not advanced, paths too were full of trees and dirt. So, while traveling from this type of areas, there might be a risk of snake bites and other venomous creature’s sting so in such case lemon and chilli were used to check whether the bite was venomous or not by tasting it.
  Taste buds of a person doesn’t work after a venomous sting as his nerves would be paralyzed. So if the taste buds feel the sour or spicy taste of lemon and chilli that means the bite was not venomous but if the taste buds can’t sense the difference in taste so this indicates that the bite was venomous which helps people in knowing if they need immediate medication or not.

So these were the reasons behind hanging of lemon and chilli, which people think are used to keep away evils and in fact, people nowadays use lemon and chilli of plastic.

One should always find the truth behind any superstition before following it blindly.

Superstition and Truth cannot go together – Mahatma Gandhi

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