Neera or padhaneer is the natural nutritious secretion that occurs from palm family trees when a slit is made in its flower bud. When this sap or sweet liquid, is collected and boiled for few hours the water evaporates and we get Palmyra Palm Jaggery or Coconut Palm Jaggery. Instead of taking it as jaggery lumps, we can also make it into an unrefined sugar, called palmyra palm sugar or coconut palm sugar. These sugars are known to be one of the most nutritious sweeteners of the world.

Coconut palm or palmyra palm gives out flower bud, which is given a smal slit. This is considered as a wound by the tree and the tree generates sugar and over 20 varieties of nutrition and sends towards the slit which is many times more than what is needed. The excess nutritious sap is collected in a mud pot by hanging a pot beneath the flower bud. This is called neera or padhaneer. This is sweet, delicious and nutritious.

One spathe or flower bud is capable of giving about 50ml to 300 ml of padhaneer/neera daily for 20 to 45 days continously. The flower bud which is used for tapping neera cannot produce coconut or palm fruit. But the net flower bud from the same tree which comes out within 3 or 4 weeks is capable of producing coconut or palm fruits.

Neera or Padhaneer is a 100% natural occurance. When is ferments, it becomes toddy. Toddy is alcoholic. Its alcohol contents ranges between 0% to 11% depends on how many hours it has fermented. Padhaneer or Neera is completely non alcoholic.

Alcohol is not a food and nature never gives it anywhere. Nature gives only healthy nutritious sweet food like neera sugarcane fruits etc which when fermented becomes bad and stinky, with alcohol.

Padhaneer is non alcoholic and full of nutrition. Toddy contains upto 11% alcohol and so it is unhealthy. Padhaneer and toddy contains about 85% to 90% water.

Toddy may have some healthy elements left over from its previous state neera/padhaneer. But because of its alcohol content it is considered unhealthy and addictive.

Padhaneer or Neera is completely healthy and refreshing.

Padhaneer is the most nutritional naturally occuring ready to drink liquid known to humanity so far.

It is rich in vitamins, minerals, essential amino acids and anti oxidants. It is very rich in Pyrodoxine, which is an essential for mental health, preventing depression and for peaceful sleep. Traditionally padhaneer is believed to be curative for jaundice, liver problems, women health and breath related problems. All the health benefits of palm jaggery applies to Padhaneer as well because padhaneer is the source of palm jaggery.

Past few milleniums Padhaneer used to be the daily morning drink or breakfast for Asians. Fermented Padhaneer has also been mentioned in Thirukkural about abstinance from Kallu or Toddy. Which means padhaneer or neera has been consumed from 2000 years ago as a minimum estimate. Asia , Africa and Australia widely uses Neera from various palms as a fresh drink and for making palm sugars. Every corner of india, knows Neera by some local name even today which is a proof that neera has been a household food for many centuries.

Neera is mostly used as the first drink in the morning or in replacememt of breakfast. Before British introduced addictive beverages like tea and coffee into indian culture, neera used to be the daily drink. It is consumed in various ways including mixing cut fruits into it , boiling it with cooked sprouted legumes etc. Neera is also collected in the evening and used as an evening drink. Rich to poor every one was enjoying neera as it was not a sold commodity. Even the poorest of the poor used to tap palm trees belonged to the government land and nourished themselves. Old pictures of labours in india shows that the labour class was pretty healthy as palm neera, palm fruit, palm sprouts etc was high nutrition available free of cost.

Neera was used as a medicine for various ailments especially Jaundice. Neera is known to stregnthen liver and so used to treat diseases like Jaundice. Neera is rich in minerals and so it is used to keep hydrated especially during fevers. Neera used to be the source of staple sweetener for centuries. The palm jaggery made from Neera used to be the only sweetener those days. Rich with over 20 varieties of nutrition it was also preventing people from malnutrition. Those areas where palmyra was only available and not coconut, Neera availability is seasonal. In those villages, we are able to see the practise of consuming a bit of palm jaggery (or evaporated neera) before drinking water everytime. This is just to ensure complete nutrition is supplied to the body year round.

Neera was also a main source of income as the palm jaggery is a commonly produced , traded and purchased commodity. Every village was self sustaining mainly because they where able to earn good amount of income sitting at their home. Neera production was an important reason why migration from villages was not much for centuries, comparing to what is happening today. The villages where rich to an extent that so much of gold could be seen with the women and temples of the villages. Unlike other crop Neera production doesnt require yearly investment or expenditure on the crop to reap the benefit. Once the palmyra , coconut or date palm tree is grown it becomes an asset for the family next few decades. Since they were tree not crop, drought or flood didnt affect the livelihood much. Neera when converted to palm jaggery, is such a commodity, that even if you are not able to sell it, you can consume it for your survival. This is not true with other products like textile or tools. Since palm jaggery is not perishable, they can sell the product as they please without any pressure.

Calcium is an essential element required by the body. Indian ancesters knew this well. They were consuming calcium directly along with betle leaves after every meal. Apart from that calcium was also consumed by them through Neera.

To preserve Neera, Calcium Hydroxide made from seashells or calcium rich rocks were used. Calcium was coated inside the mud pot in India to increase the Ph of Neera, to prevent fermentation. A part of this calcium dissolves in the Neera and consumed by the population and this prevented diseases like osteoporosis from the larger masses of south India.

Each bottle or tin of Ecobuddy Padhnee contains calcium upto 55% of daily recommended need of calcium for an adult. Instead of taking calcium supplements, Ecobuddy Padhnee supplies calcium through food.