Sugar cane was now an ingredient in ceremonies involving fire. ... Though Indians used sugar in rituals, they also enjoyed eating chunks of sugar cane. The word for "a piece of sugar" in the ancient Indian language of Sanskrit is khanda, which, as it passed through Persian to Arabic to Europe, became candy. Sugar had a third use in ancient India-it was considered a medicine. Today we say, "a spoonful of sugar helps the medicine go down." But from ancient times until quite recently, sugar itself was a medicine, a means of healing. -Sugar Changed the World, Marc Aronson and Marina Budhos. rite 2 to 3 sentences summarizing the passage you just read Be sure to restate the central dea in your own words, include key details and use objective language.