Horlicks guards against night starvation.

Horlicks is a malted milk drink developed in the late 19th century by the Horlick brothers and heavily promoted in early 20th-century advertising as a nourishing, easily digested food for invalids, children, and travelers. The slogan “Horlicks guards against night starvation” belongs to that marketing tradition, invoking a then-common health anxiety that the body might be undernourished during long sleep. It was typically used to encourage a bedtime serving, positioning Horlicks as both a comforting nightcap and a quasi-medical preventive against weakness, sleeplessness, or “run-down” conditions. The line is best understood as commercial copy rather than a literary aphorism.

The phrase frames ordinary overnight fasting as a form of “starvation,” heightening concern in order to justify a bedtime supplement. “Guards against” borrows the language of protection and medicine, implying that Horlicks functions like a prophylactic rather than merely a beverage. The slogan’s effectiveness depends on a persuasive redefinition: sleep becomes a risky interval, and consumption becomes responsible self-care. Read historically, it reflects early mass advertising’s blend of nutrition science, medicalized rhetoric, and emotional reassurance—selling not only calories but also safety, comfort, and the promise of restored vitality by morning.