Milk:
Generally milk is sweet in taste and also at the end of digestion, unctuous, increases ojus, nourishes and increases body tissues, mitigates Vata and Pitta, aphrodisiac, increases kapha, heavy to digest, coolan
cow milk benefits:
Cow milk promotes long life, anti aging, rejuvenating, good for those emaciated after chest injury, increases intelligence, strengthening, promotes breast milk production, helps easy movement of the bowels. Relieves exhaustion, dizziness, toxicity, dyspnoea, in-auspiciousness, cough, severe thirst and hunger,
chronic fevers, dysurea, bleeding diseases.
buffalo milk benefits:
Buffalo milk is good for people with very good digestion power, who suffer from Anidra–insomnia. It is a coolant.
Aja ksheera-(Goat milk benefits):
Goat drinks less water and does a lot of walking. It eats pungent and bitter grass and vegetables that are light to digest. Hence goat milk also carries these qualities.
Goat milk is useful in emaciation, fever, dyspnoea, asthma, chronic bronchial disorders, bleeding disorders of Pitta origin such as haemorrhoids, nasal bleeding, diarrhoea, dysentery.
Ustra ksheera (camel milk benefits):
Ushtra ksheera (milk of camel)- is slightly dry, hot
salty taste, increases digestion strength, easy to digest, useful in Vata and Kapha, relieves worm infestation, anti inflammatory, useful in ascites, haemorrhoids.
Human milk:
Breast milk is useful in Vata and Pitta imbalance disorders blood vitiation disorder, useful in injuries it is used as eye drops to relieve eye infections and to relieve redness. It is used in Tarpana and Ashchottana types of eye treatments. It is also used as nasal drops. Avika ksheera – (ewe’s milk): Eve’s milk is not good for heart, hot in nature, useful in Vata disorders, gives rise to hiccup, respiratory conditions. It increases Pitta and Kapha.
Ekashapha ksheera- (milk of single hoofed animals):
Milk of single hoofed animals (like horse, donkey, etc) is very hot (in potency), useful in vata disorders, is slightly sour and salt and causes lassitude (laziness).
Uncooked milk causes excess secretion in the tissue pores, causing their blockage, heavy to digest, causes indigestion;
if it is properly boiled, it is similar to nectar. Otherwise, it is poison.
Milk drawn from udder (nipple) direct in to mouth is similar to nectar. (Provided cow is perfectly healthy without any infection)
curds benefits/soured milk/coagulated milk:
Curd has sour taste, undergoes sour taste conversion after digestion, absorbent, useful in diarrhoea, heavy to digest, hot in nature, balances Vata increases meda (fat), shukra (semen), bala (strength), kapha, raktapitta (bleeding disorders), Agni (digestion strength) and shotha (inflammation), increases taste
Curd Useful in anorexia, chronic, recurrent fever, rhinitis, dysuria, malabsorption syndrome.
Rules for curds consumption:
Curd should not be eaten at nights, not made hot, Curd should not be taken along with green gram soup. It should not be taken along with honey, ghee, sugar and Amla. It should not be taken daily. If used daily, it may cause / worsen fever, bleeding disorders, skin diseases, anemia and dizziness.
Takra (butter milk) – churned curds:
churned curds are easy to digest, sour, astringent, improves digestion, strength, balances Kapha and Vata
Useful in:Inflammatory conditions,ascites, hemorrhoids, malabsorption syndrome, urine infection, dysuria,anorexia, splenomegaly, abdominal distention, in indigestion caused by excess consumption of ghee, chronic intoxication and anemia.
Supernatent liquid of curds (whey/watery part of curds) :
Mastu is similar to buttermilk. It is promotes movement of fluids inside body channels, cleanses body channels, relieves constipation, easy to digest.
Navanita (Butter):
Fresh Navanita (butter) is aphrodisiac, coolant
improves skin complexion, strength and digestion strength, abosrbent, useful in diarrhoea, balances Vata, Pitta and detoxifies blood.
Useful in:
Chronic respiratory disorders leading to emaciation, hemorrhoids, paralysis, cough.
The butter made directly from milk is absorbent, useful in diarrhoea, useful in bleeding disorders, useful in eye diseases.
Ghrita – (ghee/clarified butter):
Ghee is ideal for improving intelligence; memory, ingenuity, digestion strength, long life, semen (sexual vigour), and eye sight. Ghee is good for children, the aged, those who desire more children, tenderness of the body, and pleasant voice, for those suffering from emaciation as a result of injury to chest (lungs), Parisarpa (herpes), injury from weapons, and fire, disorders of Vata and Pitta origin, poison, insanity, inauspicious activity (witchcraft, etc.) and fevers; Of all the fatty materials, ghee is the best.It is coolant, best for retaining of youth; capable of giving a thousand good effects by a thousand kinds of processing.
Purana ghrita – Old ghee:
Purana Ghrita (old ghee) is used in the treatment of intoxication, epilepsy, fainting, diseases of the head, ear, and eye;Old ghee cleanses and heals wounds.
Milk preparations, fatty dairy products:
Kilata, Piyusa, Kurcika, Morana, etc. are strengthening, increase the semen, sleep and Kapha, cause constipation, heavy to digest, and aggravate the Doshas.
Notes: Kilata is the solid portion obtained after heating curds or buttermilk, Piyusa is the milk of cow which has just given birth to a calf, upto a period of about three days or till the milk becomes thin; Kurcika is the solid portion obtained after heating buttermilk while Morana (or Morata) is the sour, thin liquid portion.
Group of sugarcane juice and its products:
Sugarcane juice:
Juice of sugar cane is laxative, heavy to digestion, unctuous, nutritive, improves weight, increases Kapha, increases urine volume,aphrodisiac, coolant, useful in bleeding disorders, sweet.
Note:-The tip of shoots of sugarcane has salt taste. If the roots, shoots and worm infested parts of the cane is crushed together, the juice gets mixed with dirty material. It leads to burning sensation, indigestion and constipation.
Phanita – (half – cooked molasses, unrefined treacle) :
Phanita (half – cooked molasses) is heavy (hard to digest), Abhisyandi (increasing the secretions
in the tissues pores and blocking them), causes mild increase of Tridosha and cleanses the urine (by increasing its quantity).
Guda – (jaggery/molasses/treacle) :
Guda (jaggery, molasses), washed well (made white and purified)- does not increase Kapha to a large extent, increases volume of urine and faeces.If it is not prepared properly, it causes intestinal worms, increases chances of Kapha disorder in marrow, blood, fat tissue and muscles.Old jaggery is good for heart, and should be consumed. Freshly prepared jaggery increases Kapha and causes indigestion.
Matsyandikadi – (brown sugar etc.):
Matsyandika (brown sugar), Khanda (sugar candy) and Sita (white crystalline sugar) in their succeeding order are better. They are aphrodisiac, good for the emaciated and the wounded, useful in bleeding diseases and aggravation of Vata.
Madhu – (honey) :
Madhu (honey) is good for the eyes (vision), breaks up hard masses, relieves thirst, balances Kapha, Useful in toxicity, hiccup, bleeding conditions, diabetes, urinary tract diseases, skin diseases, worm infestation, vomiting, dyspnoea, chronic respiratory diseases, cough, cold, diarrhoea, cleanses wounds, heals wound quickly, increases Vata, dry, astringent and sweet.
But honey does not cause any harm when used warm for producing vomiting or for administration of Niruha (decoction enema) because it comes out of the body before it undergoes digestion.
Digestion
digestion is essential for us