Dairy is most beneficial when it is raw, from animals that are treated kindly, are fed with fodder free from pesticides, insecticides, and receive no steroid injections or rBGH (bovine growth hormone) in their foods.
Overview
Energetics: VP↓K↑; Sattvic; Builds all seven tissues (saptadhātus)-especially increases plasma, fat, and hormones.
To change the energetics of dairy products, add spices. Cardamom, cinnamon, cumin, black pepper, ginger, cayenne, and turmeric could be used to counter the heavy quality of dairy. In milk ginger, turmeric, cardamom, saffron, black pepper, and cumin can be used, whereas, in yogurt black pepper, cayenne, cumin, ginger, and salt or black salt can be used.
Taste/Rasa: Sweet
Potency/Virya: Cool
Vipaka: Sweet
Indications: Calms the mind, nerves, and emotions. It is good for meditation and yoga, emaciation, debility, convalescence, wasting, bleeding, sexual debility.
Contraindications: Dairy products are heavy, damp, sticky, increase mucus and āma. Dairy products from healthy, happy cows, that are raw and organic are best (pasteurized and homogenized dairy is more tamasic).
Preparation: Warm or room temperature milk is better. Refrigerated (i.e. cold) dairy products increase āma. Milk is better raw and organic, after being boiled for one minute and then cooled down.
Combinations: Dairy does not combine well with other foods or salt. Having milk first thing in the morning is better before other foods are eaten. It is incompatible with meat, fish, yeast bread (which ferment the milk), sour fruit (which curdles the milk), pickles, pickled, and/or green leafy vegetables. Yogurt does not combine well with meat or fish. Dairy does combine well with whole grains and raw sugars.
Season: Sour dairy (Yogurt, kefir, etc.) are not to be taken as much in the summer due to their heating nature (except when taken as lassi). Less cheese during the winter and spring (which are kapha increasing times). Cheese is also not recommended during the early morning which is kapha time.
The Dairy List
Butter (Navanīta)
Energetics: VP↓K↑
Taste/Rasa: Sweet
Potency/Virya: Cold
Vipaka: Sweet
Actions: Nourishing, strengthening, stabilizing
Indications: Used for debility and convalescence. It improves digestion, complexion, and is an aphrodisiac. Recommended in facial paralysis. Bronchitis and debility. Ayurvedically, it heals vāta and pitta, purifies blood, used in pulmonary TB, hemorrhoids, facial paralysis, eye problems, and cough. Externally it is used for burns.
Contraindications: People with cholesterol problems may have to use other essential fatty acids such as flaxseed oil or monounsaturated fats such as olive oil and mustard oil.
Buttermilk (Lassi, Takra)
Energetics: V↓PK↑ (K↓ when removed of its fat)
Taste/Rasa: Sour, astringent
Potency/Virya: Hot
Vipaka: Sour
Actions: Astringent, digestive stimulant, diuretic.
Indications: Buttermilk improves appetite, helps in indigestion, malabsorption, debility, emaciation, and convalescence. It is one of the easiest foods to digest. It reduces edema, piles, anorexia, phantom tumors, anemia, and nourishes the spleen. It establishes the normal flora of the gastrointestinal tract, we have more than four hundred normal bacteria living in the intestine which helps to digest our food, make B12, folic acid and helps fight cancer, bacteria, virus, and fungus. Yogurt is most easily digested when taken 1/2 yogurt, 1/2 water, and blended or mixed vigorously with digestive spices such as ginger, black pepper, and cumin. This mixture is taken with meals. For kapha doṣas: 1/4 cup yogurt and 3/4 cup water is used. Buttermilk also increases serotonin levels in brains which can be beneficial for sleep disorders.
Cheese (Paneer)
Energetics: Sweet/cool/sweet VP↓K↑
Taste/Rasa: Sweet
Potency/Virya: Cold
Vipaka: Sweet
Actions: Nutritive, astringent
Indications: Debility, bleeding.
Contraindications: Constipation, congestion, mucus, clogs the channels.
Cottage Cheese
Energetics: Sweet/cool/sweet VP↓K↑
Taste/Rasa: Sweet
Potency/Virya: Cold
Vipaka: Sweet
Actions: A good source of protein for Vāta
Indications: It is easy to digest.
Cream
Energetics: Sweet/cool/sweet. VP↓K↑
Taste/Rasa: Sweet
Potency/Virya: Cold
Vipaka: Sweet
Actions: Rejuvenative, nutritive, aphrodisiac, calmative, laxative
Indications: Plasma, skin, nourishes all tissues (especially Śukra dhātu), lungs, stomach. It reduces bleeding, dry cough, dry throat, fever, thirst. Very similar to milk in its effects.
Contraindications: Heavier and richer, thus, more mucus forming and harder to digest. Use in small quantities and avoid combining with other rich foods.
Ghee (Ghrta) or Clarified Butter
Energetics: Sweet/cool/sweet VP↓K↑ (mildly)
Taste/Rasa: Sweet
Potency/Virya: Cold
Vipaka: Sweet
Actions: Tonic emollient, rejuvenating, nutritive, fattening.
Indications: It increases, semen, and ojas. Improves intelligence, vision, voice, and brain. It supports the liver and kidneys. The best form of fat for the body. The best oil for pitta. It balances all
agnis (digestive fires). Good for memory and digestion. It is used in conditions of insanity and emaciation. Ghṛta promotes longevity and reproductive fluid, good for children and the elderly. It is beneficial in herpes infections, traumatic injuries, insanity, and fever. Vāta and
Pitta disorders.
Ice Cream
Energetics: Sweet/cold/sweet P↓VK↑ Āma↑
Taste/Rasa: Sweet
Potency/Virya: Cold
Vipaka: Sweet
Actions: Tonic emollient, rejuvenating, nutritive, fattening.
Contraindications: Not used with TB, kapha diseases, āma, fever, constipation, alcoholism, cholera. It creates āma, weakens the digestive fire, clogs the channels, damages the spleen, pancreas and deranges the sugar and water metabolism. It causes hypoglycemia, diabetes, tumors. Avoid in the spring and winter but can be utilized in summer and fall in moderation. Frozen Yogurt is
also not much better. The less sugar content, the better. Cold dairy products and sugar together are not a very healthy combination for the body and mind.
Kefir
Energetics: Sour/warm/sour V↓PK↑
Taste/Rasa: Sweet
Potency/Virya: Cold
Vipaka: Sweet
Actions: Lighter than Yogurt, heavier than buttermilk.
Indications: Improves digestion and absorption, low appetite, relieves anorexia. Fruit sweetened is not as good.
Milk (Dugdha, Ksira)
Energetics: Sweet/cool/sweet VP↓K↑ Highly Sattvic. It is invigorating, increases the dhātus.
Taste/Rasa: Sweet
Potency/Virya: Cold
Vipaka: Sweet
Actions: May be taken in larger quantities than other dairies. It is a tonic, rejuvenating, nutritive, aphrodisiac, calmative, and laxative, especially for pitta personality.
Indications: Nourishes plasma, skin, all tissues (especially Śukra dhātu). It is a tonic for the lungs and stomach (reduces bleeding from these sites). Milk calms dry cough and dry throat, fever, and thirst. It is a mild laxative with Ghṛta. For Pitta conditions. It is excellent for the young and old, debilitation, convalescence, nourishing the brain, nerves, mind, and memory. Boiled milk builds ojas. Promotes sleep as it is a rich source of tryptophan which increases serotonin levels in brains and can be used with nervine herbs like Brāhmī, Aśvagandhā. Warm milk helps to reduce vāta and kapha, increases hormones, and nourishes the body.
Cow’s Milk
Indications: Promotes longevity and rejuvenation. It helps with emaciation, traumatic injuries, increases intelligence, strength, and breast milk. It is a natural laxative, relieves exhaustion, dizziness. Toxins, difficult breathing, cough, severe thirst and hunger, chronic fevers, urinary and bleeding disorders. Cow’s milk is said to be the best of the milk. It is utilized in many spiritual ceremonies and is considered auspicious.
Goats Milk
Indications: Easily digested and heals pulmonary TB, fevers, difficult breathing, bleeding allergies. Milk is considered aphrodisiac when taken in the morning, a digestive stimulant, when taken noontime, in the evening, is calmative.
Sour Cream
Energetics: V↓PK↑
Taste/Rasa: Sweet, sour
Potency/Virya: Warm
Vipaka: Sour
Actions: Stimulant, nutritive
Indications: Helps in the formation and ejaculation of semen. Taken in access may cause acidity.
Yogurt (Dadhi)
Energetics: V↓PK↑
Taste/Rasa: Sweet, sour
Potency/Virya: Warm
Vipaka: Sour
Actions: Nutritive, digestive stimulant, astringent.
Indications: Nourishes all tissues. In small amounts, it aids the digestion of all other foods. It replenishes positive flora, decreases vaginal yeast infections, boosts the immune system, promotes strength, relieves the flu, colds, anorexia, emaciation, and diarrhea (take with appropriate spices); digestive tract infections, cholesterol, cholera. Yogurt, like milk, is
considered sacred (Sattvic) Yogurt adds weight and fat and improves digestion when taken during meals. The whey reduces anorexia, weakness, emaciation, and malabsorption. Whey cleanses the nāḍī, increases appetite, and reduces mental fatigue. Yogurt made by
adding pepper and raw cane sugar strengthens the body. Heavy or excess use causes constipation or diarrhea and clogs the srotas (channels).
