Daily Consumption of Curd Can Harm You

The curd is used widely in every home and everyone likes to have it daily. There are few parents who repeatedly give curd rice or curd to their kids thinking its good. If someone is addicted to consuming the curs daily It’s difficult to ask him or her to stop it. Though the curd gives pleasantness to mind it should be consumed judiciously. Its wise to know the qualities of the curd and its impact on the body. Sometimes curd can be the reason for many diseases like recurrent cold, Asthma, Poor immune system, diabetes etc….

Though preparation of curd simple and do not include many steps it differs from one home to other. Preparing curd is an art. In general, the curd is prepared to use in the home along with food but it is also used as medicine, so it can be classified into two divisions depending on the use viz.

1. Regular use or for consumption as food.

2. Treatment use

How to prepare curd for Regular Use?

For regular use or as food First, the milk should be boiled adding little quantity of water till the water contents are evaporated completely. Once the milk starts the boiling then it should be heated in the mild flame. Once the milk is devoid of excess water then it is allowed to cool. When the milk reaches normal temperature proper quantity of buttermilk is added. Then it is kept in a warm place for about 4 o 8hours closing the lid on the vessel. The duration may vary place to place depending upon the quantity of buttermilk added and the sourness.

Curd tastes mild sour initially with little sweet and astringent and increases its sourness gradually. One can observe the formation of the watery layer when curd solidifies.

How Is Curd prepared for Treatment?

For treatment purpose, similar way of procedure as above is adopted with some variations are as follows

Boiling milk with medicine then adding buttermilk to make curd.
Adding medicines to the boiled milk and then adding buttermilk to make it curd.
Adding sour medicines to the boiled milk to prepare curd.

Qualities of Curd :

The curd tases mild sour and astringent initially, then gradually it increases its sourness. Curd will have the sour taste even after its digestion (this phenomenon is known as Vipaka in Ayurveda). Curd gets digested slowly because of its guru guna (guru= heavy). Though its cold to appear, it is hot in nature. It causes stambhana (constipation), decreases Vata (Vatahara), It improves fat (medas), blood (rakta), pitta (dosha), digestive fire (agni), and strength (bala).

It is good for the emaciated persons as it nourishes, good in tastelessness (aruchi), irregular fever (vishama jwara), nasal block or running nose, cold, diarrhea and obstructed the flow of urine.

Curd is sour and sweet initially and turns sour after digestion (vipaka)
Heavy to digest, hot in nature
Vatahara, Kaphapittakara.
Rakta vriddikara, deha vriddikara.
Cures pinasa (running nose), atisara (diarrhea), vishamajwara (irregular fever), aruchi (tastelessness), murakrucha (difficulty in urination) and karshyahara (increases body mass) in nature.

If the curd is not formed properly it will be vidahi(creates burning sensation), tridoshakara (aggravates all the doshas) and malamutrakara (increases stools and urine formation).

If curd prepared by removing the creamy layer of milk then it won’t have the proper quality of curd. It causes dryness, malavarodha (obstruction to the outflow of waste products like stools, urine, and sweat from the body), vatakara (aggravates vata), astringent in taste, deepaniya (increases digestive fire), laghukara (light for digestion), and ruchya (increases the taste).

Classification of Curds:

The curd comprises of three parts mainly you can see when the curd is properly prepared. They are namely Sara, Manda, Ghana respectively.

Sara is the watery upper layer which is good shukravardaka (increases sperm),
Manda is the creamy layer beneath the sara. This is Vata and kaphahara (decreases Vata and kapha), srotoshodhaka (clears the channels), karshyahara (increases body mass).
Ghana is the remaining whole part which has all the qualities of curd.

How is curd formed?

1st Stage begins when the buttermilk is added to milk and till this becomes curd. This stage is called Mandaka. This is bad to consume and it acts like poison causing many diseases.
2nd Stage is when it becomes a proper solidified state and having all good qualities of curd explained as above.
3rd Stage is where the sourness of the curd increases and it breaks into small solid particles with bubbles. This has the similar qualities of madya. So this should not be consumed as it not good for health.

Types of Curd depending on Tastes :

1. Sweet: Abhishyandakara/Srotorodhaka (blocks the channels) and kapha medovardhaka (increases kapha and fat).

2. Sour: kaphapittahara (reduces kapha and pitta dosha).

3. Excessive Sour: Raktadustikara (contaminates the blood).

Curds Prepared by using different Milk sources :

Cows Milk:

1. Balavardhaka (increases strength),

2. Agnideepaka (increases digestive fire),

3. Snigda (unctuous in nature)

4. Madhura (sweet in taste),

5. Vatahara (decreases vata dosha),

6. Ruchya (increases taste) and

7. Pavitra (considered as sacred)
Buffalos Milk:

1. Madhura in Vipaka (attains sweet taste after digestion),

2. Viryavardhaka Increases potency),

3. Vatapitta prasadaka (nourishes vata and pitta),

4. Kaphakara (increases kapha)

5. Snigdha (unctuous)
Goat Milk:

1. Kaphapittahara (decreases kapha and pitta),

2. Laghu (light),

3. Vatakshayakara (reduces vata),

4. Arshahara (cures hemorrhoids),

5. Swasa Kasahara (cures cold and breathing difficulty) and

6. Agnideepaka (increases digestive fire).

How to use Curd :

One should know how and when to use curds properly or else it may lead to eruption of diseases, So here are some points you should know about curd before consuming it.

Curds should not be consumed in the night.
One should not take curds as soon as comes roaming in sunlight.
Never heat the curd.
In Vasanta (Spring season), Greeshma (Summer season) and Sharad (Autumn season) seasons one should avoid curd.
It’s better to add little quantity of honey, ghee, sugar candy, boiled green gram, gooseberry powder with curd when you take it.
Should not take milk with curd.
One should not use curd daily.

If someone consumes curd without following proper rules and regulation it will lead to diseases like fever( Jwara), diseases of blood (Raktapitta), herpes (Visarpa), Skin diseases (Kusta), Anemia (Pandu), Giddiness (Bhrama), Edema (Shotha) Etc…

Even those who do regular exercise and having good digestive power this may not produce diseases immediately, but it will definitely decrease their immunity power and then it produces diseases.

In summer and winter small reddish eruptions in the skin, itching, reddish eyes are mainly due to daily and improper consumption of curd only.

Adding salt to curd is the general method of consuming curd the incompatibility may lead to prameha (diabetes) or other chronic diseases. When curd consumed with rice, pickle and other katu (pungent) kashaya (Astringent) taste substances it doesn’t cause much harm. Though curd is very tempting to take if someone is not following proper rules and regulations it will harm the body.

Use Curd Judiciously to be Healthy.