The Great Golden Milk and Immunity

You talk about an ayurvedic drink and all of sudden “golden-milk” pops up. This milk is more famous than coffee. And everybody praise this milk as if it comes from the “nectar pot” of Lord Dhanvantri.

But there are many questions around Golden Milk-

1. Do we have any reference for this drink in Ayurveda?
2. Does Ayurveda recommend any such combination?
3. Should you take this drink? and finally –
4. Does this famous drink help in improving your immunity?

These are the five question. We need to reason, before consuming anything like this.

Because as a race, we are addicted for mistakes. We start something. And later we repent and say- ohhh I was not sure about this. But when we awake- it is mostly too late.

Can you believe “cigarettes” were promoted in newspapers- for their benefits! I know this analogy is weird, but as an example of stupidity in name of famous things- there cannot be any better example.

Because whenever I condemn such drinks, people only argue- “internet is flooded with benefits- you cannot be professionally educated” and I am helpless….

Therefore, decided to write this post…

From Where “Golden-Milk” comes?

No Ayurvedic book writes about this.

This is a traditional drink in India.

But not for daily use. The combination of – Milk+Turmeric+Ghee is one of the recommended drink in case of injuries. Not regular.

Almost 80% of North Indians take warm milk before bed since years. But this “pinch” of turmeric comes from nowhere.

The nowhere is- half cooked knowledge of Ayurveda and people who just believe in showing off their knowledge.

Turmeric is talk of town since years. Alkaloids extracted from turmeric attracted the world and perhaps after- opium turmeric is one of the highly acclaimed herb. And everybody wants to sell it like – Aloe Vera!

How to promote this…make it a drink and write few articles on this and rest people will do by themselves. We all need a person to follow. Followers are everywhere.

But this all sounds like an assumption from a person who wants to raise questions….do we have logic behind this??

The logical understanding of the golden milk

Before I will talk about the golden milk, let’s talk about the turmeric.

Ayurveda talks about the properties and characteristics, when it is about anything. These are “Gunas”. The effect and side effect everything depends on these gunas.

Here is what- the Ayurvedic literature writes about turmeric, it is known as Hardira!!

Turmeric is-

• Bitter and Pungent
• Dry and light
• Hot in nature and
• Post assimilation impact is – Katu

There are different therapeutic uses are detailed-

• Turmeric helps in healng the wounds and injuries.
• It helps in the prameha – the urinary problems.
• Helps in skin diseases and promotes healthy skin.
• Decreases impact of poisonous things.

These are the “drug-properties” of the turmeric.

This is all opposite to the immune system, according to Ayurveda.

The similar- promotes and opposite- demotes- this is the basic concept of Ayurveda. So when we compare the characters of the Ojus with Turmeric, the result is all negative. Here is the comparison-

Ojus	Haridra
Madhur: Sweet in taste	Katu & Tikta: Bitter and Pungent
Guru : Heavy	Laghu : Light
Sheeta : Cold in nature	Ushna : Hot in nature
Snighdha : Unctuous	Ruksha : Dry

So nothing is common!

Therefore the turmeric is not for improvement of the immunity. It can help immunity in many different preparations and ways but not this way.

Adding to milk might change its guna through Sanyoga?

This is a wise question and my Guru Charaka, allows me for further discussion.

Milk and Turmeric Together!

This combination of two things will again work on the concept of Gunas only. When we add turmeric to the milk, it will reduce the “snigdhta” unctuousness of the milk, in simple words.

Milk has all gunas common to the Ojus and because of this, milk comes in the category which improves the immune system. Not the turmeric. So by adding the turmeric we just hamper the quality of milk.

When we started this discussion on golden milk, I clearly accepted that, this is a traditional drink in North India. And not just Milk with turmeric, Ghee in proper quantity is indicated in this.

Ghee is Yogvahi. Milk is not.

Yogavahi means- when we use Ghee with something, it changes the Guna of the thing. So tradition is logical but not the modern-day-ayurveda.

Besides the Yogavahitva of Ghee, ghee is unctuous and reduces the dry nature of the turmeric.

So, now you can ask- can I take this combination after adding ghee?

I answered the same above-

Use it when you are injured and use it as a medicine.

When you use something regularly, it cannot give medicinal impact. This is the basic difference in the medicine and drug.

We Indians use turmeric in almost every recipe. But it doesn’t make us “immune” to every infection and even it doesn’t help us to get rid of the diseases of skin!!

We all need to be logical and practical about Ayurveda. Ayurveda is a science and we need to take it as a science.

If taking some 10 mg of quinine is okay to make body stronger than this Golden milk is okay.

Otherwise stop it!!

It causes many problems and these problems are not visible immediately. Don’t punish your body with new-age-ayurveda. Ayurveda is only Ayurveda and we don’t have that capacity to rewrite the classical Ayurveda. We can just apply and use science for better understanding of Ayurveda.