Buffalo Meat, Buffalo Milk and Buffalo Products – Benefits and Ayurvedic Explanation
Buffalo milk and Buffalo products are widely used in Ayurvedic treatment for various diseases, starting from insomnia to bleeding disorders. Let us explore the benefits of Buffalo products and its usage according to Ayurveda.
Table of Contents
Buffalo Milk Benefits
- Of all the Ayurvedic home remedies for inducing normal sleep, buffalo milk is the best. If you have sleep problems, try drinking half a cup of warm buffalo milk at night, one hour before food.
- Buffalo milk is sweet, coolant, takes time to undergo digestion,
- Decreases digestive fire, improves strength and immunity
- Nourishes the body.
- Calms Pitta, relieves burning sensation and is useful in skin conditions.
- Buffalo milk with sugar is the drink of choice in summer, as per Ayurveda summer regimen. (Ashtanga Hrudayam Sutrasthanam 3/36)
महिषीणां गुरुतरं गव्याच्छीततरं पयः|
स्नेहान्यूनमनिद्राय हितमत्यग्नये च तत्||२१९||
mahiṣīṇāṃ gurutaraṃ gavyācchītataraṃ payaḥ|
snehānyūnamanidrāya hitamatyagnaye ca tat||219||
Milk of buffalo is
Guru – heavier than cow milk, cold when compared to cow’s milk.
It has more of unctuousness, oiliness and it is useful for persons suffering from insomnia and too rapid digestion.
Milk, indian buffalo, fluid
Taste – sweet
Qualities – very heavy
Potency – cold
After digestion taste transformation (After digestion taste transformation (Vipaka)) – sweet
Effect on Doshas
Vata balancing – due to sweetness and heaviness
Pitta balancing – due to sweetness, coldness
Kapha increasing – due to sweetness coldness heaviness
Buffalo meat benefits
Buffalo meat benefits- Mahisha:
स्निग्धोष्णं मधुरं वृष्यं माहिषं गुरु तर्पणम्||८०||
दार्ढ्यं बृहत्त्वमुत्साहं स्वप्नं च जनयत्यपि|
snigdhoṣṇaṃ madhuraṃ vṛṣyaṃ māhiṣaṃ guru tarpaṇam||80||
dārḍhyaṃ bṛhattvamutsāhaṃ svapnaṃ ca janayatyapi| Charaka Sutrasthana 27
Buffalo meat is
Snigdha – oily, unctuous
Ushna – hot
Madhura – sweet
Vrushya – aphrodisiac
Guru – heavy to digest
Tarpana – refreshing
Dardhya – causes weight gain
Utsaha – increases enthusiasm
Svapna – induces sleep
As per Bhojana Kutuhala the meat of wild buffalo is slightly light for digestion and is strength promoting at the same time the domestic variety is unctuous, induces sleep, alleviates pitta dosha.
Other Buffalo products:
Buffalo Yogurt
Buffalo yogurt is highly nutritious, natural aphrodisiac, relieves tiredness, useful in conditions like heavy menstrual bleeding, nasal bleeding etc.
Buffalo Ghee
- Buffalo ghee improves skin complexion and quality,
- Improves digestive power, good for eyes.
- Calms Vata and Pitta, improves Kapha
- Useful in bleeding due to intestinal problems, piles and sprue.
Buffalo urine
Buffalo urine is hot and pungent. Used in the treatment of skin diseases, diabetes, abdominal bloating, haemorrhoids, edema, eye disorders and itching.
Buffalo meat –
Hot, nutritious, induces natural sleep, natural aphrodisiac, increases muscle bulk, calms Pitta, increases breast milk.
Buffalo liver – Good for eyes.
Ayurvedic medicine
Ayurvedic medicines with Buffalo milk as an ingredient
Pinda Thailam – Used in the treatment of Gout.
10 comments on “Buffalo Meat, Buffalo Milk and Buffalo Products – Benefits and Ayurvedic Explanation”
Natasha J Prakash
Hello Doctor,
Does Ayurveda recommend non-vegetarian food?
Regards,
Natasha
Dr J V Hebbar MD(Ayu)
See, Ayurveda is existant since the time of Vedas, that is around 5000 BC. From there on, there was no concept of pure vegetarianism. All castes, including Brahmins used to take Non veg and veg diet, based on the merit of nutrition and health benefits. After the dawn of Buddhism in around 7- 8 th century, the concept of pure vegetarianism came into existent. So, does Ayurveda recommend non vegetarian food? Yes, it does to those who are accustomed to non veg diet. However Ayurveda does not recommend non veg diet to vegans. Because over a period of time and generations, the body will be accustomed to pure veg diet.
If you are asking me – is it ok to take non veg diet? I would say, if you are accustomed to it, then go on. why not. In spiritual terms, non veg diet is considered as Rajasika and Tamasika. But Swamy Vivekananda says – Before one seeks spiritual practices, the body needs to be strong. Hence if one is accustomed he can take non veg diet and do exercises to have a strong body in the early days of spirituality.
Divine Park Says: What eats your mind is more important than what you eat. But Divine Park opines, that as one reaches higher level of spiritual journey, the spiritual seeker will naturally start feeling averse towards non veg diet.
Please take time to read my article here – https://www.easyayurveda.com/2010/07/15/is-ayurveda-totally-vegetarian/
Kerala Ayurvedic
Its a new information about Buffalo products are good for health.Thanks for your valuable information.
Sudhakar
Hello doctor! Greetings! The above article made an interesting reading but spiritually it is wrong. When Bernard Shaw was asked to take mutton soup to recover from illness, he replied,i will not make my stomach graveyard of birds and animals. Swamy Vivekananda said, football takes you closer to God than Bhagwad Gita. By this he meant to do spiritual practices one should be physically strong e.g. to sit for meditation for 3 hours is no joke in Kali Yuga without changing leg position and hand position. So physical health is important but not at the cost of some helpless animals life. Have you seen how fish struggles when it is taken out of water or how painful it is when a hook is stuck to its mouth while fishing. And all these activities keep us pinned down to this earth with no chance of moksha which is the true aim of this life.When Buddha was asked the way to Nirvana he said HEALTH is the pre-requisite for doing spiritual practices. He further said, concentration on the breath from the nose to diaphragm, while walking, standing, sitting and lying down. He told his students that if they practiced like this they would become very healthy. FRANKLY AND PERSONALLY I SEE NO JUSTIFICATION IN EATING BUFFALO OR ANY OTHER ANIMAL/BIRD FOR MY SURVIVAL. This is the opinion of the true masters. Lastly astrologer Linda Goodman had said, that if you are eating non-vegetarian food from birth and now when you are an adult you can still wean yourself from this by staying on only mutton for five years than give it up and live only on fish. After this become a vegetarian and stay for five years and then become a vegan for five years and lastly become a fruitarian throughout your live and see the difference.
Thanks for reading this much and kind regards. Sudhakar Bhat
Dr J V Hebbar MD(Ayu)
I consider your opinion and publish it and leave it for the reader to decide what to eat and what not.
As far as my knowledge goes, In the book – Talks With Swamy Vivekananda, Swamiji tells that, – have non veg, no problem, exercise and build a better body first, and then go for spiritual practices.
I am a vegetarian. But I do not have problem with people having non veg.
Do you know that when the vegetables and plants are plucked from the farms and gardens, they also do feel pain?
It is how the world works.
Another point – Fruitarian diet theory is highly over-rated. I would say, it is wrong.
Sudhakar Bhat
Sir, Kal Purush has made this earth/universe in such a way that you are perpetually in debts regarding KARMIC SINS and thus how many countless births and deaths we have gone through is mind boggling. Agreed plants experience pain but compartively it is lesser evil (when compared to eating non-veg, besides remember, plants compose of just one element i.e. bhoota in their body compared to buffalo which has four boothas/element i.e. earth, fire, vayu and water. The missing element is Akash and that is there only in human beings i.e. why killing a human and killing a buffalo does not amount to same thing) and unless you become BREATHARIAN (since you have to eat) you cannot escape the net of karma. Again, even breatharian is wrong because we then kill unknowingly so many bacterias while breathing so escape is NAY impossible and for that the only way is – if you commit 100 Rs. sin do meditation and earn one thousand rupees to offset this 100 Rs. karma – the web of Kal Purush is very wide and strict. So what is the solution and that is get hold of a living master not a dead one. How does one get in contact with such a master who does not even charge a single penny for his teachings. The answer is you don’t contact him, he contacts you and for that you have to be RECEPTIVE. How you do that. The only thing in your hand is earnest, heartfelt prayer to the Lord to free you from this Maya Jal and Kal Purush. Cheers! :o)
Ranjit
Hello doctor, there is a general notion that not to feed children with buffalo milk & feed only cow’s milk in some regions, and vice versa, not to feed cow’s milk but feed only buffalo milk in some other regions in India. Scientifically speaking, is there any basis for this claim? Other than nutritional differences like fat, carbohydrate, calcium, cholesterol content etc… is there any difference in these milks in the overall development of children or adults?
Dr J V Hebbar MD(Ayu)
Simple logic is to stick to the regional practice.
Cow milk is easier to digest than buffalo milk
Sharon Samuel
Use of Buffalo milk in summer season!
Could you please help with the reference sir.
Dr J V Hebbar MD(Ayu)
Ashtanga Hrudayam Sutrasthanam 3/36