Sheep Meat and Sheep Milk Benefits – Ayurveda Details

Sheep meat is also called as lamb or mutton. It is coolant, heavy-to-digest and contributes to weight gain. It is explained in Ayurvedic text books since the times of Charaka. 

Sheep meat qualities

As per Charaka Samhita –
मांसं मधुरशीतत्वाद्गुरु बृंहणमाविकम्||६२||
योनावजाविके मिश्रगोचरत्वादनिश्चिते|६३|
māṃsaṃ madhuraśītatvādguru bṛṃhaṇamāvikam||62||
yonāvajāvike miśragocaratvādaniścite |63| – Charaka Sutrasthana 27/62-63
Mutton is
Madhura – sweet
Sheeta – cold,
hence, it is Guru – heavy to digest.
Bruhmana – nourishing.

Categorization

Usually all the non veg foods are categorized into 8 divisions, based on their habitat. But is not possible to include goat and sheep in any of the eight categories mentioned above, they inhabit at times marshy land, at times deserts and sometimes both.

Lamb and goat meat

Goat meat is comparatively lighter to digest. Lamb is heavy to digest. When compared to goat, lamb contributes more to the weight gain. Hence, if you are seeking weight gain, sheep meat is a better choice than goat.

Bhasma prepared from horn of goat is used as ingredient in Kombanchadi Gulika, used in treating headache, fever, cough and cold in children.

Meat during cough, cold?

In Snehakarma

There are four types of fats used in Snehakarma – oleation treatment (preliminary part of Vamana and Virechana Panchakarma treatment). These four are – ghee, oil fat and bone marrow.
In certain cases, in people who are accustomed to non veg food, fat of sheep is used for the purpose of snehana.

Sheep milk and ghee

Sheep milk and sheep ghee:
Among milks, sheep milk is most unwholesome, hence, it is to be avoided for daily usage.
Among all the milk ghee, sheep milk ghee is most unwholesome and hence, to be avoided. It is damaging to the heart.

Sheep milk qualities

sheep milk is hot in potency, It aggravates hiccup and dyspnoea. It also alleviates Pitta and Kapha.
Milk of elephant is strength- giving, heavy and stabilizing.
Among all the substances that increases Pitta and Kapha, sheep milk is the best.

Milk, sheep, fluid
Taste – sweet
Guna – heavy
Potency – hot
After digestion taste transformation (After digestion taste transformation (Vipaka)) – sweet
Effect on Doshas
Vata balancing – due to sweetness, heaviness, hot potency
Pitta neutral – due to sweetness which decreases Pitta and hotness which increases Pitta
Slightly increases Kapha – due to sweet, heaviness which increases Kapha and hot potency which decreases Kapha.