Coconut Milk: How To Make? Health Benefits, Remedies

By Dr MS Krishnamurthy MD (Ayu), PhD
Coconut milk  is an instant energy booster. It is rich with carbohydrate, proteins and fats. Even though good number of difference of opinion is found among the dietitians and nutritionists Indians use coconut milk in various preparations especially in payasam/kheer, sweets etc. 

Method of preparation

How to prepare coconut milk? Indian method:
Method 1:
Grate the coconut.
Collect the grated coconut powder.
Take it in a clean, thin cloth.
Squeeze it and collect milk in a clean vessel.

Method 2:
Grate the coconut. Or Chop coconut into small pieces.
Put it in a mixer. Grind it for 3 – 5 minutes.
Take out the paste and filter it.
Collect the coconut milk in a clean vessel.
Read related: Coconut, Coconut Water, Flower Benefits – Ayurveda

Qualities, action

Coconut milk medicinal qualities as per Ayurveda:
Rasa (taste) -Madhura (sweet)
Guna (quality) – Snigdha (unctuous, oily) Guru (heavy), Manda (thick/slow), Sheeta (coolant),  Sthira (stable)
Vipaka (bio transformation)-Madhura (sweet) – Undergoes sweet taste conversion after digestion
Veerya (potency)-Sheeta (cold, coolant)
Prabhava (special influence) -Rasayana (rejuvinative)
Effect on Tridosha – Balances Vata and Pitta Dosha, increases Kapha Dosha.

Therapeutic action –
Balya (tonic), Vrishya (aphrodisciac),
Brimhana (nutritive),
Rasa-Mamsa- majja vardhaka – Increases muscles, rasa dhatu and majja dhatu.
Read related: Coconut Shell Benefits, Usage In Cooking Hard Vegetables

Benefits

Coconut milk benefits:
Relieves emaciation,
Vata Disorders (neuro-muscular disorders),
Mamsakshaya (muscular dystrophy),
Shukra kshaya (oligospermia),
Shirashoola (headache),
Katigraha (backache) etc
Read related: Coconut oil- bad or good, benefits, Ayurvedic and contemporary views

Coconut milk remedies

1. 1 cup of coconut milk is added with 1 teaspoon of jaggery and dissolved. This is added with 1 gram of cardamom and a strand of saffron. Mixed well.
This acts as instant energy booster and also a very good aphrodisiac drink.
This a very good coolant and it is served along with various dishes like Dosa, Idly, Rice noodles etc. This acts as a coolant and helps to induce good sleep among the people who often feel difficulty to get sleep. Avoid it in diabetic patients.
Regular intake during night helps to reduce the back ache; also it is beneficial in enhancing the libido and body weight.

Remedy 2:
1 cup of coconut milk and
1 cup wheat milk (obtained by soaking the cleaned wheat in water for 3 – 4 hours, then squeezed in a think cloth to extract milk) are taken and cooked well.
1 teaspoon of ghee and sugar (or jaggery) are added and heating is continued till it gets semisolid consistency like cake.
1 gram of each of cardamom, clove, cinnamom leaf and bark,
1 strand of saffron etc can be added.
This is a very nutritive recipe for growing children.

Remedy 3:
50 ml coconut milk, 100 ml cow’s ghee and 400 ml of coconut water are taken together and ghee is cooked in mild intensity of heat. When it is free of water content it is taken out of the fire and filtered. To this 50 gram of sugar is added in warm condition and mixed thoroughly.

This is administered in the dose of 5 gram daily along with warm water or warm milk.
This is effective in the treatment of backache, burning sensation while passing urine, urinary calculi, leucorrhoea, fatigue, urinary tract infection  etc.
Click to consult Dr MS Krishnamurthy 

Coconut milk as per Bhojana Kutuhalam

According to Bhojana Kutuhalam eighth chapter, Coconut pulp is made into small pieces and is added with cow’s milk, Ghee derived from cow’s milk and sugar are further added to it and the mixture is cooked on low flame.

Properties of milk derived from coconut pulp:

The milk derived from coconut pulp is unctuous, cold and extremely nourishing to the body, It is heavy to digest, very sweet in taste and aphrodisiac. It treats vitiated rakta, pitta and vata.

Best time to take coconut milk

Coconut milk balances Pitta Dosha. In a day, afternoon is the time of Pitta aggravation. Hence, it is good to take along with lunch, preferably before food.

Nuts, coconut milk, frozen

(liquid expressed from grated meat and water)
Rasa – sweet
Guna – not very unctuous (as it is frozen), heavy
Veerya – hot
Vipaka – sweet
Effect on Doshas
Vata balancing
Pitta nourishing
Kapha nourishing (less Kapha nourishing due to decreased unctuousness)

Interaction with medicines, supplements

Can this be used while taking Homeopathic medicine?
Yes. This product does not react with homeopathic medicine.

Can this medicine be continued while taking supplements like multivitamin tablets, Omega 3 fatty acids etc?
Yes. Generally, this product goes well with most of the dietary supplements. However, if you are taking more than one product per day, please consult your doctor for an opinion.

With western medicines
Seek your doctor’s advice if you are taking this product along with other western (allopathic / modern) medicines. Some Ayurvedic herbs can interact with modern medicine.
If both Ayurvedic and allopathic medicines are advised together, then it is best to take Allopathic medicine first, wait for 30 minutes and then take the Ayurvedic medicine.