Curd or yoghurt, a by-product of milk is consumed across continents.

Curd is recommended for therapeutic purposes and usually consumed with other food items.

In piles and diarrhoea, curd should be taken with ginger mixed in rice. Curd alongwith rocksalt and cumin acts as an appetizer. Taken along with sugar, curd acts as thirst quencher and also subsides burning sensation.

To gain weight curd should be taken along with jaggery. For aphrodisiac purpose, curd which is prepared from milk fats should be taken alongwith sugar and saffron.

For jaundice patients - curd rice with Moong dal is a wholesome diet. After prolonged antibacterial therapy, curd rice helps to re-establish normal healthy, intestinal bacterial flora.

Guidelines listed in Ayurveda for the regular consumption of curd are as follows:  Curd should never be consumed at night. Curd should be avoided in extre-mely, cold seasons and on rainy days. Curd should never be consumed independently, as a single food item.

For kapha constitution person curd should be used with honey. For someone with pitta constitution, it should be used with sugar, while for those with vata constitution it should be used with rock salt.

People who have an inflammatory condition should avoid curd. According to Ayurvedic hypothesis, curd has a tendency to block the micro channels of the body, thereby promoting swelling and inflammation. It is noted that curd has a tendency to increase predominantly kapha dosha and pitta dosha, therefore it is best avoided at night and during cold or rainy season.

Regular consumption of flavour-ed yoghurt with different kinds of fruits is not encouraged in Ayurveda. Long term consumption of such food combinations can lead to the development of chronic diseases in the future.

In several diseased conditions buttermilk is recommended over curd which has easy digestibility and has an alleviating effect on all Tridoshas, vata, pitta and kapha. Buttermilk when digested results in vipaka, hence it subdues the pitta dosha. Its sweet and sour taste subdues vata dosha and heat controlling properties controls kapha dosha.

Some of the medicinal uses of buttermilk are: In case of dysentery, it improves appetite, enhances digestion and makes stool consistency and frequency normal.

In case of excessive bleeding during menstrual period, buttermilk kept in an iron utensil subsides pain. Buttermilk cooked with onion also helps control excessive bleeding. Buttermilk prepared from cow's curd given along with rice starch (Kanji) for about a month helps reduce white discharge in women.

Buttermilk quenches thirst and acts as a coolant during the summer season. For gas distention, buttermilk should be taken along with asafoetida, salt and ginger.

For skin disorders, a paste of margosa leaves, turmeric, long pepper and black pepper prepared in buttermilk should be applied over affected area.