What the texts say
Amla (āmalaka, आंवला) closes Charaka's short list of foods to eat curd with, and any one of the five will do. The verse after it, 7.62, warns that a lover of curd who ignores these rules can fall ill, with fever, skin disease, anaemia or severe jaundice among the illnesses it names. Amla is a fruit, so the texts do not forbid all fruit with curd. They name particular pairs instead: the Ashtanga Hridaya, for example, lists banana with curd as incompatible.[1][2][3]
The modern view
We found no study of curd eaten with amla.
From the classical texts
Questions people ask
Does this mean amla powder mixed in curd?
Charaka's word is āmalaka, amla. The edition we opened translates the verse as curd "mixed with" amla, or with one of the other four accompaniments.[1]
Related
Banana and curd (kela aur dahi)
The Ashtanga Hridaya and Sushruta both list banana with curd among the incompatible foods, along with banana and buttermilk.
FoodCurd and sugar (dahi-chini)
Charaka names sugar as one of the things curd should be eaten with. Dahi-chini is on his list of accompaniments, not his list of things to avoid.
FoodCurd (dahi) at night
Charaka and the Ashtanga Hridaya both say not to eat curd at night. Charaka lists fever, skin disease and jaundice among the illnesses that follow.
FoodMilk and amla
Charaka lists amla among the fruits not to take with milk, in a list that ends with everything sour, liquid or solid.
Sources
- Charaka Samhita, Sutra Sthana 7.61 (Naveganadharaniya Adhyaya).
- Charaka Samhita, Sutra Sthana 7.62 (Naveganadharaniya Adhyaya).
- Ashtanga Hridaya, Sutra Sthana 7.35, GRETIL e-text.
Updated 4 November 2026