What the texts say
Sugar is one of five foods Charaka says should go with curd. In the Sanskrit, ghee and sugar share a single word (ghṛtaśarkaram). The edition we opened translates them as separate choices, which is the reading we follow here. Verse 7.62 then names the illnesses that can come to a lover of curd who ignores these rules, among them fever, anaemia and severe jaundice.[1][2]
The modern view
We found no study that tests Charaka's rule.
From the classical texts
Questions people ask
Does Ayurveda say curd with sugar is harmful?
Not in this verse. Charaka puts sugar on the list of things to eat curd with, not on a list of things to avoid.[1]
Related
Curd (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.
FoodCurd and ghee
In Charaka, ghee is one of the things curd should be eaten with, not a pair to avoid.
FoodCurd and honey (dahi aur shahad)
Charaka names honey as one of the things curd should be eaten with, alongside ghee, sugar, green gram soup and amla.
FoodHeating curd (dahi garam karna)
Charaka says curd should not be eaten hot, and the Ashtanga Hridaya says the same in its passage on curd.
Sources
- Charaka Samhita, Sutra Sthana 7.61 (Naveganadharaniya Adhyaya).
- Charaka Samhita, Sutra Sthana 7.62 (Naveganadharaniya Adhyaya).
Updated 4 November 2026