What the texts say
Amalaka, the amla, closes Charaka's run of nineteen fruits. The list then widens to 'other things of this kind' and to everything sour, liquid or solid. The whole passage is the sage Atreya speaking, in a long reply on incompatible foods that begins with fish and milk.[1]
The modern view
We have not found a modern study that tests amla taken with milk. The rule comes from the classical text alone.
From the classical texts
Questions people ask
Can I drink milk after eating amla?
Charaka's words are payasā saha, 'with milk', so the rule is about taking amla and milk together. For a gap between the two, ask a vaidya.[1]
Does this apply to amla powder or medicines that contain amla?
The verse is about amla as a fruit taken with milk. If a vaidya has told you to take an amla preparation with milk, ask them about this rule.[1]
Related
Milk and sour fruits
Charaka's own example of a bad food combination is sour food with milk. Sushruta and Vagbhata make the same rule.
FoodCurd and amla
Charaka names amla as one of the things to eat curd with, alongside ghee, sugar, green gram soup and honey.
FoodMilk and pomegranate
Charaka names pomegranate (dadima) among the nineteen fruits he calls incompatible with milk.
FormulationAmalaki Rasayana
A rasayana of amla soaked in its own juice, with honey, ghee, pippali and sugar. One trial we reviewed measured DNA repair.
Sources
Updated 4 November 2026