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Milk and salt

Sushruta lists salt among the things that become poison-like when eaten with milk. Vagbhata's Ashtanga Sangraha names the pair too.

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What the texts say

संयोगतस्त्वपराणि विषतुल्यानि भवन्ति । तद्यथा- वल्लीफलकवककरीराम्लफललवणकुलत्थपिण्याकदधितैलविरोहिपिष्टशुष्कशाकाजाविकमांसमद्यजाम्बवचिलिचिममत्स्यगोधावराहांश्च नैकध्यमश्नीयात् पयसा ॥ ८॥
saṃyogatastvaparāṇi viṣatulyāni bhavanti | tadyathā- vallīphalakavakakarīrāmlaphalalavaṇakulatthapiṇyākadadhitailavirohipiṣṭaśuṣkaśākājāvikamāṃsamadyajāmbavacilicimamatsyagodhāvarāhāṃśca naikadhyamaśnīyāt payasā || 8||
Other things become like poison when combined. For example, one should not eat together with milk: creeper fruits, kavaka, karira, sour fruits, salt, kulattha, pinyaka, curd, oil, virohi, flour foods, dried vegetables, goat or sheep meat, liquor, jambava, chilichima fish, godha or pork.[1]

Sushruta says these pairs become like poison. Salt sits in his list with sour fruits, horse gram, curd and oil, and his word for it is simply lavana, salt. Vagbhata's Ashtanga Sangraha also names salt with milk.[1][2]

The modern view

We have not found a modern study that tests salt eaten with milk. The comparison to poison is the text's own, not a finding from any study.

From the classical texts

Questions people ask

Is rock salt (sendha namak) different?

Sushruta's word is lavana, salt, and the texts we opened make no exception for rock salt.[1]

Related

Food

Milk and curd together

Sushruta says not to eat curd with milk, and puts it in a list of foods that become like poison when combined.

Food

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.

Food

Milk and fish

Charaka says fish and milk clash in potency and can spoil the blood. Sushruta and Vagbhata give the same rule.

Sources

  1. Sushruta Samhita, Sutra Sthana 20.8 (Hitahitiya Adhyaya), NIIMH e-Sushruta edition.
  2. Ashtanga Sangraha, Sutra Sthana 9.3, SARIT corpus e-text (Athavale 1980 edition).

Updated 4 November 2026

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