Milk, Whole (Pasteurized, Cow’s Milk)
Medicinal Profile of
Milk, Whole (Pasteurized, Cow’s Milk)
Pasteurized whole milk is widely consumed as a nutrient-rich food, providing protein, fat, calcium, and vitamins. Pasteurization increases safety by reducing pathogens, but it also alters certain enzymes, probiotics, and heat-sensitive nutrients. While highly nourishing, pasteurized milk can aggravate mucus formation, digestive sluggishness, or inflammatory states in some individuals.
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👉 Tastes describe the initial impression a food or herb leaves on the tongue, and they reveal its deeper actions in the body, shaping digestion, circulation, and tissue response.
Sweet – Nutritive, building, moistening.
Heavy – Grounding, stabilizing, slow to digest.
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👉Qualities describe the felt nature of a substance or practice, and how it acts in the body beyond nutrients or chemistry.
Moistening – Increases fluids and mucus in the body.
Nourishing – Builds tissues and replenishes strength.
Stabilizing (mild) – Stabilizes heat and inflammation.
Heavy – Can burden weak digestion or sluggish metabolism.
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Macronutrients (Whole Milk, 1 cup / 240 mL)
Calories: ~150 kcal
Protein: 8 g (casein + whey)
Fat: 8 g
Saturated fat ~5 g
Monounsaturated ~2 g
Polyunsaturated ~0.3 g
Carbohydrates: 12 g
(mostly lactose)
Water: ~87%
Vitamins
Vitamin A: ~6% DV
Vitamin D: usually fortified in pasteurized milk (10–15% DV)
Vitamin B2 (Riboflavin): ~26% DV
Vitamin B12: ~46% DV
Vitamin B5 (Pantothenic acid): ~18% DV
Choline: ~10% DV
Minerals
Calcium: ~28% DV
Phosphorus: ~22% DV
Potassium: ~10% DV
Magnesium: ~6% DV
Zinc: ~10% DV
Selenium: ~11% DV
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As beverage (cold or warm): Common daily use.
With spices (e.g., cinnamon, turmeric): Traditionally used to improve digestibility.
In cooking/baking: Adds richness, protein, and fats.
Indicated Patterns by Affinity
👉 Indicated patterns describe the functional state of the body and its organs and/or tissues, showing whether they are dry, atrophied, too damp (pressure), stagnant, lax, inflammed, sluggish, tense or underactive. The Primary Indicated Pattern is the main state where this remedy works best. Secondary Indicated Pattern(s) are the patterns that often develop over time when the primary state is left unaddressed. The primary pattern must be supported first, as this allows the secondary patterns to naturally ease or resolve.
👉Affinities are the organ systems and tissues where the remedy acts most strongly.
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Atrophy (Primary Indicated Pattern) – When tissues are undernourished and need rebuilding. Examples: low weight/energy; convalescence; dry stool improved by added fats/proteins.
Dryness (Secondary Indicated Pattern) – Mild demulcent action soothes mucosa. Examples: dry mouth/throat; scratchy digestion eased by richness.
Irritative (Secondary Indicated Pattern - When the stomach lining is raw, burning, or over-acidic because it is under-lubricated or dried out. Examples: Heartburn from a dry, irritated stomach lining, Mild gastritis in depleted, low-moisture states, Burning sensation after spicy foods in a dry gut terrain.
Milk soothes by buffering acid + coating mucosa when dryness is the root. The antacidic relief is short-term and not a true resolution when the root cause is congestive in nature.
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Atrophy (Secondary Indicated Pattern) - When nervous tissue is undernourished, fragile, or depleted. Examples: Nervous exhaustion with depletion, Poor sleep from lack of nutritive support, Anxiety or jitteriness in underfed states.
Note: This is nutritive support, not a direct nervine. Works best in dry/atrophic terrains. In congestive or inflammatory nervous patterns (tension headaches, “toxic” brain fog), milk may worsen heaviness.
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Dryness / Irritative (Primary Indicated Pattern)
When membranes are raw, parched, or irritated due to lack of lubrication.
Examples: Dry tickly cough soothed by warm milk with honey, Scratchy throat eased by a coating effect, Irritative dryness after spicy foods or dry air.In healthy lungs, mucus is thin and mobile → it traps dust/microbes and gets swept out by cilia. When the airways dry out, mucus loses fluidity, becoming sticky and thick. Instead of clearing smoothly, it clumps and sits starting a congestive bogginess. Fats and proteins act almost like a mild emulsifier. They can loosen clumped, sticky mucus, making it easier to shift with cilia or cough.
Congestive (Secondary Indicated Pattern) When dryness has already thickened mucus into sticky clumps, milk can soften and help it shift. Examples: A dry cough where mucus feels stuck in the throat and won’t move, Thick, scanty nasal mucus that is hard to blow out after exposure to dry air, Chest tightness with little but sticky phlegm that’s difficult to expectorate.
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Atrophy (Primary Indicated Pattern) – When bones, muscles, or connective tissues are weakened or undernourished, losing tone and resilience. Examples: Fragile bones or teeth from nutrient depletion, Weak muscle tone in depleted constitutions, Slow recovery after injury due to lack of building blocks.
Degenerative (Secondary Indicated Pattern) – When tissues break down over time, losing structure or elasticity.
Examples: Early signs of bone thinning or brittleness, Joint wear from long-term nutrient deficiency, Connective tissue fragility (tendons, ligaments).Milk is a nutritive trophorestorative for musculoskeletal tissue, especially in dry/atrophic terrains. It is not indicated for inflammatory musculoskeletal states (hot, swollen, boggy joints), where it may worsen congestion.
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👉 Medicinal actions describe the specific ways a food influences organ systems and body functions.
Digestive System
Nutritive Tonic – Provides protein, fat, and calories to rebuild tissues.
Demulcent (mild) – Soothes mucous membranes.
Mucogenic – Increases mucus production in some constitutions.
Musculoskeletal System
Bone Tonic – Provides calcium, phosphorus, and vitamin D (if fortified).
Muscle Builder – Supplies protein and essential amino acids.
Integumentary System
Skin Tonic (indirect) – Nourishes skin through fat-soluble vitamins A and E.
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👉 Constituents are the natural compounds in a food that give rise to its actions in the body.
Proteins: Casein, whey proteins → tissue building.
Fats: Saturated fat, CLA (conjugated linoleic acid).
Carbohydrates: Lactose (milk sugar).
Vitamins: A, D (fortified), B2 (riboflavin), B12.
Minerals: Calcium, phosphorus, magnesium, potassium.
Enzymes: Inactivated or reduced (due to pasteurization).
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Consumed alone: 1st–2nd Degree – Nutritive, mildly moistening.
Spiced milk (digestive aids added): 2nd Degree – More digestible, balancing heaviness.
Cold, straight from fridge: 1st Degree – Can aggravate congestion or sluggish digestion.
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May reduce absorption of some herbs/supplements (due to calcium binding).
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Lactose intolerance: Can cause gas, bloating, diarrhea. Genetic lactase deficiency is usually permanent, managed with enzyme supplements or lactose-free/fermented dairy. Carminative herbs (ginger, fennel, cardamom, cumin, peppermint) can be used preventatively and after dairy to reduce symptoms of lactose intolerance. They don’t make lactase, but they reduce the bloating, gas, and cramping by stimulating digestion, speeding up gastric emptying, and preventing stagnation. This helps the gut process lactose faster and with less fermentation.
Secondary enzyme deficiency (from gut damage) can sometimes be improved by healing the gut lining, which restores brush border enzymes including lactase. The degree of recovery depends on the severity and duration of damage. In cases of gut injury, restoring the intestinal lining with demulcents (slippery elm, marshmallow, licorice), anti-inflammatories (aloe, turmeric), and nutrients (zinc, glutamine, vitamin A) may improve lactase activity
Milk protein allergy (casein, whey): Immune reaction possible. Planted based milks are recommended. Some people with milk protein allergy also have leaky gut or inflamed gut linings that worsen reactivity.
Congestive-prone individuals: Can aggravate congestion and sluggish digestion. Tip: Adding spices can turn heavy, mucogenic milk into a more circulating, stimulating, and balanced preparation. This is why in traditional medicine, milk is rarely consumed plain, it’s usually warmed and spiced.
If avoiding dairy, it’s important to replace nutrients milk usually provides:
Calcium → sesame seeds, almonds, leafy greens, fortified plant milks.
Protein → legumes, nuts, seeds, eggs, fish.
Vitamin D → sun exposure, fatty fish, fortified alternatives.
B12 → animal foods or supplements.
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Traditional Sources
Hippocrates. (5th century BCE). Corpus Hippocraticum. (Milk recommended for weakness, wasting, and as a nutritive tonic.)
Galen. (2nd century CE). On the Properties of Foodstuffs. (Describes milk as nourishing yet phlegm-forming.)
Ayurveda – Charaka Samhita (ca. 400 BCE). (Cow’s milk classified as ojas-building, moistening, and stabilizing when digested well.)
Modern Sources
Haug, A., Hostmark, A. T., & Harstad, O. M. (2007). “Bovine milk in human nutrition – a review.” Lipids in Health and Disease, 6(25), 1–16.
Macdonald, L. E., et al. (2011). “A systematic review of the risks and benefits of raw milk consumption.” Foodborne Pathogens and Disease, 8(3), 293–302.
Claeys, W. L., et al. (2013). “Raw or heated cow milk consumption: Review of risks and benefits.” Food Control, 31(1), 251–262.
Heaney, R. P. (2009). “Calcium, dairy products and osteoporosis.” Journal of the American College of Nutrition, 28(sup1), 82S–90S.
Savaiano, D. A., et al. (2006). “Lactose intolerance.” Journal of Nutrition, 136(4), 1107–1110.
