> Bill Elkus wrote:
> >
> > I am told that traditional Ayurvedic practises (from India) teach
> > that most (or all) of the negative qualities of milk can be
> > removed by heating it with some fresh ginger-root until the first
> > boil, then immediately removing from heat before scalding occurs.

I think that ginger most probably would have been used to suppress
the wind-inducing properties of raw milk! I can't find any reference
to ginger being a natural antibiotic, but it may have had some
reputation in that direction too.

As far as hormones are concerned, their effects may have been
considered beneficial. The legends of princesses bathing in asses
milk to improve their beauty may show us the real reason that milk
became so popular in the decadent east!

> > I am told that drinking cow's milk, and using it in cooking, is a
> > practise which is many thousands of years old in India. This
> > apparently contrasts with points made earlier on this List about
> > milk being a very recent addition to the Western diet.
> >
> > Bill Elkus
> > Los Angeles
>
Max Desorgher