Ghee/Clarified butter - Health benefits application chemical constituents side effects and many more

 Ghee/Clarified butter 

Ghee is obtained from butter. Ghee is one of most delicious aroma of Indian food. It is widely used in Indian cooking . Ghee is widely used in food because it is most delicious aroma having lot of health benefits. Ayurveda considers pure ghee to be sāttvik or sattva-guṇi (in the "mode of goodness").

Ghee, the golden elixir of Ayurveda is an oil with a long and interesting history. 

Ghee is considered as very pure and auspicious. In Hindu religion, while serving food, a little ghee is sprinkled over the food, symbolizing that ghee purifies the food. Ghee is used in Spiritual practices called as Homa, where Ghee is offered to fire as a fuel. Ghee helps to burn whole wood properly with less smoke.

A tablespoon of ghee also has 45 milligrams of cholesterol, or 15% of the daily value. Ghee is free of sodium, carbohydrates, fiber, sugar and protein.

Why is it good to eat ghee every day?

Increases resistance against seasonal allergies and common ailments:

While ghee is rich in healthy fat-soluble vitamins A, D, E, and K, it is also rich in antioxidants. It increases the body's resistance against various infections and diseases by boosting the immune system.

Goodness of ghee:

1. Nutritional value: Ghee is loaded with essential fat-soluble vitamins A,D,E and K. ghee helps your body to absorb fat-soluble minerals and vitamins from other foods.

2. skin and hair: The essential fatty acids in ghee acts as a nourishing agent, which nourishes the dry skin. Eating ghee daily helps to moisturize the skin and make it soft, smoothy and flexible.
     - Eating ghee daily is usefull for hair also: it reduces scalp (dandruff) from the hair and promotes the growth of hair

     - Tip: it acts as a natural skin moisturizer, if used daily. It can be applied over the face, left for 10 minutes, washed with warm water.

3. Boost fertility:< span> 

An optimal fertility diet should contain good quality protein sources and good fats. Pure ghee is the best form of fat. It increases quality and quantity of semen.

4. Stimulates the digestive system: Ghee intensifies the secretion of stomach acids to help in digestion, while other fats and oils, might slow down the body’s digestive process and sit heavy in the stomach.

      - In a normal person, if digestion strength is a bit low, then ghee is useful in improving his digestive capacity.

5. Reduces Cholesterol Levels: Ghee reduces the bad blood cholesterol levels from the body and enhances the good blood cholesterol level.

6. Improves skin: It rejuvenates the skin from inside and increases its glow.

How much ghee should you eat per day?

Healthy people should have 3 teaspoons (15g / 1 tablespoon) of desi ghee per day to get all its advantages. However, one teaspoon of pure ghee, thrice a day is best.

Ghee consists entirely of fat, hence, even though it might be a 'healthy' saturated fat, it’s not healthy to eat in large amounts.

When to eat ghee :

Ghee balances Pitta Dosha very well. Consider Pitta as fire element in the body. If we divide the day into three parts, afternoon is the time in which Pitta is highly aggravated, because, temperature hits the maximum in the afternoon. Hence, ghee with lunch is the best time to take.
Taking ghee in the afternoon is ideal especially during summer and in autumn seasons. During summer, ghee is good to calm the excess afternoon heat. During autumn, Pitta is naturally highly aggravated.

If someone has excessive stress, lack of sleep etc symptoms, then it is best to take ghee both in the afternoon and evening. Evening is vata time and ghee is also good to relieve Vata Dosha symptoms such as anxiety, excess thoughts, sleep disturbances etc.

Uses, Remedies, Benefits and Application

1) Having a teaspoon of ghee before food in the morning relieves pain in the bladder region.

2) To relieve dryness of palate and oral cavity, Amla powder and raisins are mixed with ghee and kept inside mouth for a few minutes.

               Click here to explore more about Amla

3) Haritaki powder is consumed with ghee to relieve burning sensation. 

4) Triphala decoction added with ghee and sugar is useful in the treatment of anemia. 

5) Nasya : 2 drops of Ghee is put into both nostrils in the morning, at least 30 minutes before food.

• Relieves dryness and bleeding in nose
• Improve memory and concentration
• Relieve anxiety, depression, headache, migraine, random thoughts
• Reduce burning sensation and greying of hairs
• Ghee for nasal drops is not recommended when the sky is full of clouds, during extreme winter and rainy seasons, when the person has cold, sinusitis, cough and fever.

6) Ghee has a very unique capability to absorb the active constituents of an herb into it, without leaving out ghee’s inherent quality. This quality of ghee is hailed as “Yogavahi”. Hence Ghee is processed with different herbs to imbibe those useful qualities into Ghee. This processed ghee is extensively used in Ayurveda for a wide range of health conditions.

7) Ayurveda recommends herbal smoking as one of the daily routine. Ghee is extensively used as an ingredient in Ayurveda herbal smoking procedure.

8) Ghee not only makes your eyes look good, but it also helps in improving your eyesight. Putting a drop of melted ghee in each eye before going to sleep helps to relieve burning sensation. Ghee also plays a very important role in the treatment of various eye disorders.

9) Ghee calms Pitta and Vata. Hence, it is ideal for people with Vata-Pitta body type and for those suffering from Vata and Pitta imbalance disorders.

10) Half a cup of ghee with a teaspoon of turmeric powder and 2 teaspoon of neem – this paste is applied locally for quick healing of wounds and abscesses.

             Click here to explore more about Haldi/Turmeric

             Click here to explore more about Neem

            

11) In children, while doing ear lobe puncturing, ghee is applied first, to reduce pain & irritation and to ease piercing.

12) For people seeking sound sleep, a cup of warm milk with ghee is good to take at night, before or after food.

                 Click here to explore more about Milk

13) Shata Dhauta ghrita : Procedure used to wash ghee with water.

• In pregnant woman, a special processed ghee is used to apply around the umbilical area.
• Ghee is used for application over wounds and burns to reduce the heat and calm Pitta.
• Ghee is applied over lips to heal the seasonal cracked lips.
• It is also useful for local application for heel cracks.

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14) Ghee is an excellent moisturizer and gives a soothing and coolant effect when used as body massage. It is applied all over the body and massage is done with gentle pressure.

15) In Ayurveda practice, Enema of Cow ghee is used to strengthen bones. As per Ayurveda, bone gets its nourishment from fat. By administering ghee through enema, Vata gets balanced, leading to proper nourishment of bone tissue. (Bone and Vata are connected). Hence, ghee enema is useful in cases like arthritis.

16) One can get rid of dark eye circles by applying ghee around it. Apply ghee and massage properly around the eyes. Leave it for 10 to 15 minutes and then wash your eyes. This will not only lighten your dark eye circles but will also give your eyes a moist and bright look.

17) Panchakarma is a procedure wherein the imbalanced Doshas are expelled out of the body. Prior to Panchakarma, high doses of ghee is given to the person to drink within a short span of 1 – 7 days. Ghee having good penetrating capacity, penetrates deep into body tissues and acts as a vehicle to diffuse Dosha accumulation in the body. It also helps to Bring the imbalanced Dosha into the gastro-intestinal tract from where it expelled out by Panchakarma procedure.

18) For people suffering from extreme dry skin, dry voice and overall dryness of body, in seasons like winter, ghee along with milk helps to relieve dryness and induce unctuousness, very quickly.

19) 2 – 5 drops of Ghee is advised to be given to newborn. Ghee is also advised for a lactating mother. It is believed to add nourishing qualities to the breast milk and to fortify milk with nourishing qualities 

20) In many of the eye disorders, ghee is used for a process called ‘Tarpana’. Here a compound around eye orbit is built with thick paste of flour and the compound is filled with herbal ghee. The person is asked to open and close the eyes. Ayurveda says that this procedure improves and strengthens the eye power. here Ghee is processed with Triphala is used for this purpose.

21) In the method of oil pulling, in place of sesame oil, cow ghee is used. This is especially useful to heal oral ulcers and to relieve burning sensation. It is indicated in Pitta imbalance oral disorders. 

22) Ayurveda has traditionally considered ghee to be the healthiest source of edible fat, with many beneficial properties. According to Ayurveda, ghee promotes longevity and protects the body from various diseases. It increases the digestive fire (agni) and improves absorption and assimilation. It nourishes ojas, the subtle essence of all the body's tissues (dhatus). It improves memory and strengthens the brain and nervous system. It lubricates the connective tissues, thereby rendering the body more flexible. 

23) Consumption of ghee imparts various health benefits such as binds toxins,enhances complexion and glow of the face and body,a great rejuvenator for the eyes, increases physical and intellectual stamina etc.  

24) Ghee is heavily utilized in Ayurveda for numerous medical applications, including the treatment of allergy, skin, and respiratory diseases. Many Ayurvedic preparations are made by cooking herbs into ghee. Ghee carries the therapeutic properties of herbs to all the body's tissues. It is an excellent anupana (vehicle) for transporting herbs to the deeper tissue layers of the body. Proper digestion, absorption, and delivery to a target organ system are crucial in obtaining the maximum benefit from any therapeutic formulation; the lipophilic action of ghee facilitates transportation to a target organ and final delivery inside the cell since the cell membrane also contains lipid.

25) ghee which is freshly formed and of bovine origin improves complexion, imparts wisdom, memory, strength, luster and nourishes the body. It helps in removing excess kapha and vata dosha, fatigue and clears the channels of the body, acts as aphrodisiac and stimulates the digestive fire. That which is obtained from buffalo’s milk is cardio tonic, improves perception, helps in treating hemorrhoids and grahani, stimulates digestive fire and is considered superior to the fresh ghee prepared from cows milk. Ghee made out of goats milk is good for eyes, stimulates the digestive fire, is strengthening and is helpful in cough, dyspnoea, rajayakshma and disorders caused due to vitiation of kapha. It is light for digestion and is slightly inferior in quality when compared to ghee made of buffalo’s milk.

Note :

• Ghee contains a fatty acid (butyrate), which developes the body’s immune system.

• It is enriched with anti-viral properties.

• It improves digestion (makes digestive system healthy).

• It helps to improve immune system(by increasing production of T-cell which fight with microbes or disease causing agent) and brain functioning.

• Ghee is an ideal fat for deep frying, because of its high smoke point

•             - It is stable fat for cooking (because, at high temperature it does not break into free radicals)

• Ghee also hleps to reduce intestinal disorders like Crohn’s disease.

• Lauric acid in ghee contains antimicrobial and antifungal property

• It is the best of all fats, is cold, madhura rasa, madhura vipaka, has 1000 potentialitie

• Enhance the taste of any food.

• Remove toxic elements from the body(acts as a detoxifying agent).
• In case of Vata Dosha increase, ghee is administered along with rock salt (Saindhava lavana) or common salt.In case of Pitta Dosha increase, ghee is administered alone, without mixing anything else.In case of Kapha Dosha increase, ghee is administered along with Trikatu churna (combination of ginger, pepper & long pepper). 

• Ghee along with milk is considered as the best anti aging and immunity modulating dietary combination. 

• Treat menstrual problems (by balancing harmone level in body).         

• It gives strength to bone, prevent tooth decay and atherosclerosis(plague formation in blood vessel due to calcium consumption along with fat)[as it is Rich in vitamin k it leads to calcium absorption in bone].

• Ghee is the best cosmetic for skin (dark spot, oiliness of skin, pimple,etc).

• In ancient times, ghee was used to  apply over the surgical suture for quick healing. 

• Ghee application over cracked lips, cracked nipples in new mothers and cracked heals softens the edges of everted skin and quickens healing.

• Ghee applied over skin relieves dryness and burning sensation.

• In case of feeling of indigestion or heaviness of stomach after ghee consumption, a warm drink or a cup of fat-less buttermilk can be consumed.

• It nourishes body tissues, suitable for people of all ages.

• It strengthens sense organs, immunity.

• It improves tone and strength of the voice.

• Cancer-fighting properties:

• Ghee contains CLA(conjugated linoleic acid) which helps to fight cancer-causing agents.

• Ghee residue is a wealthy source of fats, protein,unsaturated fatty acids and amino acids.

• Applying ghee will strengthen your hair, reduce hair fall, improve the texture and will reduce the dryness.

• According to Ayurveda, regular use of Ghee in your daily diet helps to fight against recurrent infections to increase immunity. 

 

Some ayurvedic benefits of old ghee:

1) There is no disease which cannot be cured by the ghee which is one hundred years old.
Even the look, touch and smell of this 100 years old ghee is especially useful in curing Apasmara (epilepsy), Graha (demoniac seizures) and Unmada(insanity).

2) There are 3 types of old ghee

        • 10 yr old

        • 100 yr old

        • 111yr old 

     -  it is believed that all this different types of ghee are beneficial for different types of diseases and with this it is beneficial for balancing tridosha ( vatta, kapha, pitta).

3) This old ghee is light to digest, improves digestion strength, detoxify the body, Cleanses and heals wounds.

Intake of ghee according to Doshas

1) For pitta dosha

As the ghee is very good for pitta dosha, it is not adviced to mix with anything.

2) For kapha dosha

For kapha mixing it with Trikatu Churnag( pepper and long pepper ).

3) For vata dosha

Sweet, salty and sour substances balance vata. Therefore it is taken by mixing with salt.       

                Click here to explore more about Tridosha(Vata-Kapha-Pitta)

Side effects

• Excess of ghee can cause indigestion and diarrhea.
• Consuming ghee while having cold, cough may worsen the condition
• Ghee is best avoided during jaundice, hepatitis, fatty liver changes.

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