What is Ghee and why is it so good for you?
Ghee in Ayurveda
Ghee is one of my favourite Ayurvedic products. Ayurveda considers Ghee as the most vital form of dairy and as a very important medicine. Ghee is very suitable for all kinds of food preparation and is beneficial for physical and mental health.
What is Ghee?
Ghee is pure butterfat made from unsalted butter. By cooking the butter, the butterfat and the part that contains the milk solids can be separated from each other. This results in clarified butter. When this clarified butter is cooked, the water content evaporates and what remains is the Ghee.
Ayurvedic use of Ghee
- In the kitchen. Ghee is very suitable to cook, bake, and stir-fry any kind of dish. Ghee has a high melting point, so there’s a small chance the food burns. It is also delicious as a replacement for butter on bread or toast.
- As a medicine. Ghee can penetrate deep into the tissues, making it a very suitable ‘vehicle’ for taking medicines like herbs. Herbs can be cooked in the Ghee, so that it becomes a herbal Ghee.
- Nourishment from within. Ghee is also associated with the element ‘love’ in the body. Ghee is very often used for various Ayurvedic therapies to nourish the tissues, both internally as wel as externally. Taking Ghee for a certain period will make the skin feel smooth and soft.
- Mental health. Ghee can nourish the brain tissue. Ayurvedic texts say that Ghee is beneficial for intelligence and memory, and that it improves trust. Feeling stressed? Take Ghee! 🙂
- Digestive health. Ghee can contribute in a healthy digestive system, because it promotes absorption and assimilation of nutrients in the body, and can help against constipation.
Ghee is for everyone
Ghee is very suitable for everyone and can help in many kinds of issues. Especially those who have issues with dryness like dry skin or hair, stiffness in the muscles and joints, or those who feel a lot of heat in the body. Ghee is nourishing on both mental and physical levels and has a stabilising and grounding effect without making you feel heavy or dull. Ghee is also beneficial for the digestive system, lubricating the digestive tract.
How I use Ghee
Ghee plays an important part in my daily life. I cook everything with Ghee and add it to every meal, because it gives a good taste to my food.
I have been taking a spoon of Ghee in the morning on an empty stomach for more than a year, and I have experienced that it has improved my digestion, and made my skin and hair more shiny, strong and nourished. It has also made my joints more flexible and less cracking and popping. And, most important, on a mental level I experience more calmness and less stress and chaos.
References
V. Lad (2002). Textbook of Ayurveda Volume 1. The Ayurvedic Press, Albuquerque
V. Lad (2012). Textbook of Ayurveda Volume 3. The Ayurvedic Press, Albuquerque
M. Tiwari (1995). Secrets of Ayurveda Healing. Motilala Banarsidass Publishers Private Ltd, Delhi, India