liquid gold-- gheeeeeeee

Ghee's Personality:  soft, nourishing, satisfying, protecting, balancing, cleansing, sweet, cooling yet increases digestion.
 
In my Ubud Bali travels I stumbled across gold....  two events led me to this little pot of liquid gold.... Firstly a friend in India at the moment is having ghee treatment for his long standing peptic ulcer/reflux at an Ayurvedic hospital.  Secondly for my treatment for my irritable bowel I found Ghee in the Vatha Diet left my stomach feeling nourished and calm and this is to be experienced (i.e try it for your self) My stomach felt literally coated....and protected....so this got me thinking how come ghee, which is derived from dairy (which often doesnt agree with people nutrionally),  feels and tastes SOOOOOO good!

Ghee is a smooth fat with a high flash point.  Most of the protein component of the fat has been taken out so that is why it is so easy to digest for those especially with poor or immature digestive systems ( esp those with irritable bowel).

As a tribute to Ayurvedic knowledge I will use some of the language in brackets. Ghee is neutral/balancing for Pitta Types and calming/balancing for Vatha Types (Vatha and Pitha are different Ayurvedic profile types, there are three including Kapha). From my reading....

The Short:

1. Ghee helps to dissolve and take away toxins-"ama' from the digestive tract and helps to increase "Agni"- the digestive ability of the digestive system.

2.  Is used on wounds to heal and infact softens the skin which reduced scaring. It is also used as a massage oil and a facial moisturizer with a high % being absorbed. Babies are massaged with this fat.  Some say it works for psoriasis too.

3.  Reduces Acidity 

4.  Applied topically helps with dry or fatigued eyes

5.  Improves memory and brain function.

6.  Relaxes muscle tightness.

7.  Improves semen quality

8.  Treats mouth and tongue ulcers

9.  For constipation : take one table spoon followed by one warm glass of water in the morning or place the ghee in a warm drink in the evening.

10. In pregnancy its great for constipation and for softening the muscles for delivery.

11. Increases immunity by increasing "ojas" (sanskrit word for vigor)

The number above explains why Ghee was considered liquid gold in India due to all its medicinal qualities- the older the Ghee the more valuable, vats of Ghee were passed down through generations and were worth a lot of money. 

Make your own Ghee...

"Place 1 to 2 pounds of butter in a saucepan on low heat. Melt until white curds separate and sink to the bottom. When a drop of water flicked into the pan boils immediately, the ghee is done. Discard the curds and store in a jar. If kept out of contact with water, ghee needs no refrigeration. Take 2 teaspoons per day as a supplement, or simply use ghee in your cooking". (Yoga-Journal) . For pics see Blog post.

For those who want to research more the amount of Ghee is actually modified according to the seasons.

My respect for Ancient medical traditions and the wisdom around them continues to expand exponentially as I see the effects in my own body and in those around me.....  I can hear my mother's "i told you so" loud in my head! What I am beginning to love about Ayurveda is that it is enjoyable healing through whole foods.

And remember

1. Too much of a good thing is never good.... it is still a fat! Especially for those Kapha Types (Ayurvedic Profile Types) please be mindful of moderation.

2. As one rather interesting Ubud Ayurvedic Practitioner pointed out to me one evening in Ubud,  according to Ayurvedic Principles of Wellbeing only one degree of separation is allowed between your food and you. While its impractical for most of us to have cows in our back yard.... for the benefits of ghee to occur make sure you know the source: are the animals treated well and fed nutritiously?...is it high quality?


Resources

Amritaveda
AyruvedaToronto
Ayurhelp
Yogajournal
AyurvedicYogi