Ghee – Health Benefits, Side Effects, Uses

Ghee, also known as clarified butter is a common kitchen ingredient found in every Indian home. Usage of Ghee in food doesn’t only enhance the flavour of the food but has colossal amounts of benefits to our health. This might be the reason why Ghee is called the Golden Elixir. 

Ayurveda gives the utmost priority to Ghee in the list of oily foods for its numerous healing properties and benefits for humans. The goodness and health benefits of desi cow ghee are obtained only when it is prepared according to the Vedic method. 

The traditional Vedic process of obtaining by hand churning of curd to obtain butter and the obtained butter is heated on a slow flame to remove all the impurities in order to get Ghee/Clarified Butter with only saturated fats and milk solids. 

But there are also contemporary ways of preparing Ghee from milk cream which is an easy method that is usually done through machines. Ghee obtained from the modern methods will lose its medicinal properties mentioned in Ayurveda.

Read our blog Why The Pure Desi Cow Milk Ghee Is Costlier Than Normal Ghee?

Desi Cow Ghee helps to loosen up and liquefy toxins and pacify humour (doshas) in the skin and blood (called the outer disease pathway). Ghee helps to carry the healing benefits of many herbs, species, and other foods to the deep cells and tissues of the body. 

It opens the small channels for dislodging and removing heavy toxins. Thus, toxins begin to drain from deeper tissues and start to flow in the gastrointestinal tract for elimination. It also lubricates and wet the membranes and tissues. It protects the tissues from damage, helps in the proper flow of waste and toxic substances from the body. 

People with strong digestive power can use more desi ghee than those with a weak digestive system. According to Ayurveda, the colon is related to all other organs and tissues. When the colon becomes cleansed and toned successfully, the entire body receives healing and rejuvenation. The colon is the main organ through which the body absorbs nutrients thus, a proper functioning colon is imperative for efficient assimilation of nutrients.

Cow ghee promotes memory, intellect, power of digestion, semen, ojas, kapha and fat :

• It alleviates Vata, Pitta
• Visha- Toxic conditions
• Unmada – insanity
• Shosha- emaciation
• Alakshmihara – it is auspicious

It is the best of all the unctuous substances. Cold in potency and sweet both in taste as well as Vipaka. When administered according to the prescribed procedure, it increases, a thousand times in potency and develops manifold utilities.

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Benefits of  Cow Ghee according to Ayurveda

In Ayurveda ghee is a foundational ingredient, it imparts the benefits of the best essential fatty acids without the problems of oxidized cholesterol, trans-fatty acids or hydrogenated fats. It is also resistant to free radical damage and is free of both salt and lactose. 

Desi ghee contains butyric acid, a fatty acid with antiviral and anti-cancer properties. Ayurveda considers cow desi ghee as the ultimate cooking oil, with diverse mind/body benefits listed in the ancient texts.

Absorption: Ghee is a liquid form of butter that can bond with lipid-soluble nutrients and herbs to penetrate the lipid-based cell walls of the body. Thus, it increases the potency of certain herbs by carrying the active components to the interior of the cells, which helps to increase marrow, semen & ojas (immunity).

Preservative: Desi ghee contains no water, so it does not spoil easily and hence preserves the original freshness and potency of herbs and foods. Therefore, no refrigeration is required for ghee. It is an ancient ayurvedic and folk assumption that as ghee becomes aged, though its taste becomes slightly bitter its effectiveness and healing properties increase. In many ayurvedic classical formulations, 5 to 10 years older desi ghee is highly recommended.

Digestion: The ayurvedic texts say that desi ghee lubricates the digestive system and improves the digestive power because it helps enhance digestion without irritating the stomach and balance the stomach acids to maintain and repair the mucus lining of the stomach. Ghee helps proper digestion and nutrient assimilation. People who are lactose intolerant can generally consume desi ghee.

Mental Health: Ghee is said to promote all three aspects of mental functioning: learning, memory and recall. The traditional texts also designate desi ghee a medhya rasayana,(Healthy and balanced fat in the body), beneficial for mental alertness and memory. It supports healthy vision, intelligence, voice, and brain function.

Other Benefits of Cow Ghee

1. Pure desi ghee enhances the quantity and quality of semen and ovum also referred to as Ojas, our immunity (the master coordinator of mind and body).
2. Pure desi ghee has been given the cherished title of “Rasayana” in Ayurveda pre-eminent herbs and foods that help overall health, longevity, and well-being.
3. Desi cow ghee is highly recommended for people having problems with piles, fissure, and fistula.
4. Desi ghee is well known as an anti-ageing ingredient.
5. Cow ghee helps the equal distribution of fats in the body.

Usage of Desi Cow Ghee

From aiding digestion to glowing skin desi cow ghee has been used as a perfect remedy. Usage of desi cow ghee is not limited to flavoring food and making it healthy. 

1. Desi Ghee has been used for body and hair massage for ages. If you are an Indian you are using ghee since your birth. Many Ayurvedic Panchakarma therapies use ghee as oil.
2. There are lots of benefits of putting ghee on the navel. like if you apply desi ghee on navel at the time of bed :
   • it will help you with stomach discomfort.
   • Cure chapped lips and make them smooth and pink
   • It is also useful in joint pain – relief.
   • It is also said that – use of ghee at navel will help you cure pimples and lighten their dark-spots on face skin.

3. A research-based on Ayurvedic practices found that the mixture of honey and ghee, used with a gauze dressing, effectively addressed certain types of wounds. Ghee is free of water and, in Ayurvedic medicine, noted to have healing properties; the pH of honey is slightly acidic and osmotic. Pure ghee helps the honey maintain its bacteriostatic, anti-microbial, healing & pain-relieving benefits and acts as a carrier for them.
4. The fatty acids in desi cow ghee allow the cuticle to break down and be moisturized at the same time. Dab a layer of desi ghee on your cuticles and rest your hands for 10 to 20 minutes. Then soak your hands in warm water with a pinch of salt and your cuticles will practically dissolve. Simply push them back and polish.
5. Desi ghee is extremely powerful for soft and supple skin especially if it is made out of desi cow’s milk. The fatty acids present in ghee helps in hydrating the skin cells and thus promotes clear and bright skin from within. So without hesitating, you can apply ghee to your face by creating an effective natural DIY face mask. 
   
   Mix 2 spoons of desi ghee with 2 spoons of Haldi or besan and stir the mixture with a small amount of water to bring it in a paste consistency. Apply this on your face and neck for 20 minutes and you will see the difference from the very first application itself.

6. As the weather changes, most of us experience cold followed by a clogged nose, headache, sensitive taste senses, exhaustion and the most annoying of all is the difficulty in breathing. These days, people prefer taking nasal drops and sprays to open up their clogged noses. 
   
   But, Ayurveda has a remedy called ‘Nyasa Treatment’ that highlights one of the medicinal uses of ghee – unclogs the nose naturally. Pouring a few drops of warm cow ghee into the nostrils provides quick relief from the cold and also soothes the infection.

7. In Ayurveda, the use of cow ghee is known to promote good health, positivity and personal growth. Ghee is enriched with fat-soluble vitamins A, D, E, K, K2, and CLA. It has a fatty acid profile and thus gets quickly digested. Together, they get easily absorbed by the body and converts easily into energy that lasts all day long. Just take a spoon full of desi ghee and melt it on a stove and consume it daily in the morning.

Other Desi Cow Ghee usages are :

• Desi Ghee used for weight loss and weight gain both
• Desi Ghee is useful to improve the quality of Shukra Datu ( male and female reproductive system)
• For people suffering from extremely dry skin, dry voice and overall dryness of body, in seasons like winter, ghee along with milk helps to relieve dryness.
• Ghee is advised for a lactating mother. It is believed to add nourishing qualities to breast milk and to fortify milk with nourishing qualities.
• Half a cup of ghee with a teaspoon of turmeric powder and 2 teaspoons of neem – this paste is applied locally for quick healing of wounds and abscesses.
• The term ojas is used to represent immunity. Ghee is one of the essential dietary ingredients to improve Ojas.

Ghee side effects and contraindication :

Ghee is best avoided during jaundice, hepatitis, fatty liver changes. Excess ghee can cause indigestion and diarrhoea. Consuming ghee while having a cold, cough may worsen the condition in a few – during fever, during Ama. 

Unmixed ghee should not be taken in the event of the domination of Pitta specially when Pitta is associated with Ama. Ghee taken in this condition brings about paleness (Jaundice ) in the body and may prove to be fatal by impairing the consciousness. Avoid ghee when the pregnant mother is suffering from cold or indigestion. 

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. Desi ghee from grass-fed cow’s milk and if taken in moderate quantity, have lots of benefits. Like any other ingredient, if we overdose the same, it can have a reverse effect on our health.

FAQ on Desi Ghee