Ghee promotes longevity and supports healing.
The amount of praise to ghee in Ayurveda is immeasurable. Ghee is revered because it is stable, cooling, deeply penetrating, anti-inflammatory, and is a digestive. Ghee promotes longevity and supports healing by carrying nutrition into the deeper tissues, and by removing toxins from the deeper tissues.
Ghee is the superfine, nutrient-dense essence of milk, containing all of the micronutrients and antioxidants of butter without the difficult-to-digest milk protein and lactose. Because of this, many lactose-intolerant individuals can digest ghee without issue. It kindles the digestive fire without aggravating pitta dosha. It cools and lubricates the stomach wall and also flushes the bile ducts, supporting the liver in detoxification. It benefits gut health, thus improving the absorption and assimilation of vitamins and minerals.
Ghee also calms and rejuvenates the brain, eyes, and nervous system. It increases physical and mental stamina, and supports learning and memory. Through supporting the nervous system, it plays a role in balancing hormones. Ghee lubricates connective tissue and makes the body flexible. It makes a wonderful body oil for massage and can serve as a base for herbal ointments for burns, and skin rashes. It nourishes ojas, tejas and prana, and enhances one’s complexion and glow.
Ghee is a yogavahi—a catalytic agent that carries the medicinal properties of herbs into the seven dhatus or tissues of the body. It pacifies pitta and vata and is acceptable, in moderation, for kapha. Persons who already have high cholesterol or suffer from obesity should be cautious in using ghee. Ghee is not to be used when there are high ama (toxic) conditions.
Ghee can be used in place of butter and is an ideal cooking oil, as it does not burn unless heated excessively (above 485 °F). Nowadays you can purchase ghee at many health food stores, but it’s easy and cost-effective to make it at home.
Homemade Ghee
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Ingredients
1 pound organic, grass-fed, unsalted cultured butter
Also needed: fine sieve, layers of cheesecloth, and a clean, dry quart jar for storing
Instructions
Put the butter in a heavy, medium-sized pan. Turn the heat on to medium until the butter melts.
Turn down the heat until the butter just boils and continue to cook at this heat. Do not cover the pot. The butter will foam and sputter while it cooks. Whitish curds will begin to form on the bottom of the pot. The butter will begin to smell like popcorn after a while and turn a lovely golden color. Keep a close watch on the ghee, as it can easily burn.
After a while the butter will become a clear, golden color. You will have to take a clean, dry spoon to move away some of the foam on top in order to see if the ghee is clear all the way through to the bottom. When it is clear and has stopped sputtering and making noise, then it needs to be taken off the heat.
Let it cool until just warm.
Pour it through a fine sieve or layers of cheesecloth into a clean, dry glass container with a tight lid. Discard the curds at the bottom of the saucepan. The ghee is burned if it has a nutty smell and is slightly brown.
1 pound of butter takes 15-30 minutes of cooking time. The more butter you are using, the more time it will take.
Ghee can be kept on the kitchen shelf, covered. It does not need refrigeration. The medicinal properties are said to improve with age. Don’t ladle out the ghee with a wet spoon or allow any water to get into the container, as this will create conditions for bacteria to grow and spoil the ghee.
Two pounds of butter will fill a quart jar with ghee.