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Ghee, also known as ‘the royal oil,’ begins as butter and is rendered dairy-free through the cooking process when the lactose, salt, impurities, whey, and casein fall to the bottom as sediment.
Because ghee is treated with low heat, usually under 100 degrees, it retains more nutrients than standard clarified butter. Beyond spiritual and medicinal properties, ghee is also believed to be a healthier alternative to standard butter. Here are just a few of the amazing benefits of ghee.
The properties of ghee also make it an excellent pacifier of aggravated air/space elements (vata) and fire (pitta) doshas. For example, ghee aids in eliminating waste products because it has both a laxative and diuretic effect on the body.
Its oily nature helps to ensure the downward flow of energy for elimination, keeps the intestines lubricated, alleviates hardness in bowels, and reduces flatulence and bloating.
Ghee also
Ayurvedic recipes use ingredients that work well together. Adding ghee to incompatible substances can aid in mitigating the negative effects that incompatible substances would have.
Additionally, ghee
In this age of “fatphobia,” Ayurveda’s views can appear contradictory, but ghee has been used for millennia in diets without any reported adverse effects on health.
One must scrutinize ghee through the modern scientific lens to look for the rationale for its recommendation from birth to death. All fats, especially saturated fats, have been widely vilified by modern health authorities. This can be traced back to the Lipid Hypothesis of the 1950s, which stated that heart disease was due to high intakes of saturated fats. It suggested that favoring polyunsaturated fats would improve health, though growing evidence suggests the Lipid Hypothesis was wrong.
Read the full abstract of the Lipid Hypothesis of the 1950s.
Most of the earlier studies focused on cholesterol levels as an indicator of CVD risk, but recent studies indicate that the more specific culprit is oxidized low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL), which leads to atherosclerosis.
“Most researchers today consider that a high intake of saturated fat and elevated LDL cholesterol is the most important causes of atherosclerosis and coronary heart disease. The lipid hypothesis has dominated cardiovascular research and prevention for almost half a century, although the number of contradictory studies may exceed those that are supportive. The harmful influence of a campaign that ignores much of the science extends to medical research, health care, food production, and human life. There is an urgent need to draw attention to the most striking contradictions, many of which may be unknown to most doctors and researchers.”
In addition to the issue of whether ghee contains harmful types of cholesterol or not, its fatty acid content is also important. Its saturated fat is primarily (89%) short-chain fatty acids, compared with longer chains in other animal fats, such as beef fat. The longer-chain fatty acids are associated with blood clotting and thrombosis.
Short chains are easier to digest and help hormone production and the strengthening of cell membranes. They also have antimicrobial properties, protecting against harmful micro-organisms in the digestive tract.
Beyond there being no clear evidence linking ghee with CVD, it seems that it may even help prevent it. Studies have shown that ghee can lower serum cholesterol levels. This is thought to be due to ghee increasing the secretion of biliary lipids, an important route for the excretion of excess cholesterol.
Much earlier research into saturated fats failed to differentiate between true saturated fats (such as butter and ghee) and synthetically generated “trans” saturated fatty acids. Most fats naturally occur in the “cis” form, which matches fat receptors in each cell. Modern processing (heating, hydrogenation, bleaching, deodorizing) turns “cis” fats into “trans” fats that no longer fit. Instead, they disrupt cellular metabolism.
“Trans” fats have been linked with CVD and many other health problems.
As well as saturated fats, ghee consists of 25% monounsaturated fat which is also found in olive oil. Ghee has the same effects as olive oil, such as its ability to clear and clean the bile ducts of the gallbladder and liver. However, ghee also works on all the channels and ducts of the body. Ghee has a relatively low 5% polyunsaturated fat (also found in sesame, sunflower, and groundnut oil).
Monounsaturated fats are generally considered to be a healthful form of fat consumed in moderation.
Ghee is an ideal cooking fat as it is predominantly saturated. All such fats are deemed superior to polyunsaturated fats for frying as they stand up better to high heat than most oils. Ghee’s smoke point (due to the removal of water and protein) makes it a better choice for cooking compared to butter. The smoke point determines when oil burns, generating oxidation of free radicals. Ghee has the highest smoke point of any oil.
Ghee’s low moisture content and inherent anti-oxidative properties also make it very desirable, as its shelf life is long and does not require refrigeration.
In fact, the benefits of ghee increase with age.
Not only does ghee appear to lower serum cholesterol levels, but it also contains anti-oxidants (Vitamins A and E) which prevent free radical damage. Within the body, Vitamins A and E are only bio-available when taken with fats.
Other than ghee, only one other edible fat contains Vitamin A in the form of fish oil, making ghee an ideal delivery vehicle, especially for lacto-vegetarians.
It serves to take anti-oxidants to cell membranes and cell structures made of fat, protecting against free radical damage.
Ghee contains linoleic acid, an Omega-6 oil, and alpha-linoleic acid, an OMEGA-3 EFA.
Both are also found in another nectar-like substance, breast milk. EFAs are only used for energy if present in excess and generally play the role of stimulating metabolism.
Correlations with ghee’s effects of increasing digestive fire are of great interest in this regard.
Despite their benefits, there are dangers associated with eating the wrong ratio of Omega-6 to Omega-3. These include CVD, mental disorders (attention deficit disorder, depression, multiple sclerosis, and schizophrenia), and inflammatory diseases. Most of us eat more Omega-6 than Omega-3, but ghee provides both in an ideal ratio of 1:1. (*although human breast milk contains cholesterol, its EFA content keeps it from oxidizing and damaging arteries.)
Ayurvedic wisdom is unequivocal that ghee is an important part of a healthy diet. However, being a science of individualization, even food as wholesome and nourishing as ghee is not always considered healthy. It is contraindicated with excess earth and water elements (kapha dosha) and so should be used sparingly by the overweight. One should also alter intake throughout changes in one’s life and according to the seasons.
Ultimately, ghee can be viewed as a healthy saturated fat that contributes to promoting healthy cell membranes, strong bones, and enhancement of immunity. Most fundamentally, ghee’s role of increasing digestive fire (agni) ensures it has a central role in the process of life and the ability to provide freedom from suffering.
The Charaka Samhita (Sutrasthanam 27;232) says, “ghee is the best fat to eat.” The Shushruta Samhita (Kalpasthanam) says that ghee is “good for coronary arteries.”
Shushruta Samhita Kalpasthanam: Bhava Mishra (Bhavaprakash) says that ghee
Modern research shows that fat-rich foods like ghee
Your homemade ghee is ready for use!
References for this article include Light on Ayurveda Journal.
