Ghee - number 1

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(from Karta Purkh Singh Khalsa)

 

Ghee and Butter

The ancient writers of the Vedas were apparently nomads long

before they settled, along with their cows, in what we know as modern

India. They brought their affinity for, and knowledge of the use of,

milk products with them. Various cow's milk preparations are widely used

in the diet suggested for yoga practitioners. One of these, ghee, or

clarified butter, stands out.

Ghee is the best of all oily foodstuffs, and is used to cure

disturbances in fire and air. Ghee is thought to have the healing

benefits of butter, with the impurities (saturated fat, milk solids)

removed. The Susruta Samhita claims ghee is good for all parts of the

body, and it is considered the ultimate overall remedy for pitta

(inflammatory) problems, and is the medium of choice (anupan) for mixing

medicines for these conditions.

Specifically, ghee is said to promote memory, intelligence,

quantity and quality of semen, and to enhance digestion. We do know from

modern science that ghee is rich in phenolic antioxidants.

Dietary fats regulate a wide variety of T cell functions. A

1996 study in mice showed that a diet containing ghee prevented T cell

mediated contact hypersensitivity in the skin.

Ghee's benefits increase with its age. Aged ghee (up to a

hundred years) reduces all three doshas and dispels blockages in the

srotas (channels). It treats alcoholism, fever, and vaginal pain. Since

it has a special ability to clear the manovaha srota (mental channel),

it used issued for mental diseases, namely epilepsy and psychosis.

David Frawley is a prolific author and Ayurveda expert. He lauds ghee

for sexual vitality and for building nerve and brain tissue. Long a

favorite of yoga practitioners, it lubricates the connective tissues and

promotes flexibility, says Ayurvedic physician Dr. Vasant Lad.

I remember a client of mine, an extreme pitta ( " fire " ) type,

who, at age fifty, the prime of high pitta midlife, was a walking ball

of inflammation from accumulated past athletic injuries. Every joint,

every muscle was sore. He undertook to use ghee to treat his condition.

After working up to one cup (!) of ghee per day, his inflammation was

completely under control. Much to my surprise, he gained not one pound,

and his cholesterol went down, not up. Same for triglycerides.