Ghee - The Golden Healer

By Rippan Sandhu

What is ghee?
In Ayurveda, ghee—especially when made from local, grass-fed, organic, unsalted butter—is the purest essence of the earth element.

Also known and clarified butter, traditionally, this glob of golden goodness is prepared by boiling cow’s milk to extract butter. This butter is then clarified by boiling it on low it for a long duration of time. Essentially, ghee can be used in place of butter or even cooking oil and in Ayurveda is known to have endless benefits.

Benefits of Ghee
• Self Massage: Apply ghee all over your body, rubbing into head, chest, limbs, joints and orifices. This will bypass the digestive system and allow the qualities of Ghee to penetrate directly into the deeper tissues. It is said that 60% of what is placed on the skin is absorbed into the body. We literally “eat” what we put on our skin. If you haven’t tried self massage before let us know next time you come in and we’ll show you.

• One or two teaspoons first thing in the morning followed immediately with hot water will promptly produce a bowel movement. It will also warm the body quickly. Two spoonfuls of Ghee in warm (non-homogenized) milk before bedtime is soothing to the nerves and lubricates the intestines and facilitates a bowel movement in the morning.

• In India, it is said that food is incomplete without the use of Ghee. Keep reading and we’ll give you some tips on using Ghee in your kitchen.

• Ghee is excellent for a gargle, to improve the health of the teeth and gums.

• Ghee can be used as a bath oil. Take two tablespoons of Ghee and mix with several drops of an essential oil of your choice.

• Ghee is excellent for scrapes and both chemical and heat or fire burns. Ghee can be used in the eyes for tiredness or fatigue.

• Ghee is an exquisite facial moisturizer.

• In India it is said that if a few drops of ghee are placed in the nostrils then nosebleed can be checked. If this is done twice in a day, then headache can be relieved.

YOU can make Ghee at home
Worried it might take you forever to make ghee? Well, it’s actually pretty easy to make ghee at home; here’s a quick and easy recipe to follow:

Ingredients:
2 cups unsalted butter

Method:
- Put the butter in a heavy, medium-sized pot or a pan.
- Turn the heat on to medium until all the butter melts.
- Once melted, turn down the heat until the butter just boils and continue to cook at this heat. Do not cover the pot.
After a while it will become a clear, golden colour. 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.

2 cups of butter takes about 15 minutes of cooking time. The more butter you are using, the more time it will take.

Using Ghee
Once you start using Ghee in the kitchen you’ll soon wonder how you did life before Ghee! Along with coconut oil and butter it’s one of the safest oils to cook with and has a high smoke point, thus it doesn’t create carcinogenic free radicals when bought to a high heat.

Try these and let us know how you get on! (link to email):

- Spread on your toast as a healthy alternative to butter or margarine
- Add a teaspoon to hot cereal
- Melt over steamed vegetables, potatoes or rice
- Saute’ your spices in ghee before adding to soups, stews and kitchari

And of course if you happen to burn yourself while in the kitchen, because Ghee has a cooling property to soothe and heal it’s a terrific and natural remedy for burns.

Remember, if you have any questions about Ghee we are always happy to answer them. Like Turmeric, Ghee introduced into your life is a natural and very cost effective way to help you be the healthiest and most beautiful you that you have the potential to be. And that’s what we’re about!