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The milk of cows is considered to possess the essence or sap of all plants and Ghee is the essence of milk... When we consider Ghee we are in the company of superlatives. In India, Ghee has been so highly regarded for so many things, for so long, that one is slightly embarrassed to enter into this crowded river of praise.
The ingestion of Ghee is like offering the finest of fuels into the fires of digestion-Agni. In accord with this, Ghee builds the aura, makes all the organs soft, builds up the internal juices of the body-Rasa, which are destroyed by aging and increases the most refined element of digestion-Shukra or Ojas, the underlying basis of all immunity and the “essence of all bodily tissues”.
 
Ghee is known to increase intelligence, refine the intellect and improve the memory.
 
Although Ghee kindles or increases the digestive fire- Agni, on which all nutrition depends, it does so without aggravating Pitta- the elemental functioning of fire within the body.
In fact, Ghee cools the body, essential in much of today’s world in which everything is overheating.
Ghee causes secretions and liquification in the dhatus-bodily tissues that dissolve wastes allowing the functional intelligences of the body-doshas to carry away toxins-ama (also known as aam).
The ingestion of Ghee is used in Panchakarma specifically to first penetrate into and then dissolve ama in the dhatus, allowing the wastes to be then carried to the intestinal tract and then expelled.
It is traditionally considered, that the older Ghee, the better its healing qualities. 100-year-old Ghee is highly valued in India and fetches a very high price. Such Ghee was often kept in Temples in large vats and families often pass on aged Ghee to their next generation to be used as medicine.
 
Qualities of Ghee
 
Ghee is known as a substance that gives longevity… This is because it has opposite qualities (heavy, slow, oily, liquid, dense, soft), and thus pacifying effects, to the light, dry and rough qualities of Vata dosha. I
t is the increase of the qualities of Vata that are synonymous with aging.
Ghee, in a very sure and steady way, slows the aging process by balancing the living one.
Ghee has the quality of snigda, oiliness, and unctuousness. It is smooth, lubricated and nurturing. Ghee is thought to make the voice soft and melodious.
Ghee is Guru, heavy.
It increases the qualities of Kapha and decreases Pitta and Vata, which are both light.
Ghee has the quality of mrdu, softness.
In Ayurvedic Panchakarma treatments, Ghee is the oil used on the eyes.
In Netra Basti, a small dam is built around the eyes and filled with warm Ghee. Then, you open your eyes to its soothing softness. It seems after that treatment, that you see the world though a soft diaphanous curtain of love and loveliness.
 
Healing Properties of Ghee
 
In ancient India, wells full of Ghee were especially for those who suffered wounds... When a surgeon cuts open a body, he only does so knowing that the body will be able to heal itself. The surgeon cannot do this.
 
Ghee is known for the quality of healing, and its effectiveness in facilitating recovery from wounds.
 
In Ayurveda, when a person has a chronic peptic ulcer or gastritis, Ghee is used to heal that ulcer inside the intestinal tract.
 
Ghee works wondrously on bedsores for the elderly or debilitated.
It can be applied for broken bones and bruises. It is highly effective for all sorts of skin rashes. It is also used on burns of both fire and chemicals. 
Those with obesity should be very frugal in their use of Ghee and those with high ama should not take Ghee at all.
Ghee increases the overall strength, luster and beauty of the the body. 
Used on the skin, Ghee softens and strengthens, protects and nourishes.
Up until the last generation in India, there used to be men who gave Ghee massages on the street.
It was always the preferred substance for the skin, but since it was more expensive than oil it has come to be used only for internal purposes. For generations, Indians have used Ghee for cooking and as an added measure on top of their food and as a medicine.
 
In India, medicinal ghee is passed on from one generation to the next. It was used for old and young, for new babies (Mothers in India will massage their children with Ghee) and for those in the last days of their life.
It is considered it one of the best substances for self-massage-Abhyanga.
 
Many Uses of Ghee
For Body Massage-Abhyanga. Apply ghee all over the 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. Western science has discovered that massaging the skin creates endorphins or peptides, which enhance the body’s immune system. Peptides are thought to be the vehicle that the mind and body use to communicate with each other, a literal chemistry of emotion. According to the Charak Samhita, regular Abhyanga slows the aging process.
Ghee is used in Purvakarma, (early Panchakarma) where a small amount of Ghee is taken first thing in the morning by the practitioner to oleate the internal organs and “dissolve” the ama or toxic wastes in the tissues, allowing them to be carried to the digestive tract for elimination.
Ghee is used as a carrier for herbs and bhasmas because of its supreme penetrating qualities and thus ability to carry these substances deep into the dhatus or tissues.
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.
Ghee is excellent for cooking and sautéing or stir-frying. Ghee has one of the highest flash points of all oils and is very difficult to burn. In India, it is said that food is incomplete without the use of Ghee.
Ghee is excellent for a gargle-gandush, 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
Making Ghee.....
 
Once you have obtained your butter, you heat it in a stainless steel or enamel pot, bringing it to a boil. I believe that it is best to make your Ghee in stainless steel heavy pots, rather than aluminum because of the toxicity.
 
It is best even to avoid thin stainless steel.
 
This is because a heavier pot will distribute the heat of the fire more evenly, surrounding the Ghee. Always try to use real fire rather than an electric range (This is again in the realm of subtlety and sattva that I referred to earlier).
 
There is a quality of Agni that lends itself and pervades a substance cooked on flame that is not there when cooked on electricity. 
 
It is very clear to me that it is most important to create and enjoy a beautiful and positive environment when you are making Ghee. This subtle recommendation is perfectly in line with cooking Ghee on an open fire- “it makes a difference”.
 
Once the Ghee begins to boil, turn it down to the lowest flame at which it will continue to boil. As it boils, moisture evaporates off it and it will begin to “clarify”- the butter will turn from cloudy yellowish liquid to a more golden color. Whitish cloudy milk solids will rise to the top and sink to the bottom. Do not stir it. After an hour and half to several hours, depending on the amount and the size of the pot and the amount of  Ghee compared to the flame, your Ghee will be ready.
The moment Ghee is “ready” is very critical.
If you cook the Ghee too little, you will be left with moisture in the Ghee and it will lack the exquisite taste and qualities that it can develop, also, it will tend to spoil or sour. If you cook it too much, it will burn and impart a certain nutty flavor to the Ghee. This does not ruin the Ghee at all, but it is to be noticed, so that over time you can capture the “perfect” Ghee to be experienced between these two “extremes”.
 
After the Ghee is done, you skim off the top light crust of whitish milk solids. These and the heavier ones at the bottom of the pot are traditionally used to make sweets. Children in India love them and always plead with their Mothers to have the leftovers when Ghee is made.
 
Then, you pour the golden, sweet-smelling liquid through layered cheesecloth- to catch any last impurities into a bottle, leaving the slightly burned milk solids (caramelized lactose) on the bottom of the pot you cooked it in (Ghee has no lactose or milk sugars in it). Be sure to not close the glass jar into which you pour the hot Ghee until it comes to room temperature. The reason for this is that there should not be any moisture from condensation that may form on the inside of the jar. It is moisture that spoils Ghee, allowing a mold to grow and causing it to go bad. This is the reason that you always use a clean and dry spoon to take your Ghee out of its container. It is also a reason not to refrigerate your Ghee. One, because it is not necessary and two, it causes condensation to form inside the jar as you take it in and out of the refrigerator.
 
Time and Season
 
It is best to make Ghee on the waxing fortnights of the moon as the moon represents the Mother and nurturing and all the best qualities of milk and butter are energized at this time. Regarding time and season, the quality of Ghee will change as the time of year and the diet of the cows change. Not all milk cows in America are given green pastures to graze on.
The making of Ghee is a very beautiful and peaceful experience.
 
The sound of softly boiling butter, the pouring of the thick golden liquid into bottles; this wonderful smell permeates the space.
Enjoy this wonderful nectar!

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Comentario por +AYURVEDA el marzo 30, 2011 a las 5:15pm

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