The Health Benefits of Cooking with Ghee

Known in the West as “clarified butter”, ghee has a long history as a staple of Indian cooking and medicine. According to the Bhavaprakasha 6.18.1, an ancient 16th Century Ayurvedic text, “Ghee is sweet in taste and cooling in energy, rejuvenating, good for the eyes and vision, kindles digestion, bestows luster and beauty, enhances memory and stamina, increases intellect, promotes longevity, is an aphrodisiac and protects the body from various diseases.”

With its delicious buttery flavor ghee can be used in place of butter or other oils in cooking. Traditionally, ghee is made by slowly melting butter over a low heat. This creates three separate layers, a watery layer that is the first to be skimmed off, than the milk solids are removed leaving a deep golden colored saturated butterfat. This golden liquid contains conjugated linolenic acid, which is known to aid the body in weight loss and helps to lubricate the body’s connective tissues. Because it is so rich in antioxidants and lacking in milk solids, ghee does not have to be refrigerated, which makes it great for travel and for use in herbal medicines.

Ayurveda uses ghee both internally and externally as a massage oil in treatment for dryness, arthritis, and to loosen toxins from the fatty tissues. The Ayurvedic detoxification program, Panchakarma, recommends eating ghee with meals, along with daily massage treatments to help bring the toxins out of the tissues and out to the surface. Since the body excretes mostly water soluble chemicals the ghee works to dissolve the lipid soluble toxins for elimination through the digestive tract.

1 of 3

Disclaimer: The views expressed above are solely those of the author and may not reflect those of
Care2, Inc., its employees or advertisers.

Janet C.

4:09PM PDT on Apr 9, 2012

In Ayurveda ghee is one of the foods that can be converted most easily into "Ojas" along with milk, honey and rice. Ojas is the substance that is the basis of our immunity and helps the physiology to run in a smooth, effortless and friction-less manner. Alcohol and anger destroy Ojas in the physiology.

send a green star

Marie S.

8:10PM PDT on Mar 31, 2012

thank-you, for sharing this

Tav T.

6:21PM PST on Mar 10, 2012

ghee can also be very unhealthy if you eat it alot.. because it is very fattening

Gabriella B.

7:53PM PST on Feb 17, 2012

Thank you, was very happy to read this. Ayurveda has saved my life already and I have been reading Dr. Lad's "Textbook of Ayurvedic Medicine" which is very enlightening. Ayurveda is the most sensible approach to staying healthy.

Marthe B.

8:31PM PST on Feb 14, 2012

Hello:)thanks for the post,i nevertheless wonder how it could be useful and healthy as saturated fat is so unhealthy,to me olive oil would be much better:)or grapeseed oil or sesameseed oil or...vegetable oil :)

andrew h.

9:13AM PST on Feb 6, 2012

thanks

another way to use ghee is externally for eyes (on temples) - video showig it here (plus marma shakti points (like EFT) for eye improvement too (it may help a bit)

google "SECRET for HEALTHY EYES with Ancient Secrets Revealed by Dr Pankaj Naram" for quite short video on it

Peter M.

2:31PM PST on Jan 27, 2012

thanks

Nina A.

7:59AM PST on Jan 24, 2012

Interesting.

6:12AM PST on Jan 14, 2012

Jose Ramon F.

7:12AM PST on Dec 26, 2011

Well, it's still 100% saturated fat, so I wouldn't recommend it for people with cholesterol problems (like me).