The universality of Ayurvedic medicine is corroborated by the repetition of basic facts by a multitude of sources. One such fact is that clarified butter, or ‘ghee’, is an extremely healthy oil and promotes a wide range of health benefits.

According to Karta Purkh singh Khalsa in his book, co-authored with Michael Tierra, The Way of Ayurvedic Herbs: A Contemporary Introduction and Useful Manual for the World's Oldest Healing System...

“Ghee is the best of all oily foodstuffs, and is used to cure disturbances in pitta and vata. 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 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…….

…..Ghee is also used externally. Ayurvedic beauty consultant Pratima Raichur suggests it as a massage base to benefit sensitive skin. Ayurveda is known for recommending ghee, sometimes mixed with honey, as an application for wounds, inflammation, and blisters. A special preparation, hundred-times-washed-ghee, is applied topically for wound healing, and to calm pitta.”

In his book, Ayurveda: A Practical Guide: The Science of Self Healing, Dr. Vasant Lad corroborates these beneficial properties of ghee and goes on to add the following:

“Ghee relieves chronic fever, anemia and blood disorders and is useful for detoxification. It does not increase cholesterol as do many other oils and it has anti-vata, anti-pitta, and anti-kapha properties. Thus it aids in the balancing of the tridosha. Ghee promotes the healing of wounds and alleviates peptic ulcer and colitis. In good generally for the eyes, nose and skin."

I highly recommend the two books mentioned in this article, The Way of Ayurvedic Herbs: A Contemporary Introduction and Useful Manual for the World's Oldest Healing System, for its incredibly thorough break down of all things herbal (book includes Ayurvedic material medica), and Ayurveda: A Practical Guide: The Science of Self Healing due to it’s concise and practical daily use format. Both books are published by Lotus Press.  

Here is another basic instructional video from Dr. Helen Thomas as ghee is prepared step by step. One note…I do personally strain the ghee through either cheesecloth or some other loosely woven cotton fabric to be sure to remove all the residual milk solids. I also strongly recommend storing in a glass container rather than plastic.

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