Ghee: The Golden Butter of Ayurveda

Making ghee yourself is neither difficult nor complicated, but it does take time.

A long, gradual simmering process is necessary to release the sweet, nutty aroma of the melted butter. Once the water has completely evaporated and the solid components have dissolved and are floating on the surface, the clear, amber-coloured ghee is all that remains.

1 – 5 kg unsalted organic butter

First, bring the butter to a simmer in a large, heavy saucepan over medium heat. Once the surface of the butter is covered with white foam, reduce the heat to low and allow to simmer uncovered, occasionally skimming the solid components from the surface. The ghee should under no circumstances be allowed to burn. If it overheats or simmers for too long, it will take on a dark colour and a pungent smell. Finally, strain the ghee through a cheesecloth, a cotton nappy, or a coffee filter.

The preparation time for ghee depends on the quantity. The finished ghee should be golden and clear enough that you can clearly see the bottom of the pot. Carefully pour the ghee into a jug or pitcher and allow it to cool uncovered to room temperature. The milk solids skimmed from the surface and the residue remaining at the bottom of the pot can be mixed into vegetable dishes, soups, and grains.

Ghee that has been prepared according to instructions and stored in a sealed container in a cool, dry place will keep for months. Pure ghee is free of protein and waste products.

Ghee is an indispensable part of traditional Indian Ayurvedic medicine owing to its purifying healing properties. For example, it is able to bind fat-soluble environmental toxins in the body for elimination.

Ghee is particularly used during Hindu rituals in honour of God.

Ghee stimulates the digestive fire (Agni) and vitality! In terms of quality, ghee is closest to breast milk. Its molecular structure resembles that of our brain matter.

In modern textbooks as well as in the ancient Vedas, organic milk is praised as a miracle food, as it contains all the nutrients needed for good health. The Vedic scriptures add that organic milk promotes the formation of the fine brain cells required to understand God's consciousness. In Vedic times, many yogis lived on organic milk alone, which was available in such abundance that householders distributed it free of charge. Since organic milk nourishes humans both physically and spiritually, it was considered in Vedic culture to be the most important food, indispensable for a civilized society.

The significance of organic milk points to how important it is to protect cows. Like humans, cows are happy when they feel safe and secure. A cow that is able to nurse her calf without fear of being slaughtered once she no longer produces milk is happy and naturally gives more milk of better quality. Such cows also produce more milk than their calves require.

Since humans drink cow's milk, the Vedas regard the cow as one of the mothers of human society. The ox, who assists in tilling the fields and thus in grain production, is considered the father of human society.

Unfortunately, people in our “progressive” civilization place no value on spiritual knowledge and instead promote the large-scale slaughter of cows. This shows that human society is developing in the wrong direction.

Regarding the protection of cows, some meat-eaters may object here. To this we reply that God explicitly emphasizes the protection of animals, and that therefore those who, despite all reasonable counterarguments, are inclined to eat meat should eat the flesh of less important animals such as pigs, poultry, or fish — but under no circumstances should they kill cows. The Vedas state that anyone involved in the killing of a cow must be reborn in the material world as many times as that cow has hairs on its back. And the Vedas are not the only scriptures that prohibit the killing of cows. The Bible, for example, states: “He that killeth an ox is as if he slew a man” (Isa. 66:3).