Snehana stands for lubrication of the body systems by the administration of fatty substances internally or externally. Internal administration of Sneha/oil is called Snehapanam. It is an important preparatory procedure for Panchakarma.
Mainly four types of Snehana dravyas. Medicines are used for this purpose. They are Ghritha (Ghee), Taila (Oil), Vasa (Fat) and Majja (bone marrow). Out of these Ghritham is considered as the best.
According to Ashtang hridayam Chapter 5.
शस्तं धीस्मृतिमेधाग्निबलायुः शुक्रचक्षुषाम् | बालवृद्धप्रजाकान्तिसौकुमार्यस्वारार्थिनाम् ||
क्षतक्षीणपरीसर्पशस्त्राग्निम्लपित्तात्मनाम् | वातपित्तविषोन्मादशोषालक्ष्मीज्वरापहम् ||
स्नेहानामुत्तमं शीतं वयसः स्थापनं परम् | सहस्रवीर्यं विधिभिर्घृतं कर्मसहस्रक्रुत् ||
Ghee is ideal for improving intelligence; memory, ingenuity, digestion strength, long life, semen (sexual vigour), and eye sight. is good for children, the aged, those who desire more children, tenderness of the body, and pleasant voice, for those suffering from emaciation as a result of injury to chest (lungs), Parisarpa (herpes), injury from weapons, and fire, disorders of Vata and Pitta origin, poison, insanity, inauspicious activity (witchcraft, etc.) and fevers;
Of all the fatty materials, ghee is the best. It is coolant, best for retaining of youth, capable of giving a thousand good effects by a thousand kinds of processing.
Vagbhata has also mentioned the qualities of Purana Ghrita i.e. Aged Ghee
मदापस्मारमूर्च्छायशिरः कर्णाक्षियोनिजान् | पुराणं जयति व्याधीन् व्रनशोधनरोपणम् ||
Purana Ghrita (old ghee) is used in the treatment of
Mada – intoxication, Apasmara – epilepsy, Murcha – fainting, Shira, karna, akshi yoni roga – diseases of the head, ear, eye and vagina; cleanses and heals wounds.
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. It 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). It is smooth, lubricated and nurturing. Ghee is thought to make the voice soft and melodious.
Ghee is Guru (heavy). It increases kapha and decreases vata and pitta doshas, which are both light.
Ghee has the quality of mridu (softness). In Ayurvedic Panchakarma treatments, Ghee is also 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.
Many Uses of Ghee
- 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 Ropana-(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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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 or “yogavahi” 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.
- 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.
Studies related to ghee and Lipid profile.
- Fatty acid analysis of ghee indicated it contains 47.8% saturated fat, which is similar to data reported in the literature. There has been concern about the possibility of ghee contributing to an increased risk of cardiovascular disease since it contains a high percentage of saturated fatty acids, leading to increased synthesis of cholesterol. The American Heart Association recommends limiting the consumption of saturated fats to less than 7% of energy to reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease. There has been studies which indicates that 5 and 10% ghee-supplemented diets fed for 2 weeks to 2 months did not have any significant effect on serum total cholesterol and triglyceride levels in Sprague-Dawley rats, an outbred strain of rats used as a general experimental model. However, a 10% ghee-supplemented diet fed for 2 months increased serum total cholesterol and triglyceride levels in Fischer rats, an inbred strain of rats genetically predisposed to disease processes.
- Free radicals and reactive oxygen species have been linked to many chronic diseases, as well as the aging process. Lipid peroxidation, a free radical-mediated reaction, has been implicated in various disorders such as post-ischemic conditions, inflammation, head injury, stroke, carcinogenesis, cardiovascular disease, and aging.
- A Study have shown that the consumption of up to 10% ghee in the diet had a positive effect on serum lipid profiles in Wistar rats (an outbred strain). There was a dose-dependent decrease in total cholesterol, LDL, very low density lipoprotein (VLDL), and triglycerides when ghee was given at levels greater than 2.5% in the diet. Liver cholesterol and triglycerides were also decreased, and when ghee was the sole source of fat at a 10% level, polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA) in the serum and liver lipids were significantly reduced. In light of previous concern over cholesterol oxidation products generated in heated ghee, the investigators also fed the animal’s ghee that had been heated to 120°C.
- Similar results were seen with the heated ghee as with the “native” ghee (fresh ghee that was not subjected to any further heating). These results (for both the heated and native ghee) included a significant decrease in serum total cholesterol levels, a decrease of 20–25% in serum triglycerides, a 14–16% decrease in liver total cholesterol levels, a 14–29% decrease in liver triglyceride levels, and a lower level of non enzymatic-induced lipid peroxidation in liver homogenate, compared to the control animals. Levels of cholesterol esters, which are important constituents of serum lipoproteins and are implicated in the process of atherogenesis, were decreased significantly in the liver. Oleic acid, which enables low density lipoprotein (LDL) to resist oxidation, was increased by 36–40% in serum lipids when ghee was used as the sole source of fat at a 10% level. Arachidonic acid, a key inflammatory intermediate in the process of atherosclerosis, was decreased by 65% in serum lipids when ghee was used as the sole source of fat at a 10% level, compared to controls.
So the misconception about ghee that it increases serum cholesterol and triglyceride level can be understood reading the results of the study.
Side effects of Ghee:-
1. Ghee should be avoided in jaundice, fatty liver diseases.
2. Should be avoided during fever and indigestion.
3. Excess of ghee can cause indigestion and diarrhea.
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