Sneha Karma (Medicated ghee)

Ayurveda is all about oils. It is about understanding that the application of oils, internally and externally, nourishes the body while softening the toxins in the tissues.

When you adopt the Ayurvedic lifestyle, medicated ghee is taken everyday early in the morning to supply oleation to the gums and digestive system. Internal oleation aids in poor digestion, promotes memory, intelligence and the quantity and quality of semen. The Dosha Balance says that ghee harbors phenolic antioxidants, which boosts the immune system.


Internal oleation is also applied as a per-requisite for some panchakarma treatments. Vatta dosha especially benefits from this practice. Medicated ghee is prepared with indicated spices and/or herbs according to the treatment the person needs.

Your ayurvedic practitioner may suggest taking ghee every morning before you schedule 7 days of external oleation. You may want to prepare your own medicated ghee or just simple ghee.

Routine for internal oleation:

During your 4 or 5 days of internal oleation, eat simple foods like kichari with regularity and mindfulness. Start by reducing the amount of food you eat. Ghee needs to be taken early in the morning on an empty stomach. Drink warm organic milk with it. Supply fluids during the day.

How to do internal oleation before external oleation:


1st day: 2 tsp of ghee
2nd day: 4 tsp of ghee
3th day: 8 tsp of ghee
4th day: 16 tsp of ghee
5th day: 1/2 cup ghee

Sneha Karma is a excellent process to receive in order to purify the internal body. It will help bring all of the toxins that are deep within your body towards your center koshta (tube.) It also helps improve your agni, or fire in the body. Once this is done you do external oleation to increase the benefits. Purgation may be indicated at the end of your 7 days of panchakarma.

Using medicated ghee in your daily routine:

To protect the nerves and receive the health benefits associated with medicated ghee, take two teaspoons orally daily. This meets the oil requirements for the Ayurvedic lifestyle. Take medicated ghee with warm milk, and not in tea form.

·         In addition, medicated ghee can also be used topically as a base for massage oil to calm sensitive skin. Mix it with honey for application to wounds, inflammation and blisters. Ghee can also be used in eye washes and nasal rinses.

There are many recipes to create a medicated ghee, some using decoctions and some using only spices and herbs.

Example per dosha:

Vatta Dosha: cook the butter with cinnamon, anisette, cumin and turmeric
Pitta Dosha: fennel, pomegranate, turmeric and coriander
Kapha Dosha: ginger, turmeric, ajwan, pipali

Contraindications:

The daily intake of ghee is good for all conditions, however heavy internal oleation should be avoided by those that are:

pregnant
have high cholesterol
have high Pitta