Indukantha Ghritham

-by Sheela Rani Chunkath

The use of medicated ghee scares those who have been brainwashed by the allopathic precepts of what constitutes good food or medicine. Cholesterol! they exclaim with fear. Almost anyone I talk to has assimilated this notion that ghee is bad for you and will cause heart attacks. Medicated ghees are some of the best medicines in the ayurvedic formulary. Indukantha ghritham is one such medication which is extremely useful in the treatment of various stomach disorders. Ghritham in Sanskrit means ghee. Our vaidyars discovered that ghee is a wonderful fat that absorbs the properties of the herbs that are boiled in it and is also an extremely effective transporter of the drugs to the various body  tissues.

My nephew had been having a stomach pain for 4 months, he had consulted the best physicians in United States and Germany. The diagnosis was acid reflux, for which allopathy does not offer much by way of treatment. The stomach pains starts when the stomach is empty. I was astounded to read that Indukantha ghritham is  specifically  used to cure this type of a stomach pain. The sahasara yogam used by most vaidyars in Kerala clearly states this. The vaidyar that my nephew consulted prescibed Indukantha ghritham for him  and he is already feeling much better.

Indukantha ghritham is also invaluable where the stomach pain is due to ulcers. The balancing of agni or the digestive fire is something the ayurvedic vaidyars are very particular about. Neither should it burn too brightly or too dully, it should be just right. The ayurvedic formularly has many drugs to stoke the digestive fire and bring it to the right point. Indukantha ghritham is one such invaluable drug. In addition to balancing the agni and curing stomach ulcers it is a drug which has the property of  removing toxins from the body. It is a ghee which reduces vayu, increases strength, stokes the digestive fire and also useful in the treatment of intermittent fevers. 

The normal dose is 5 to 10 gms melted in hot water on empty stomach twice a day. The drug is made from a decoctionof 12 herbs. These include the bark of the Indian beech tree, the Himalayan cedar wood, the roots of Orillai and Moovillai (Tamil), the roots of Mullankatri and Kantankatri (Solanum indicum and Solanum xanthocarpum) the roots of Nerinjil (Tamil) called Gokshura in Sanskrit and the roots of the Vilvam tree, the Fire brand tree, the Indian trumpet flower tree, the Kashmir tree and the Yellow fragrant trumpet flower tree. To this decoction of roots and barks is added milk, water, ghee and a paste of long pepper, black pepper and long pepper roots, lead wort roots, dry ginger and rock salt. The medicated ghee is made from this is filtered while hot and stored.

 --- The writer was earlier Health Secretary, Govt. of Tamil Nadu and is currently CMD, TN Industrial Investment Corporation. She can be reached at Sheelarani.arogyamantra@gmail.com. Earlier articles can be accessed at http://arogyamantra.blogspot.com/