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Living with Multiple Myeloma in Hyderabad , India . Random musings .

Category Archives: Hindu rituals


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3 Best Desi Ghee / A2 Ghee Online , in India

What is Desi Ghee :

Ghee is clarified Butter which is obtained from the milk of Cows and Buffaloes by a process of making curd , then churning the curd to extract butter , the butter is then heated to produce clarified butter/Ghee.

However, the best Desi Ghee is made from the milk of Native Indian Cows and is preferred as it has several health benefits.

Ghee from Native Indian Cows is called ‘Liquid Gold’ as this has a golden color. It is interesting to know that in ancient India, those with the most ‘Liquid Gold’ or more cows , were the richest.

With ‘White Revolution’ , a lot of Dairy farms started rearing Jersey/Holstein cows , as they produce a lot of milk . Not many are aware that these cows are a hybrid variety and not native to India.

Since ancient days , Native Cows of India are revered and treated like a family member.

Indigenous or Desi Cows in India
Native Indian Cows at an Organic Farm, that I visited, near Hyderabad , India.

Lord Krishna says that if one worships a Cow , it is as good as worshipping Him. Lord Krishna was a Cow Herd and loved cows and hence called ‘Go-Pal’ , one who rears Cows.

Lord Krishna , with Cows

What is A1, A2 Milk and why we should consume A2 milk products :

The Milk produced from Native Indian Cows is called A2 Milk , whereas the milk from Hybrid cows like Jersey, Holstein is A1 Milk.

Ghee prepared from A2 Milk of Native Indian Cows has numerous health benefits when consumed in moderation. For that matter everything should be taken in moderation.

The protein in A2 milk is good for our health.

It is observed that the incidence of Cardiovascular diseases and Diabetes is more in those who took A1 Milk products.

I am using Ayurveda Medications since almost 6 years. My Ayurveda Doctor prescribes 1-2 tsps of Cow Ghee per day for me.

Health Benefits of Desi Ghee :

Here are a few health benefits of incorporating A2 Ghee in your diet -Contains Butyric acid which increases the generation of T-cells in the body. It is these T-cells which improves the immunity in the body.

It is good for improving memory.

Lubricates the connective tissue and hence prescribed for Yoga practitioners

Ghee is a yogavahi—a catalytic agent that carries the medicinal properties of herbs into the tissues of the body.

Acts as a medium for absorption of all fat-soluble vitamins such as A, D, E, and K .

Has antioxidant properties as it contains Vitamin E and Beta carotene and reduces inflammation in the body.

Induces Apoptosis in Cancer cells.

Slows the aging process

Enhances Digestion

Contains antiviral properties

Has high levels of Omega-3 fatty acids which is good for heart health

…and many many more

How is the Best Desi Ghee prepared and what is the price :

I have learnt from various authentic sources that to prepare 1kg of Desi Ghee, around 25-35 Liters of pure Desi Cow’s milk would be required. This depends on the fat percentage in the milk. Fewer liters of milk would be required if the fat content is high. I was told that the price of 1 liter of pure Desi Cow’s milk is Rs200/-.

This works out to a minimum of Rs5000/- for 1kg of pure Desi Cow Ghee. Any price which is drastically different from this is not a genuine product.

No wonder it is called ‘Liquid Gold’.

Where do I buy Desi Ghee Online :

My search for various sources of A2 Ghee began a few years ago , when my Ayurveda Doctor told me to use Ghee daily. I even spoke to a few folks from near by Villages, who worked in the city, if they could help me get Cow Ghee. Unfortunately, none in the villages are into A2 Ghee business as there is no demand .Basically, the knowledge of the wonderful properties of Desi Ghee is lost. Native Indian Cows give a lower quantity of Milk and also has lower fat content. Hence, most people prefer to rear Buffaloes.

Ghee adulteration is rampant and hence one should be aware of the source of the Ghee.

I then started searching for A2 Ghee online . Thankfully, now a days, there are several brands of A2 Ghee online. After checking the reviews , reading about the people who are behind the product and the method used to prepare ghee, I went ahead and ordered.

Klimom Desi Ghee :

Initially I used ‘KlimOm Ghee’. KlimOm is based in Hyderabad. I found it on Amazon and liked the product. The grass which is fed to the Gir Cows is grown in their farms without using any pesticides. Cows are not injected with any hormones and are milked using hands.

Traditional methods are used to prepare the curd from milk and churned to extract the butter. This butter is heated and then it gets converted to Clarified butter.


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A2 Ghee from Isha Vasyam :

I began searching for another product and bought A2 Ghee from Isha Vasyam. The quality is very good. Mr Vivek Sharma , founder of ‘Isha Vasya’ wanted a cure for his parents health issues and rediscovered the ancient vedic remedies for the current age health problems.


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Desi Ghee from Amorearth :

I am always on the lookout for Organic/Naturally grown produce. During my search I came across ‘Two Brothers Organic Farms’ . There are some videos about their farms that I watched on YouTube. They are into Natural farming and I am impressed by their farming practices. The brand name of their products is ‘Amorearth’ . They have free range Native cows, which are fed with Organic grass and other feed , from their own farms. The manure from the cows is used to fertilize the plants and the cycle continues. Cows are the basis for Natural farming and they have a symbiotic relationship. They also sell several other Organic products.

Currently , I am using A2 Cow Ghee from Amorearth.

       

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Time to switch to Desi Ghee :

It is high time , we revert back to our ancient way of living. Let’s do the best we can to access the healthiest food products. No doubt , such products are in shortage and the demand for these is slowly increasing. There is a shortage of supply, however, the more we purchase , the more will eventually be produced.

It is true that A2 Ghee is very very expensive compared to Ghee from Buffalo Milk. But, Ayurveda recommends 1-2 tsps of A2 Ghee to those who are keen on regaining their health. So, make sure the source is authentic and if you have access to a Goshaala or anyone who is rearing Native Indian Cows , then you are the luckiest.

Let’s spend our hard earned money to buy healthy food for our family. Nothing else is more important than healthy eating habits. Thankfully good products are available.

~ Jai Gomaatha~


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Father’s Day 21 June 2020 , World Yoga Day and Solar Eclipse

India celebrates a lot of festivals which are more religious or connected with Nature , Seasons or Harvest.

With all the communication happening all over the world and people travelling all over, we too have incorporated some of the special days being celebrated in other countries. Father’s Day is one such day.

Father’s play a very important role in Indian society. They are the bread earners in majority of the families and take care of the children till they are grown up and begin to earn. There are several families where the parents and son continue to live together even after the son is married. A lot of respect is given to parents.

Everyday is a Father’s Day in such families.

However, this specific day which is celebrated on the 3rd Sunday of June every year since 1910 is definitely special. This day gives us the opportunity to recall all the guidance and support given by our Dad’s during our growing years. It is an opportunity to stop and think about Dad’s who have made a lot of sacrifices to provide for the children. An occasion to celebrate the day with some special moments with our Dad’s and to show our love and affection.

Today is ‘World Yoga Day’ too. If Father’s Day is imported into India , Yoga Day is being exported to the World. This is exactly what the world now requires. To imbibe the best from all over the world and evolve into better human beings. Hubby wanted me to click a few pics while he does a puts Yoga poses. It was fun directing and clicking. These pics were then sent to their HR team asproof of doing Yoga 🙂

In this part of the country the Solar eclipes today was partial. All of us at home decided to do some cleaning of the house during the eclipse. Most Indians follow the tradition of not cooking or eating during this period and we followed suit. Had lunch very late in the afternoon and had grilled fruits , vegetables and Paneer (Cottage cheese) for dinner 🙂

This time we used skewers which we ordered online and it definitely made grilling much simpler and faster. I was a little apprehensive about an Electric grill but it is very convenient and we are enjoying the time spent during the grilling process.


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Shakti , Mitochondria, Energy , Mother , Health , Fasting and Cancer

The words in the title don’t seem to be related in any way , isn’t it !?  🙂

Let me attempt to explain how all of these are very much interrelated. Get ready to recall some Biology lessons from your school days 🙂

Each cell in the Human body consists of several Organelles and one of them is Mitochondria . These are known as the powerhouses of the cells. Woww , sounds like Thermal Power stations or Nuclear Power stations isn’t it !!? And our body is a Power Grid !! 🙂

Mitochondrial_dna_lg

It is these little things inside the cell which convert the food that we eat into Energy. This  Energy is used by the Cell to carry out its functions efficiently.

Hope you also remember reading that a cell contains a Nucleus which in turn consists of the DNA . But, did you know that Mitochondria have their own DNA too … This is News to me tooo 🙂 . The biggest surprise is that Mitochondria is originally a Bacteria . The Mitochondria invaded a normal cell and started a Symbiotic relationship. This was how the complex multi-cellular organisms including human beings evolved. Sounds unbelievable and interesting . Anyway, this is a different subject altogether.

matrix

Now comes the most interesting part. It has been scientifically proved that the Mitochondria in the cell comes from the Mother and not from the Father. Let’s see how that happens .The Mitochondria from the Father disintegrates as soon as the zygote is formed by the fusion of the Sperm and the Egg .In effect , all the Mitochondria currently existing in the world is from the Female Gender. Isn’t this amazing .

Permit me to digress a little.

In the Hindu culture , a Goddess (feminine form) is worshiped and is referred to as ‘Shakti’. Shakti  is a Sanskrit word which translates to ‘Energy’. Fasting is an important part of worshiping  Goddess Shakti during various Hindu festivals. The Goddess is fondly addressed by most Hindus as Mother .

Let’s come back to Mitochondria. These Mitochondria are susceptible to damage due to various reasons. Thus , the efficiency of the Cell is affected leading to several illnesses including Cancer. One of the major causes of Mitochondrial damage is Medication. Medications like Analgesics, psychotropic medications , Statins, Antibiotics etc damage the DNA of Mitochondria. There are other reasons too… like inflammatory diet, stress etc

Thankfully there are ways to repair and Boost the efficiency  of Mitochondria, thereby improving our health.

  1. Fasting 
  2. Exercise
  3. Sun Exposure 
  4. Eating more Fat and protein , less of Carbs (Ketogenic Diet)
  5. Meditation
  6. Avoiding inflammatory foods like Maida (All purpose flour)
  7. Reducing Stress

Just after the recent Navratri festival,  my Ayurvedic Doctor had sent me a message about how Mitochondria is linked to Shakti/Energy, to Fasting during Navratri and worshipping of Mother Goddess  . The festival lasts 10 days during which Goddess Shakti is worshiped .

This was a revelation to me .

———————————————————————————————

Here is the entire message sent by Dr Nitin Kochar, M.D, Ayurveda :

Why to worship Durga or aadi shakti ? 
(Ancient wisdom with modern science)
For survival We all need a constant supply of energy, which is produced in our cells. Whatever food we eat, is converted by our cellular bio-fire into  energy, which is stored in the form  called ATP. 
This ATP is produced by Mitochondria ( cellular biofire) 
Our every cell is enriched with this Mitochondria and they are in abundance in our digestive and muscular system. 
Surprisingly all these Mitochondria are transferred to us through our Mother only as paternal Mitochondria are immediately destroyed after fertilization. 
So our Mother is the source of providing us energy . Hence we should be thankful to her and worship her. 
The best treatment to improve the functioning of Mitochondria is to do intermittent fasting or to consume limited quantity of satvik aahar. So in these nine days one should observe fast and consume only fruits and milk . 
As per the latest research , dysfunctional Mitochondria is the root cause of Cancer. And those who are doing intermittent fasting through out their life , they have very less or remote chances of getting cancer.  
Remember healthy Mitochondria is the  prime requisite of Good and robust  health. 
So worship and respect your Mother. Follow the ancient wisdom of fasting or eating controlled diet of satvik aahar to keep yourself fit. 
————————————————————————————–

Pious Hindus also fast during other days like Ekadasi (the 11th day of waxing and waning moon) . That would be twice a month.

Cow Ghee (clarified butter) is an important ingredient in the preparation of Prasadam (food  offered to the Deities) . It is good fat. As per Ayurveda , there are 60 health benefits of consuming Cow Ghee and hence it is recommended to eat Ghee everyday.

In spite of being a Hindu I had always doubted Hindu Rituals and customs since I was a kid . Whereas most of such rituals and customs have health and hygiene as the underlying principles .  There are a lot of folks who are attempting to revive such customs by interpreting in a scientific way. The western world is taking cues from  Eastern traditions , is experimenting and confirming what was already known and in use in the Hindu way of life since thousands of years.

I always wondered as to why I perennially felt lethargic and was highly susceptible to Chronic cold, cough and Bronchitis attacks. I had no option but to take antibiotics each time. This cycle kept repeating once every two months till I was diagnosed with Multiple Myeloma. I now realize that my Mitochondria were severely damaged by all the Antibiotics which resulted in Cancer.

Hopefully one can now appreciate how all these words are connected and make sense.

So thankful to my Ayurvedic Doctor for enlightening me.

One need not accept or worship Goddess Shakti or know about Mitochondria to realize how important it is to ensure that our Mitochondria and thereby our body is healthy .  Just follow the above methods and stay healthy.

Durga-mata

Shubham Bhooyaath !!