Mahatikta Ghrita (Great Bitter Ghee)

Indications

Ingredients

Source

Sushruta Cikitsa 9.9: “A paste or Kalka should be made by pounding equal parts of Saptaparna, Aragvadha, Ativisha, Patha, Katu-rohini, Amrita, Triphala, Patola, Pichu-marda, Parpataka, Duralabha, Trayamana, Musta, Chandana, Padmaka, Haridra, Upakulya, Vishala, Murva, Shatavari, Shariva, Indra-yava, Atarushaka, Shadgrantha (vaca), Madhuka, Bhu-nimba and Grishtika. This paste should be cooked with four times its own weight of clarified butter, with the juice of Amalaka, weighing twice as much as the clarified butter and with water weighing four times the quantity of the Amalaka juice. It should be constantly stirred while being cooked. This medicated Ghrita is called the Maha-tikta Ghrita, which proves curative in Kushtha, chronic fevers, hemorrhage, heart-disease, insanity, Apasmara, Gulma, postular eruptions, menorrhagia, goitre, scrofula, elephantiasis, jaundice, erysipelas, impotency, itches and Pama, etc.”

What this is

Mahatikta Ghrita (“Great Bitter Ghee”) is the most-prescribed internal medicated ghee for chronic skin disease across all of Indian Ayurveda. It is manufactured today by every major Kerala pharmacy (AVS Kottakkal “Mahatiktakam Ghritam”, AVP, Vaidyaratnam) using essentially this formula.

For cosmetic context, Mahatikta is not a face-applied product but it is structurally critical: the same herb panel (Chandana, Padmaka, Manjishtha, Yashtimadhu, Sariva) appears in the Vyanga-hara Ghrita. Practitioners often combine: take Mahatikta internally for the blood-purification + apply Vyanga-hara externally.

The Charaka version (Cikitsa 7.144-150) is a 28-herb expansion called “the Great Bitter Ghee” — adds Patola, Brahmi, and other herbs. Our recipe above is Sushruta’s 26-herb version; the Charaka herbs can be added if you want the fuller Charaka set.

Preparation method

Standard sneha-paka, Madhyama paka:

1. Powder all 26 Kalka herbs to #60 mesh; mix equal parts
2. Reduce 1.5 L Amalaki fresh juice + 6 L water to 1.5 L
3. Wet the Kalka with a portion of the reduced Drava to make paste
4. Heat the ghee, add Kalka paste, add Drava
5. Cook 8 hours on lowest flame to Madhyama paka
6. Strain through 4-layer cotton

Contraindications

• acute fever
• indigestion
• Pitta-aggravation flares

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