Evaluation of cholesterol lowering property of selected herbs in ghee (heat clarified milk fat)

Ghee is a heat clarified milk fat and supply various nutrients. It contains cholesterol which is considered to be associated with various diseases. To the best of our knowledge, the present work focusing on reduction of cholesterol content of ghee using herbs was the first report in literature. In this regard, ghee was treated with various herbs (@0.5%) namely ajwain, betel and curry leaves to evaluate their cholesterol lowering ability. The percent reduction in cholesterol contents in ghee were 4.63%, 10.53% and 4.50% when treated with ajwain, betel and curry leaves respectively. The stage of addition of the herbs in ghee was then standardized. It was observed that the herbs added directly in ghee were able to lower down the cholesterol content from 212.68 mg/100 gm (control) to maximum 175.93 mg/100 gm representing 17.46% reduction in cholesterol content of the ghee sample. Furthermore, among the various stages, herbs which were added in hot ghee at 90 ºC gave maximum reduction in cholesterol content.