Category: Ayurveda

Mother Nature has gifted mankind with tremendous medicinal plants to create a disease free and healthy life. Description of abundant medicinal plants are presented in Indian system of medicine. Amla or Indian gooseberry is one of the most widely used plant. It is enormously used as a tonic to restore the lost body’s energy and vigor.

Overview

• Amla is just a small berry but it is the richest source of Vitamin C which is equal to 30 oranges!
• The little fruit “Amla” is stuffed with innumerable health benefits that can ever be imagined. The word “Amla” means sour which is its predominant taste.
• Amla is a small medium sized deciduous tree found throughout India. It grows about 8-18 m height with thin, light grey bark, leaves are simple, light green, sub-sessile and looks like pinnate leaves, its flowers are greenish yellow and fruits are fleshy and pale yellow.

Ancient Name

• Botanical Name: Phyllanthus emblica
• English Name: Indian gooseberry
• Family: Euphorbiaceae

Sanskrit Synonyms

• Amalki—having sour taste
• Dhatri—takes care of a patient like a mother

As per Charak, it is one of those ingredients that can be taken on daily basis. Charak has classified Amla among the group of herbs that are useful in fever, useful to induce purgation, useful in skin diseases, that are useful in cough and cold and anti-aging group of herbs.

Qualities:

According to Charak Sutrasthan 27—

• Amla contains all tastes except salt.
• It is dry, sweet and astringent in taste
• Balances Kapha and Pitta
• It is coolant and heavy in nature.
• It undergoes sweet taste after digestion.
• It has cold potency
• It balances all the three doshas—Vata, Pitta and Kapha.

Some interesting facts about Amla—

• In Vedic period, it was added to bathing water.
• It has sour taste and usually sour taste increases Pitta but Amla balances Pitta in the body.
• Charak has mentioned Amla as the best among anti-aging herbs.

Chemical Constituents of Amla fruit

• The fruit contains 70.5% of the moisture. The total soluble solids constitute 23.8% of the juice. The pulp contains 5.09% total sugars and 5.09% reducing sugars. The ascorbic acid content is 1094.53 mg/100 ml of juice. The tannins content is 2.73% and pectin content of the pulp is 0.59%.  It is highly nutritious,  beneficial herb and almost all parts possess medicinal properties, particularly fruit , which has been used in Ayurveda as a powerful Rasayana and an important ingredient in  medicines used  for the treatment of jaundice, inflammation, gastritis and several other ailments.
• Pharmacological research papers on Amla reveals that it is having anti-tussive, adaptogenic, cardio-protective, immunomodulatory, free-radical scavenging, chemopreventive properties. These properties are effective in the treatment of various diseases like—cancer, diabetes, atherosclerosis, peptic ulcers, liver, anaemia and heart diseases.

Top 10 Health Benefits of Amla

1. Amla is beneficial for eyes and improves vision power. Fresh Amla juice or Amla capsules is a good supplement to improve near sightedness, cataract and glaucoma. It reduces intra-ocular tension and corrects the vision.
2. It balances Vata due to its sour taste, balances Pitta due to its sweetness and coldness and balances Kapha due to its dryness and astringent properties.
3. Amla is quite beneficial in diabetes and urinary tract disorders. Amla capsules with bitter gourd juice regularly helps in reducing blood sugar.
4. It is also useful in bleeding disorders.
5. It is useful in relieving burning sensation.
6. It is quite useful in throat diseases and improves voice. Add a teaspoon of amla powder with honey and suck this mixture twice a day to cure a chronic dry cough. It is invaluable in the treatment of tuberculosis, asthma and bronchitis.
7. Amla is quite beneficial for heart.
8. The Amla seed kernel is sweet and astringent and acts as natural aphrodisiac and useful in uterine bleeding disorders such as—menorrhagia.
9. Tree turmeric (Daruharidra) with Amla juice mixed with honey is useful in curing dysuria due to Pitta dosha. (Charak Chikitsa Sthana 26/53).
10. Administration of purified sulphur along with the juice of Amla and honey together is the remedy par excellence for the cure of all the 18 types of skin diseases.

Other uses:

• Amla protects against free radical damage and provides anti-oxidant protection.
• Amla fruit boiled in coconut water and the ground mixture thus obtained should be applied to the scalp to pacify Pitta imbalance. Amla oil is an excellent way to reduce heat associated with summer season. It is a good remedy to pacify Pitta conditions.
• Leucorrhoea—Leucorrohea or white discharge can be relieved with powdered and dried Amla seeds. Mixture of Amla with honey and fennel should be taken.
• It is the richest source of Vitamin C so it is an effective remedy for over-coming the problem of white spots on the nails.

Consumption of Amla on the basis of body type—

• Amla powder for Vata imbalance—If there is Vata imbalance like gas trouble or joint diseases, then Amla powder can be consumed with sesame oil. Make a paste of Amla powder and sesame oil and swallow it with hot water.
• Amla powder for Pitta imbalance—If there are digestion problems or skin related issues like—acne, then amla powder should be taken with cow’s ghee followed by a glass of hot water.  Another way of taking amla powder for Pitta dosha is to take it with jaggery.
• Amla powder for Kapha imbalance—For diseases like—respiratory problems, obesity, amla powder can be taken along with honey.

Is Amla incompatible with milk?

• All sour foods including Amla are incompatible with milk because Amla curdles it.

Amla Capsules by Planet Ayurveda—

• Amla capsules of Planet Ayurveda contain standardised extract of Amla fruit pulp. Amla capsules of Planet Ayurveda do not contain any preservatives, chemicals, colouring or flavouring agents. They are 100% natural Vitamin C supplement and are way better than synthetic Vitamin C supplements.

Capsules per container-60

• Each 500 mg capsule contains—Best quality standardised herbal extract of Amla berries 10:1
• Dosage: 1-2 capsules twice daily with plain water.