Indian Gooseberry: Amla a Day Keep the Doctor Away

Indian Gooseberry or Amla Amlaki or Nellikai (Botanical name Emblica Officinalis of Euphorbiaceae family) is the most popular herb since from the ages of saints and rishis. Ayurveda and Siddha systems of medicine have recognised the importance of this herb. The documentation made by the ancient physicians of India has recognised that Indian Gooseberry is enriched with Vitamin C. Modern nutritionists equates Amla's most abundant source of Vitamin C with as much as 20 times of an orange. You may be astonished to hear that your gooseberry does not diminish its vitamin C content with cooking. This property makes this fruit more extraordinary. Gooseberry has many other nutritious benefits. Another extraordinary feature of gooseberry is the presence of antioxidants as the main factors of sourcing back your energy. Gooseberry has an excellent antibiotic properties against all kind of viruses like that of Hepatitis, AIDS, Influenza and many others and the herb builds immune system to fight against the vviruses. (wikipedia)

Habitat

Indian Gooseberry, the medium size deciduous tree, is found in tropical regions of Indian subcontinent. Useful parts of gooseberry includes the fresh and dried fruits, the seeds, leaves, root, gray colored bark and flowers and red colored wood. The pale yellow colored gooseberry fruit has depressed globose shape with six vertical furrows.

Nutritional Properties

You might have tasted gooseberry. If not you taste it. You will find that this fruit includes gamut of taste i.e. shows sourness as the foremost taste and also includes salty, astringent, bitter and pungent taste. At the end you will be left with some sweet taste for a longer time. Gooseberry comprises protein, carbohydrates, fiber, Vitamin C and B complex; the minerals mainly include calcium, phosphorus, iron, and carotene. The active ingredient in gooseberry is 'phyllemblin'. It also contains ascorbic acid (Vitamin C), gallic acid (polyphenol), tannin and pectin. It is one of the strongest rejuvenatives among Indian medicinal plants.

The gooseberry reduces unwanted fat and in addition it increases total protein levels; this is due to its ability to create a positive nitrogen balance and it also significantly reduces the levels of free fatty acids. The fruit, in a raw or natural form, reduces cholesterol level, making it a useful natural product to fight obesity. (John Anne)

Medicinal Properties

Though the physicians find that every part of the tree possesses therapeutic potentials, they are more attached to its fruit since it has amazing rejuvenative properties. It forms an indispensable part of the ayurvedic and unanai medicine. Siddha system of medicine regards this her as 'Kayakalpa'. It is an essential ingredient of various Ayurvedic medicines i.e. Brahma Rasayana, Chyavanprasha and Dashmula. Triphala churana is the famous Ayurvedic preparation comprising equal parts of Chebulic Myrobalans (Hartaki), Belleric Myrobalans (Bibhitaki) and Indian Gooseberry.

It is used for treating fever, liver disorder, anaemia, heart conditions and urinary problems. Due to its strong, cooling and laxative properties it has been widely used in hemorrhage, diarrhea and dysentery.

The gooseberry is one of the most ideal food-medicine for diabetes. It stimulates secretion of natural insulin. It increases red blood cell count and regulates blood sugar. It removes worms. It also acts as an antacid and antitumorganic agent. You can alleviate some of the common ailments through some time-tested decoctions.

Gooseberries are very good for those suffering from respiratory problems. It also prevents infection due to the antibacterial and astringent attributes present in it. It has been widely used for treatment of leucorrhea and atherosclerosis. It is considered as one of the most rejuvenating drugs, imparting a long healthy life and weight gain.

Losing hair? Amla or Indian gooseberry can save you from this. You can either eat amla everyday or apply its paste on your hair roots. First boil six amlas with a cup of milk, till they are soft. Remove the seeds and mash it into a pulp. Apply this paste to your hair roots and leave it for 20 minutes before washing your hair. You can make a good conditioner by mixing Indian gooseberry, shikakai powder and curd.

If you want to increase you weight and that too in a healthy manner you should consume more of gooseberry. It helps in balancing nitrogen levels very well which helps in increasing your weight. It helps in increasing protein levels. It is also known to have anabolic effect.

Home Remedy

The gooseberry can be preserved using honey, and thus used throughout the year. Take required number of gooseberries and clean them in running water. Pierce the gooseberries using a sharp stainless steel edge at various spots. Now immerse these pierced gooseberries in a jar full of pure honey. Cover the mouth of the jar using fine white cloth and place the jar in sunlight for an hour for 15 days. Now the gooseberries are ready ready for consumption throughout the year. Every day morning, after brushing the teeth, take one fruit soaked in honey to improve your effectiveness.

Alternatively a tablespoon each of fresh gooseberry juice and honey mixed together forms a very effective medicine for several ailments. Its regular use will promote vigor in the body within a few days. When fresh fruit is not available, dry powder can be mixed with honey.

A tablespoon of gooseberry juice, mixed with a cup of fresh bitter gourd juice, taken daily for 2 months will reduce the blood sugar in diabetes.

The Indian gooseberry is useful in the treatment of rheumatism. One teaspoonful of powder of dry fruit mixed with two teaspoonfuls of jaggery should be taken twice daily for a month in this disease.

Source:

1. The Amazing Amla Berry Amlaki (Indian Gosseberry) http://healing.about.com/od/herbaltherapy/a/amlaberry.htm

2. John Anne. Amla Herb and Indian Gooseberry (Vitamin C) http://ezinearticles.com/?Amla-Herb-and-Indian-Gooseberry-(Vitamin-C)&id=95684

3. Indian Gooseberry Wikipedia en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Indian_gooseberry