What Is Amla?
Nature has gifted us with multiple health beneficial medicinal plants. Many such plants are available for humankind in the Indian Tradition System of Medicine, Ayurveda, and among all these, mostly used or consumed medicine is Amla. All parts of the Amla plant is useful in managing various diseases of any individual. Among all these parts, the most important one is its fruit.
Amla fruit is used in the Indian System of Medicine as a hair tonic, liver tonic, diuretic, laxative, stomachic, antipyretic, ulcer preventive, and for common cold or fever either as alone or with the combination of other such medicinal plants. Amla is one of the Rasayana Aushadhi (rejuvenation medicine) in Ayurveda System of Medicine.
Moreover, Amla is used as a tonic to restore energy and vigour. It is either small or medium in size and is found all over India, Pakistan, Uzbekistan, Sri Lanka, South East Asia, China, and Malaysia.
Different nomenclature of Amla
Although Amla is worldwide famous by its name, i.e., Amla and also as Indian gooseberry, still it is also known by many other names in different regions. The botanical name of Amla is Emblicus officinalis.
It is known as Emblic Myrobalan in English; Indian Goose Berry in many parts of India; Amalaki in Sanskrit; Amla in Hindi; Nelli Kayi in Kannada; Amla in Marathi; Ambla in Gujarati; Nelli Kayi in Malayalam; Nelli in Tamil; Usirikaya in Telugu and Aonla in Kashmiri
Other concepts about Amla
Amla is widely spread all over the world. Amla can grow upto 20 – 25 feet in length. Its bark is somewhere greyish with long stems. Its leaves are very similar to a rectangle in shape, simple green in colour, and somewhat resembling the leaves of tamarind.these leaves are seen maximum in March and April. It has a long flower stem which carries stunning yellow-colored flowers.
These flowers generally occur in groups and are majorly seen in the months from February to May. Its fruits are round in shape with an approximate diameter of about ½ - 1 inch. These fruits are solid from inside and are yellow or green until they are raw. Once the fruits get ripen up, they become red, which has about six visible lines on its outer layer.
These fruits contain hexagonal seeds inside them. These fruits are seen in the months from October to April. Ayurvedic properties of Amla make it more health benefits. Amla is Guru (heavy), Rooksha (dry), and Sheeta (cold) in nature.
This means that Amla is heavy to get digested and gives you a feeling of complete fullness after consumption of food. It helps to absorb excessive oiliness from the body and gives a fresh and calming effect internally. It has more of Amla (sour) taste, and with that, it is also rich in other flavours like Madhur (sweet), Katu (pungent), Tikta (bitter), and Kashaya (astringent).
It is Madhur (sweet) in its aftertaste and Sheeta (cold) in its potency. Amla is very beneficial in managing almost all health disorders because it can balance all three Doshas (Vata, Pitta, and Kapha). Because of this, it is considered as one of the best Rasayana (rejuvenator) in Ayurveda.
Medically reviewed by Rishabh Verma, RP