Indian gooseberry


 * Amla redirects here. For the cricketer, see Hashim Amla.

The Indian gooseberry (Emblica officinalisor Phyllanthus emblica) is a deciduous tree of the Euphorbiaceae family. It is known for its edible fruit of the same name. Common names of this tree include amalaka in Sanskrit, amla in Hindi, amlaki in Bengali, amala in Nepal Bhasa, usirikai in Telugu, and nellikai in Kannada and Tamil as well as aonla, aola, ammalaki, amla berry, dharty, aamvala, aawallaa, emblic, emblic myrobalan, Malacca tree, nillika, and nellikya in various other languages.

Plant anatomy
The tree is small to medium sized, reaching 8 to 18 m in height, with crooked trunk and spreading branches. The leaves are very short, petioled, ovate or oblong, 7-10cm long. The flowers are greenish-yellow. The fruit is nearly spherical, light greenish yellow, quite smooth and hard on appearance, with 6 vertical stripes or furrows. The fruits ripen in autumn. Its taste is bitter-sour. Being more fibrous than most fruits, it cannot be consumed raw in vast quantity; indeed, it is taken with salt. A glass of water taken immediately after eating a large fruit makes the water seem sweeter.

Medicinal
For medicinal purposes dried and fresh fruits of the plant are used. Amla fruit is sour and astringent in primary taste,with sweet, bitter and pungent secondary tastes, and is cooling in action. It is light and dry. It is a rasayana tonic that promotes longevity, and is especially good for the heart. It strengthen the lungs, helping to fight chronic lung problems as well as upper respiratory infections. The fruit allegedly contains 720 mg of vitamin C per 100 g of fresh fruit pulp, or up to 900 mg per 100 g of pressed juice. Apart from this it also contains tannins; a reason why even dried form retains most of the vitamin content. The fruit is an adaptogen which means it is a food grade, nontoxic herb that normalizes body function, balances the neuroendocrine system and improves immunity. In Ayurveda the fruit alone is considered a rasayana for pitta.

The fruit contains a series of diterpenes referred to as the gibberellins, as well as the triterpene lupeol, flavonoids (e.g. kaempherol-3-O-ß-Dglucoside, quercetin-3-O-ß-Dglucoside), and polyphenols (e.g. emblicanin A and B,punigluconin and pedunculagin). Also present are the phyllantine and zeatin alkaloids, and a number of benzenoids including amlaic acid, corilagin, ellagic acid, 3-6-di-O-galloyl-glucose, ethyl gallate, 1,6-di-O-galloyl-ß-Dglucose, 1-di-O-galloyl-ß-Dglucose, putranjivain A, digallic acid, phyllemblic acid, emblicol, and alactaric acid.

Particularly in Southern India, the fruit is pickled with salt, oil, and spices, and also used as a primary ingredient in the Ayurvedic rasayana (5) tonic Chyawanprash and in the nourishing laxative triphala where it is mixed with chebulic and belleric myrobalans. The Caraka Samhita, the main text of Ayurvedic herbal medicine, describes emblic and chebulic myrobalans as possessing the same virtues, though they have slightly different nature:

"They have healing virtues and are auspicious (used in sacred and ceremonial occasions). They restore the faults (doshas) to their normal course. They are light (as food). They enkindle digestive fire, and are good pacanas (digestive aids). They promote longevity and induce nourishment. They deserve every praise (for the virtues they possess). They prevent the effects of age more than any other drug. They alleviate all varieties of ailments, and impart strength to the intellect and the senses. They quickly conquer vitiligo, abdominal tumors, flatulence, dropsical swellings (edema), chlorosis, alcoholism, piles, ailments of the grahani (duodenum), chronic intermittent fever, diseases of the chest, diseases of the head, diarrhea, disgust for food, cough, gonorrhea, epistasis, enlargement of the spleen, abdominal dropsy when new, discharge of phlegm matter, hoarseness of the voice, discoloration or loss of complexion, anemia, intestinal worms, waste of dhatus (main body components), some forms of asthma, vomiting, loss of virility, weakness of the limbs, blockage of ducts of various kinds, sensation like a wet blanket covering the chest, a similar sensation in the heart, and dullness of the memory and understanding. Those who are suffering from indigestion, those who habitually take dry food and drink, those who have been weakened by sexual indulgence and wine and poisons, and those who are afflicted by hunger and thirst and heat, should eat myrobalans."

Other uses
Its extract is popularly used in inks, dyes, shampoos and hair oils. While this tree is native to India and Nepal, a relative of it is Phyllanthus acidus, which is grown in gardens and is sometimes confused with this species.

Because of the high tannin content in it, it is used as a mordant (fixing agent) for the fixation of dyes onto the fabric.

Social value
In Hinduism it is regarded as a sacred tree and worshipped as Mother Earth by Hindus.