Amla or the Indian Gooseberry is highly nutritious and has amazing health benefits. Amla is a powerhouse of nutrients. Loaded with vitamin C, amla helps boost your immunity, metabolism and helps prevent common cold and cough. According to ayurveda, amla is known to balance all the processes in the body. Amla due to it’s amazing properties can be classified as an Indian super food. Amla contains 20 times more vitamin C than an orange. Amla has twice the antioxidant power of acai berry or green tea.
Ayurvedic properties
- Guna / quality : Cool, heavy
- Taste : Sour, sweet, astringent, pungent, bitter
- Taste after digestion : Sweet
- Potency : Cool
- It helps balance all three dosha
- Sourness of amla decreases the excess of vata dosha and coldness
- The soothing effect of amla reduces the pita dosha and the rough or sharp nature mitigates the kapha dosha in the body
- Amla is low on calories and is loaded with a host of phenolic phytochemicals like alkaloids, flavonoids, anthocyanins and a potent source of vitamin C and A
Nutrition value per 100 grams
- Energy : 45 calories
- Carbs : 10.18 grams
- Protein : 0.88 grams
- Total Fat : 0.58 grams
- Dietary Fiber : 4.3 grams
- It contains vitamins C, folate, vitamin A, B complex vitamins
- It also contains potassium, calcium, copper, iron, magnesium, manganese, phosphorus and zinc
Some other facts about Amla
- It helps fight common cold
- Vitamin C in amla is absorbed more easily by the body compared to other store bought supplements
- Amla helps fight infections and prevents chest congestion
- It is great for detoxification
- Amla assists natural internal cleansing and maintains regularity
- Amla improves digestion and elimination, remedy for hyper acidity
- It improves total gut health, balances digestive agni and it may also help treat IBS
- It helps in weight loss and burns fat
- Amla prevents cravings, boosts metabolism and supports weight loss
- Amla has anti inflammatory properties, it reduces acid levels in the stomach
- It also helps improve eyesight
- Amla is good for the skin and hair ; it contains anti aging properties that gives a glowing skin, reduces skin blemishes, prevents hair fall, grey hair and balding
- Amla acts as a natural blood purifier and lowers cholesterol
- It improves liver and kidney functioning and is good for diabetics as it contains chromium which makes the body more responsive to insulin and regulates the blood glucose levels
Amla Recipes
- Amla juice
- In mixed juice (carrot,beet) with rock salt and jaggery
- Is good for anemia or to purify blood
- It is not meant for people with increased kapha. Consume between 1300 hours to 1500 hours
- Amla semi boiled with turmeric
- Semi boil amla with turmeric and rock salt
- Add to boiling water and switch off the heat (preserve in same water)
- Add mustard seeds (optional)
- Amla instant pickle
- Semi boiled amla with slight tadka
- Store for upto 10-15 days in fridge
- Amla powder in buttermilk
- Dal, soup, sabzi or with water
- Has the same levels of vitamin C
- Amla is salad, chopped or grated
- Amla chutney, murabba, grated dried or supari
Fresh Fruits Dosage
- Kids : 5-7 grams
- Adukts : 10-20 grams
- Best time with or after meal to help improve digestion
Fresh Amla Juice (mixed or diluted in water)
- Kids : 1 tsp
- Adults : 4-5 tsp (25 ml)
- Best time to consume is empty stomach but those with acidity or with any other problems can have in between meals
Amla powder / churan
- Mixed in water or with meal
- Not recommended for kids
- Adults : 3-5 grams
Avoid doing this / side effects
- Avoid consuming amla during night as it is a astringent and cold which may result in some side effects
- Avoid consuming in form of tablets, candles or capsules
- Amla may increase risk of bleedingin people with bleeding disorder due to its anti platelets properties
- May increase bleeding duringor after surgery
- High dose can cause adverse effect on skin and hair
- Excess dose can cause increase in kapha
- Night dose can weaken the teeth in the same way that over exposure to citrus fruits might, eroding the tooth enamel
- Excess consumption can cause toxicity