'The Elixir of Life'-Indian Gooseberry Amla's benefits to you can make you run after it!

How much health conscious are you? Well of late everyone is become so conscious to health and we don't want to compromise with it anyway! We do spend hours in the gym for building a healthy body. Moreover we all know the benefits of meditation or yoga in our life.In this way we also never neglects food that we took.Today I am going to write about the Indian Gooseberry which has never ending benefits to us. Probably you never heard of it. But I am sure after reading the post you will be searching for it in Amazon :)

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Source: Pixabay

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Indian Gooseberry commonly called as amla has several medicinal property so it has termed as the 'elixir of life'.

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As like the Mitochondria which is called the powerhouse of cell similarly amla is also termed as the powerhouse of nutrients. The essential mineral and vitamin it contains are not only good for our health but also beneficial for preventing and managing many widespread diseases.It can be eaten raw, powedered, juiced or pickled/jam and all forms are good for our health.

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Phyllanthus emblica aka amla or amalaki (in Sanskrit) is a deciduous tree of the family phyllanthaceae. It is found in abundance in the sub-tropical mountainous regions of southeast Asia, which includes India, Thailand, Indonesia, and China.

In India it is widely consumed in the form of pickles, jams, and powdered forms, besides being eaten raw.Some large local consumer firms such as Patanjali Ayurved, Dabur, Himalaya etc produce several products of amla and distributes all across the globe.

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Source: Pixabay

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It has been a common ingredient in the ancient Indian medicinal practice of Ayurveda. It’s a potent source of Vitamin C and also contains iron and calcium. Because it is so versatile, it has become a favourite among the health conscious people.

Amla is an excellent source of vitamin C and hence it helps to boost our immunity, metabolism and prevents viral and bacterial illness including cold and cough. Its nutritional property has a range of polyphenols that are known to fight against the development of cancer cells. According to Ayurveda, amla juice is known to balance all the processes in the body and brings to equilibrium all three doshas - vata, kapha, pitta.

Source: Pixabay

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Benefits and uses of Amla:

You have already got to know some of the benefits of amla. But that was nothing compared to the infinite list of benefits that amla holds.First of all I would like to tell you the antioxidant property of Amla. Now you must have known ORAC test is a good way to measure the antioxidant activity. Let me tell you that Amla powder ranks the highest here.
Note: coffee cherry is the highest antioxidant fruit but that's assuming not counting the seed in the measurement.

fresh blueberries	4669
spirulina powder	5970
maca powder	6100
fresh wild blueberries	9621
fresh black raspberries	19220
acai powder	102700
amla poweder	261500

The above is a result of an ORAC test per 100gm of the given. Well now you decide is having a little amount of amla/amla powder is good or bad for you!

Everyone knows fresh oranges are rich in vitamin C i.e Ascorbic acid. But if I tell you that compared to oranges amla has 20-30 times the concentration of vitamin C. Is it shocking for you?

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Drinking Arsenic contaminated water can cause cancer in spleen,lungs and kidneys. In a recent study involving male mice, arsenic contaminated water was given daily but some of them were treated with amla leaf extract.There was a significant result came out of the study. The group of mice treated without amla had enlarged spleen, lungs and kidneys whereas the other one which were treated with amla leaf extract had comparable to normal body organ. Below is a graph showing the difference.
Source: Superfoodly

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Here, I would like to add some major uses of amla with some short notes. I know I cannot put all of them together in the post but will try to provide the ones that we need to know about.

1.Slows down ageing process

We have come through the antioxidant property of amla. It is so rich in antioxidant which are effective in reducing cell damage.It reduces the effect of free radicals which are responsible for damaging protein, DNA and cell membrane and fighting against the ageing.

2.Cures a sore throat

Amla juice mixed with a few pieces of chopped ginger and mixed with a tablespoon of honey has been proven to be an effective treatment for a cough and a sore throat.Well I have been using this whenver I suffered from cold and cough.

3.Effective against heart disease

High cholesterol is the leading cause of heart disease. By reducing the build up of bad cholesterol, Amla reduces the risk of heart disease. It also reduces clogging in the arteries by boosting good cholesterol or HDL.It also prevents the thickening of blood vessel walls, the first sign of heart disease.

4.Increases metabolic activity

Amla has a great property of absorption of protein. Our body can't absorb protein in their natural state. By doing this it helps us to burn calories at a faster rate which in turn help us to have a better metabolic rate.

5.Reduces blood sugar

Amla is rich in polyphenols by means of which it protects the body from high blood sugar.It also helps the proper absorption of insulin. Thus it is very effective for the people with diabetes.It should be a part of their daily diet.

6.Prevents the formation of Gall Bladder stone

Unwanted cholesterol is the primary cause of Gall Bladder stone.Well the ascorbic acid from amla helps in converting the cholesterol into bile in the liver which in turn helps in digestion.So consuming amla regularly keeps us away from unwanted cholesterol and the formation Gall Bladder stone.

7.Improves eyesight

Research says that having amla regularly in diet helps in a better eyesight. It also helps in curing itchy and sore eyes.

8.Reduces the risk of cancer

Since amla is rich in antioxidant and it also has a good range of polyphenols that are effective against free radicals and reduces cell damage.

9.Increases hair growth

Applying it on hair, nourishes the scalp and root of hair and thus helps in the growth of long hair.

10.Makes skin glow and brighten

Since amla is rich in vitamin C, it provides the skin a young and youthful look. Also removes the dead skin cell.

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How to have it?

Amla is a superfruit wheather eaten raw,juiced,powdered or jam it is beneficial for our health.It is best to have amla juice first thing in the morning either before going for a morning walk or having after it.Have a small portion (20-30 ml) diluted in a glass of water. One can choose to mix a bit of lemon juice and honey to enhance the effectiveness. Accordimg to study mixing amla juice with jamun (Indian blackberry) and karela juice (bitter gourd) to manage diabetes better. People who are fighting high cholesterol levels and hair issues, amla juice in combination with aloe vera juice does wonders. Also amla juice taken right before sleeping helps in an improved eyesight; it also helps in detoxifying the ill-effects of junk food.

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Well that's all in the post.So what do you think? Would you like to have it in your diet regularly? Well tell me in the comment section.Hope you liked my post and hope it will help you! Stay healthy :)

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Reference

1)m.food.ndtv.com
2)Stylecraze.com
3)Superfoodly.com
4)Qz.com
5)The Plant List: A Working List of All Plant Species
6)National R&D Facility for Rasayana - Amalaki

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Find my previous article: Buoyant Force- The fluid force and it's impact on substance to substance

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