Unlocking the Secrets of the Indian Amla Superfruit for Immunity and Vitality

Indian Amla is very commonly found in forests and gardens. It is also found at heights up to 4500 ft. Plants grown in gardens have larger fruits as compared to the wild plants grown in forests. The leaves are like those of tamarind plant except that these are slightly bigger in size and thus known as Shatapatra. These are also used as offerings to lord Shiva. According to Charaka, because of its cool nature, Indian Amla is rich in chemicals which promote longevity and retard the aging process. Ayurveda text refers to Indian Amla as immortality fruit- Amrit Phal or foster mother Dhatri. Indian Amla is found in two types:

1. Wild Amla which is small and hard
2. Cultivated Amla which is big in size, sweet and pulpy.

in a tamarind plant. Flowers are yellowish in color and are arranged in bunches in the long flower bearing stalks. Fruits are round 1⁄2 to 1 inch in diameter, fruits are pulpy and yellowish in color. When ripe, the fruit turns red. The seed also has six segments. The plant bears flowers in February-March and fruits in October – April.

Chemical Composition of Amla

Indian Amla is rich in Vitamin C. It has 20 times more Vitamin C compared to orange. It also contains gallic acid, tannic acid, carbohydrates, albumen, cellulose and calcium.

Each 100gm of fruit pulp and juice contains: Water-81.2 mg, Protein-0.5 mg, Fat-0.1 mg, Phosphorus-0.02 mg, calcium-0.05 mg, Iron-1.2 mg, Nicotinic acid-0.2 mg. Amount of tannin found in various parts of the plant is as follows:

Fruit-28%, branches-21%, bark-8.9%, leave -22%. Fruits contain two forms of Tannin. In the seeds, there is a brownish-yellow colored oil (16%).

Properties of indian Amla

1. The fruit has stool binding properties, and is a blood and urine purifier, It promotes the taste and is beneficial in curing diarrhea, burning sensation, jaundice, bleeding diathesis, gout, piles, constipation, indigestion, breathing disorders, cough etc. It improves eyesight, sexual potency and promotes longevity.
2. It is a tridosa healer. Its acid suppresses vata, mild cool- ness suppresses pitta, and arid astringence suppresses kapha.
3. It acts like an anti-dermatosis and anti-pyretic.
4. It is healthy for heart and is a blood purifier.
5. It stimulates sexual desire and stabilizes the womb.
6. It cures cough and cold (kapha pitta nashak), cures burning sensation due to dermatoses. It is beneficial for eyes and digestive system and also cures difficult and incurable fever.
7. Indian Amla along with barad and pippali cures all types of fevers.
8. Indian Amla is bit sweet and sour and in taste. Its juice is good for eyes.

Medicinal usage

Eye Disorders: Take 20-50 gm Indian Amla. Grind them solid and boil with 1⁄2-liter water for 2 hours. Strain the water and put a few drops in eyes, thrice a day. It is beneficial in all types of disorders.

Eye Swelling: When the fruit is still on the tree, prick it and collect the juice that oozes out of it. Apply this juice all around the eye. It cures the swelling.

Conjunctivitis: Put a few drops of Indian amla juice in the eyes or take 4 gm extract of Sabijan. leaves and mix it with 250 rock salt. Mix the two and use this mixture mg to rinse the eyes.

Boils in the eyes: Take 7 gm Indian Amla fruit and grind it solid with cold water. After 2-3 hours squeeze the Amla fruit and discard. In the water, soak fresh fruits. After 2-4 hours, squeeze these fruits and discard them too. Repeat this 3-4 times and then from the resultant solution, put a few drops in the eyes. This cure boils of the eyes.

Hair problems:

1. Take 30 gm dried amla, 10 gm baheda, 50 gm mango seed and 10 gm iron powder. Soak all the elements in a vessel overnight. Apply this every day on hair. Prematurely grey hair turns black with this treatment.
2. Prepare decoction of Amla, reetha, and shikakai. Wash hair with this decoction. It makes the hair soft, dense and long. Brahmi Amla hair oil is also beneficial for hair.
3. Take Amla and mango seed and prepare a paste. Apply this paste on hair. It results in strong and long hair.

Nasal Bleeding: Prepare paste of black plum (Jamun), mango and Amla with kanji. Apply this paste on the forehead. It immediately stops nasal bleeding.

Voice problems: Take equal quantities of celery seeds (Ajmoda), turmeric powder, Amla, Yavakshar and chitrak. Take 1-2 gm powder with 2 teaspoonful honey and 1 teaspoonful ghee and let the patient lick this mixture. It cures all types of voice problems.

Hiccoughs

1. Take 2 gm each of the powder of long pepper (pipalli), Amla, and ginger root and mix 10 gm of sugar and 1 teaspoonful honey in the mixture. Give this mixture repeatedly. It cures hiccoughs and breathing problems.
2. Take 10-20 gm Amla extract and 2-3 gm Peepar powder. Take this mixture with 2 teaspoonful honey, twice a day, it cures hiccoughs.
3. For hiccoughs and vomiting, take 10-20 gm Amla extract with 5-10 gm sugar. It brings immediate relief. Take this mixture 2-3 times a day. 10-15 gm of this powder can be taken with water.

Acidity/peptic disorder

1. Take 1-2 fresh Amla fruit with sugar or take 25 gm juice of Amla with equal amount of honey, every morning and evening. It eradicates problems of sour hiccoughs, and acidity.
2. Take 10 gm Amla seeds and soak them in water overnight. Next day, grind the soaked seeds in cow’s milk. Give this paste along with 250 gm cow’s milk to the patient. It cures acidity.

Vomiting

1. In case of vomiting due to tridosa, grind Amla and dakh. Mix 40 gm sugar, 40 gm honey and 160 ml water in it. Strain the solution through a fine cloth and give the strained solution to the patient.
2. Take 20 gm Amla juice with 1 teaspoonful honey and 10 ml white sandalwood water. Mix them all and give to the patient. It immediately cures vomiting.

Colitis: Prepare decoction of Amla leaves with fenugreek seeds. Give 10-20 gm of this decoction twice a day to the patient. It cures colitis.

Jaundice: To cure liver weakness and jaundice, prepare a paste of Amla fruit with honey. Give this paste to the patient every morning and evening.

Dysurea: Take 10-20 gm extract of fresh bark of Amla. Add 2 gm turmeric and 10 gm honey to it. Give this mixture to the patient every morning and evening. Purgation: In case of bleeding disorders and especially in patients, who must be cleansed, give 20-40 ml Amla extract mixed with honey and sugar.

Constipation: Amla fruits’ powder can be used as triphala powder, to cure liver enlargement, headache, constipation, piles and indigestion. This powder should be given in quantities of 3-6 thrice a day. 3-6 gm with water, gm triphala powder can be given orally with warm water, at night before going to the bed. It cures constipation.

Piles, hemorrhoids: Take Amla fruits and grind them well. Apply the paste on the inside of an earthen pot. Fill with butter milk and keep for some time. Give this the pot buttermilk to the patient. It is beneficial in curing piles.

Burning sensation in semen: Take 10 gm powder of seedless, dried Amla fruits. Add double the quantity of sugar in it. Give this mixture to the patient and then let the patient drink 250 gm water over it. Administer this mixture for 15 days. It helps burning sensation in semen.

Bleeding piles. In case of excessive bleeding from piles boils, give 3-8 gm Amla powder with thick layer of the curd, 2-3 times a day.

Blood dysentery: In case of excessive bleeding in bowels due to diarrhea, take 10-20 gm Amla extract and mix with honey and 5 gm ghee. Mix all of them and give to the patient. Also, give 10 ml goat milk after the mixture.

Dysurea: Take 20 gms of Amla juice and sprinkle cardamom powder on it. Give this mixture to the patient 2-3 times a day. It cures dysurea.

Leucorrhea: Take 20-30 of Amla seeds and grind them with water. Strain the water and add 2 teaspoonful honey and sugar in it. Give this mixture to the patient. It is beneficial in curing white leucorrhea. Take 3-6 gm seeds and blend them in water. Strain the solution and add honey and sugar to it. Give this to the patient. It shows results within 3 days.

Burning sensation:

1. Take equal quantities of Amla, harada (Myrobalan), babeda, nut-grass, darubaldi, deodar. Prepare the decoction and give 10-20 gm decoction to the patient every morning and evening.
2. Take equal quantities of Amla, guduchi, margosa bark (neem) and parwal (pointed gourd) leaves. Take of mixture and soak it in 500 gm water for 12 hours. Strain and then boil the mixture. When the water is reduced to 1/4th, add 2 teaspoonful honey cures burning sensation. in it. Give this mixture to the patient thrice a day. It cures burning sensation.

Pitta disorders: Take equal quantities of Amla juice, honey and ghee. Blend them. This mixture helps cure pitta dosas, blood impurities and resultant eye disorders. It cures night blindness and problems of eye lids.

Excessive urination: Take 1 ripe banana, 10 gm Amla extract, 4 gm honey and 250 gm milk. Mix them all and give to the patient.

Excessive bleeding: Take 20 gm Amla juice and mix à cumin seed powder. Give this mixture twice a day. In case fresh Amla is not available, take 20 powder of dried Amla fruit and soak it in water overnight. Give this solution to patient next day morning. Similarly, soak powder in the morning and give it to the patient in the evening. Frequent bleeding due to pitta can be cured if this treatment is administered patiently.

Weakened state of digestion power fire: Crush the cooked Amla fruits and add appropriate quantities of black pepper, ginger root powder, rock salt, roasted cumin seeds and asfoetida. Prepare small balls from the mixture and let them dry in shade. Give these to the patient. It helps cure the spleen disorders, which cures low body fire and any excretory disorders. It also quenches thirst.

Diarrhea: Grind 5-6 Amla fruits with water and apply it around the belly button of the patient. Also mix ginger juice with the paste. With this treatment, even a free flowing diarrhea gets cured.

Urinary obstruction: Grind 5-6 Amla fruits and apply the paste.

Vaginal inflammation: Take 20 ml juice and add 5 sugar and 10 gm honey. Give this mixture to the patient. It relieves the inflammation.

Liver problem/Jaundice

1. Give 125 mg to 250 mg ash with 1-2 Amla fruits to the patient. It is beneficial in curing liver disorders like jaundice and anemia.
2. Give 2-5 gm of Amla powder with 1 teaspoonful of honey, every morning to the patient, on empty stomach. It relieves liver pain.

Syphilis/Gonorrhea: Mix 2-5 gm of Amla powder in one glass of water. Give this water to the patient to drink as well as rinse the urinary organs with it. It helps cure swelling and burning sensation. It heals the wound and controls the formation of pus in the wound.

Gout: Prepare decoction of turmeric powder, Amla fruits, and nagarmotha. Take 50-60 gm of this decoction and mix it with 2 teaspoonsful of honey, Give this mixture to the patient, thrice a day. It helps cure gout.

Arthritis: Take 20 gm dried Amla fruits and 20 gm jaggery. Boil them in 500 gm water till it is reduced to 250 gm water. Strain the solution and give this to the patient every morning and evening. It is beneficial in curing arthritis. During treatment, patient must avoid salt.

Fever: Decoction of nagarmotha, indrajau, barad, baheda, Amla, katuki, and phalsa cures fever.

Bleeding diatheris:

1. It is used in curing disorders due to any of the tridosas, especially in case of hereditary disorders, bleeding and urinary disorders. So after cleansing of body, give 10-20 ml Amla juice with 2 gm turmeric powder and 1 teaspoonful honey, thrice a day.
2. In case of bleeding disorders, vomiting with blood may be due to ulcer/wound in the stomach. In such a case, give 5-10 gm of Amla powder with curd or 10-20 gm decoction with jaggery.

Fever infection: Prepare decoction with equal quantities of Amla fruit, jasmine leaves, nagarmotha, and Ywasa. Give 1/4 part of it with jaggery to the patient. It helps cure all the infections in the body.

Fever due to Pitta: Extract juice of ripe Amla fruits and grind them till it becomes a thick paste. Add more juice to it and grind to form dough. Grind it to form fine powder. This powder is very effective in curing pitta. Give 2-5 gm of this powder twice a day, regularly. It helps cure thirst, anxiety and fever.

Erysipelas: Take 10-20 gm juice of Amla and mix it with 10 gm ghee. Give this mixture to the patient 2-3 times a day. It cures visarpa.

Dermatoses: Take equal quantities of Amla fruit and margosa leaves. Give 2-6 gm or up to 10 gm of this mixture with honey every morning to the patient. It helps cure even the serious forms of dermatoses.

Eczema/Itching: Burn the Amla seed into ash. Mix coconut oil in it and apply it on any type of eczema or itching area.

Ulcer, wound: Apply Amla milk on the wounds. It helps cure the painful ulcers and wounds.

Fatigue, burning sensation: Mix 10 gm jaggery in 100 gm Amla decoction and give this in little quantities to the patient to drink. It helps cure fatigue, burning sensation, pain, bleeding disorders and micturition disorders.

Pitta disorders: Give 1-2 pieces of Amla jam to the patient every morning on, empty stomach. It helps cure all types of pitta disorders.

Cut: In case of any cut on the body due to knife or any other such sharp object leading to severe blood flow, immediately apply Amla extract on the cut.

Longevity

1. Take Amla powder with ghee, honey or water at night. It energizes the eye and nasal nerves and helps regain youth.
2. Take 3-6 gm Amla powder and mix it in Amla juice. When given with 2 teaspoonful honey and 1 teaspoonful ghee, two times a day followed by milk, even a very old person feels energized.