Amala (Amalaki)

Latin name : Embalica Officinalis

Family : Euphorbiaceae.

A moderate sized deciduous tree, branchlets and rachis villose. Bark light grey, wood red and hard.Leaves small, pinnate, stipules minute.Flower small, monoecious in axillary fascicles. Ovary 3-celled, ovules 2 in each cell. Fruit a depressed globose, fleshy berry 1.4-3.0 cm dia.

Medicinal Characteristics :
Rasa: sour, sweet, astringent, pungent and bitter
Guna : light and dry
Virya : cold
Vipaka : sweet

Action :

• Amala alleviates all the doshas, confers longevity and strength, aphrodisiac, and is useful in fever, urinary diseases, oedema, burning sensation, vomitting, excessive thirst, haemoptysis, fatigue, eye disorders and distension of abdomen.
• It is best among the sour fruits.
• Unripe fruits are used as collyrium in certain diseases.
• the seeds are valuable in certain menstrual disorders.
• A medicated ghee prepared from amala is excellent as a tonic and rejuvenative and is useful in abdominal tumors of the pitta variety.
• It controls the toxin level of the body, reduces plaque formation, builds up the blood cells.
• It fights tuberculosis, chronic coughing and allergic & childhood asthma.
• It prevents hair falling, works as anti inflammatory, effectively suppress swelling,.
• Amala improves our immune system.
• Amala fruits provide a radiant glow on the skin and delays the onset of wrinkles, very effective in eczema.

Uses of Amala :

• Hyper acidity : 1 tsp Amala powder with milk, twice daily
• Diabetes : 1 tsp Amala juice with 1 tsp jamboo beej powder, 1 cup bitter gourd juice, early morning.
• Anxiety : 1tsp amala powder could be soaked in one cup of water over night & add 1/2 tsp peppare powder, 1 tsplime juice, 1 tsp ginger juice.
• Hair tonic : (1) Amla powder paste make with curd water & bessan. apply on the head. (2) Amla fruit piece boil in coconut oil till the solid matter becomes charred excellent in early graying and preventing hair falling.
• Cataract : (1)Triphala : eye wash is very effective. (2) Amala Rasayana : 1 tsp , twice daily.(3) Chyawanprash : 2 tsp , twice daily.
• Piles (bleeding) : juice of Amala with 250 mg guduchi satva, twice daily.
• UTI : Amala juice ofwith500 mg of turmeric powder , twice daily.
• Jaundice : Amala juice with 1 tsp of honey.