Medicinal Uses
Amalaki, one of the three constituents of the group triphala (three fruits, others being haritaki vibhitaki), is an important rasayana drug, capable of imparting youthful vigour and strength to the consumer and hence the synonyms vayastha and amrta. As a very important source of vitamin C, this is one of the major ingredients of the famous tonic Cyavanaprasam and can also help improve intelligence and memory power.
Amla fruit has been held in high esteem in indigenous medicine. It is acrid, cooling, refrigerant, diuretic, alexeteric, antipyretic, aphrodisiac alterant, tonic and trichogeneous. The raw fruit is eaten as an aperient. Dried fruit is useful in haemorrhage, diarrhoea and dysentery. In combination with iron, it is used as a remedy for anaemia, jaundice and dyspepsia. A fermented liquor prepared from the fruit is used in jaundice, dyspepsia and cough. Emblic myrobalan is used in many compound preparations. Acute bacillary dysentery may be arrested by drinking a sherbet of amla with lemon juice. Triphala, consisting of equal parts of powdered emblic myrobalan, chebulic myrobalan (Terminalia chebula Retz.) and belleric myrobalan (T.bellerica Roxb.) is used as a laxative and in headache, biliousness, dyspepsia, constipation, piles, enlarged liver and ascites. The exudation from incisions on the fruit is used as an external application for inflammation of the eye. The flowers are cooling, refrigerant and aperient. The root and bark are astringent (Kirt. & Basu, III, 2220; Nadkarni, 1914, 151; Koman, 1918, 6; Indian For., 1949, 75, 243).
Amla fruits are anabolic, anti-bacterial and resistance building. They possess expectorant, cardiotonic, antioxidative, antiviral and anti-emetic activities. The dried fruit extract is non-toxic and inhibits emesis induced by apomorphine. Fruit is used in the treatment of leucorrhoea and atherosclerosis. Its decoction is used in hyperacidity and with honey as an anthelmintic. The total extracts of the dried fruits of Momordica charantia, Amla and rhizomes of Curcuma longashow antibacterial and hypoglycaemic activity. Extracts of fruits inhibited the production of Aflatoxin B1 and B2by >50%. The fruits are also used to purify low turbidity water and can be used as a coagulant in the treatment of water [Int J Pharmacogn,1992, 30, 145;ibid, 1991, 39, 117; Ancient Sci Life, 1989, 9(1),31; Indian Drugs,1989, 26(10), 526; J Res Ayur Siddha, 1990, 11(1-4), 78; J Res Edu Ind Med,1991, 10(2), 1;Indian J Pharma Sci,1993, 55(1), 6; Indian Med,1992, 4(2), 11; Pakist J Sci Ind Res,1990, 33, 268;
Cytoprotective activity of Amla (Emblica officinalis) against chromium (VI) induced oxidative injury in murine macrophages. Phytother Res. 2003 Apr;17(4):430-3.
The cytoprotective and immunomodulating properties of Amla against chromium (VI) induced oxidative damage are reported. Chromium (VI) at 1 micro g/mL concentration was highly cytotoxic. It enhanced free radical production and decreased reduced glutathione (GSH) levels and glutathione peroxidase (GPx) activity in macrophages. The presence of Amla resulted in an enhanced cell survival, decreased free radical production and higher antioxidant levels similar to that of control cells. Further, chromium (VI) treatment resulted in decreased phagocytosis and gamma-interferon (gamma-IFN) production while Amla inhibited chromium induced immunosuppression and restored both phagocytosis and gamma-IFN production by macrophages significantly.
Amla fruit has been held in high esteem in indigenous medicine. It is acrid, cooling, refrigerant, diuretic, alexeteric, antipyretic, aphrodisiac alterant, tonic and trichogeneous. The raw fruit is eaten as an aperient. Dried fruit is useful in haemorrhage, diarrhoea and dysentery. In combination with iron, it is used as a remedy for anaemia, jaundice and dyspepsia. A fermented liquor prepared from the fruit is used in jaundice, dyspepsia and cough. Emblic myrobalan is used in many compound preparations. Acute bacillary dysentery may be arrested by drinking a sherbet of amla with lemon juice. Triphala, consisting of equal parts of powdered emblic myrobalan, chebulic myrobalan (Terminalia chebula Retz.) and belleric myrobalan (T.bellerica Roxb.) is used as a laxative and in headache, biliousness, dyspepsia, constipation, piles, enlarged liver and ascites. The exudation from incisions on the fruit is used as an external application for inflammation of the eye. The flowers are cooling, refrigerant and aperient. The root and bark are astringent (Kirt. & Basu, III, 2220; Nadkarni, 1914, 151; Koman, 1918, 6; Indian For., 1949, 75, 243).
Amla fruits are anabolic, anti-bacterial and resistance building. They possess expectorant, cardiotonic, antioxidative, antiviral and anti-emetic activities. The dried fruit extract is non-toxic and inhibits emesis induced by apomorphine. Fruit is used in the treatment of leucorrhoea and atherosclerosis. Its decoction is used in hyperacidity and with honey as an anthelmintic. The total extracts of the dried fruits of Momordica charantia, Amla and rhizomes of Curcuma longashow antibacterial and hypoglycaemic activity. Extracts of fruits inhibited the production of Aflatoxin B1 and B2by >50%. The fruits are also used to purify low turbidity water and can be used as a coagulant in the treatment of water [Int J Pharmacogn,1992, 30, 145;ibid, 1991, 39, 117; Ancient Sci Life, 1989, 9(1),31; Indian Drugs,1989, 26(10), 526; J Res Ayur Siddha, 1990, 11(1-4), 78; J Res Edu Ind Med,1991, 10(2), 1;Indian J Pharma Sci,1993, 55(1), 6; Indian Med,1992, 4(2), 11; Pakist J Sci Ind Res,1990, 33, 268;
Cytoprotective activity of Amla (Emblica officinalis) against chromium (VI) induced oxidative injury in murine macrophages. Phytother Res. 2003 Apr;17(4):430-3.
The cytoprotective and immunomodulating properties of Amla against chromium (VI) induced oxidative damage are reported. Chromium (VI) at 1 micro g/mL concentration was highly cytotoxic. It enhanced free radical production and decreased reduced glutathione (GSH) levels and glutathione peroxidase (GPx) activity in macrophages. The presence of Amla resulted in an enhanced cell survival, decreased free radical production and higher antioxidant levels similar to that of control cells. Further, chromium (VI) treatment resulted in decreased phagocytosis and gamma-interferon (gamma-IFN) production while Amla inhibited chromium induced immunosuppression and restored both phagocytosis and gamma-IFN production by macrophages significantly.