Known to have longstanding history in Ayurvedic medicine, Indian Gooseberry can be found in India, the Middle East and some Southeast Asian countries. It was once considered as a miraculous food in the ancient Ayurveda where it is used to improve digestion and promote longevity among others. It is not hard to see why it remains popular as ever, as this fruit with the scientific name of Phyllanthus emblica has plenty benefits to offer.
The Nutrients of Indian Gooseberry
The health benefits of Indian Gooseberry can be partially attributed to its high vitamin C or ascorbic acid content (up to 445 mg per 100 gram). As it is rich in vitamin C, the fruit does taste sour indeed. In addition, it also contains many minerals and vitamins such as Vitamin A, Vitamin B Complex, Vitamin E, Calcium, Phosphorus, and so on. One of the most amazing things though, is probably the fact that this fruit which is popularly known as Amla is crowned as one of the most powerful antioxidant agents compared to other fruits. Named as one of the strongest antioxidants out there, it has a whopping 261.5 mg of antioxidant per 100 gram. That is 130 times than that of strawberries! Another good news is that both the dried and fresh fruits can be consumed without having to sacrifice its nutritional value.
Furthermore, Amla has low calories (60 cal per 100 gram), full of fibre, and high water content, which makes it tastes refreshing. The abundance of antioxidants and other nutrients make it a super food and it is still used in various forms for its many health benefits to this day. Here are the health benefits of Indian Gooseberry:
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1. Protects Heart
Another benefit of amla involves the cardiovascular system. It strengthens heart muscles so blood can be pumped all over the body. It also increases the protein level in the body, which, in turn, reduces unwanted fat. In this case, Indian gooseberry lessens the amount of bad cholesterol (i.e. LDL) as well as triglycerides on the body without having an impact on the good ones (i.e. HDL). That way, it prevents the accumulation of plaque and blockage of blood flow to the heart and as such, lowering the chance of getting atherosclerosis. If the risk of atherosclerosis diminishes, one will also have smaller chance on getting heart attack or stroke.
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2. Relieves joint pain
Research showed that regular consumption of Indian gooseberry for 6 months had similar effects with that of glucosamine sulfate or drug taken to alleviate pain caused by osteoarthritis. This is because this fruit is anti inflammatory where it can reduce joint pain and blisters commonly occurred in people with arthritis.
3. Strengthens bones
Furthermore, it also strengthens the bones as it contains a lot of calcium and has the ability to lower the osteoclasts, the type of bone cells which break down bone tissue.
4. Cures sore throat and cold
As Amla is rich in Vitamin C (445 mg per 100 gram), it is likely to be beneficial in combating sore throat and cold. Ascorbic acid also helps to boost immunity, which again will be useful in trying to recover from cold and sore throat. Therefore, next time, instead of consuming lots of vitamin C supplements, try to consume Amla instead.
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5. Improves vision
Indian gooseberry can also improve vision owing to its powerful antioxidant properties. Such properties prevent retina from being exposed to free radicals and as such, lowering the risk of cataract. Moreover, its ability to improve vision can be attributed to carotene, pigment which is well-known for its positive impacts on eyesight.
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6. Ease indigestion
As mentioned earlier, Amla is very rich in fiber, just like many other fruits. Fiber of course, is very crucial in maintaining healthy bowel movement. Thus, it acts as gentle laxative where it helps food to move through the digestive system and get rid of constipation.
7. Constipation treatment
Fiber also contributes to the efficiency of digestion so the ability of body to absorb nutrients can be optimised whilst getting rid of unused components, which then leads to the improvement of the person’s overall health.
8. Gets rid of toxin
The iron content in Amla caused it to be blood purifier too. In relation to its ability to maintain healthy bowel movement, it also get rid of toxins from the body. Iron, on the other hand, helps boost the number of haemoglobin and red blood cells (or erythrocytes) in the body.
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9. Prevent Anemia
In this case, it also prevents anemia by increasing the number of haemoglobin. Furthermore, Amla also increases diuretic activity which means that it will increase the frequency of urination and as such, detoxifying. Urination, as we know, helps body to get rid of toxin, uric acid, and other excess which is not needed by our body.
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10. Acts as immunity booster
Vitamin C and other antioxidants are abundant in Amla. As such, it is not surprising that Amla can be a great immunity booster against illnesses in general. By having stronger immune, it will prevent us from getting sick and be more resistant against infections or bacteria.
11. Attack Infectious
In addition, it helps increase leucocytes which functions to attack infectious disease and foreign substances in the body and thus, protecting our bodies.
13. Improves cognitive function
Since Amla improves blood circulation by strengthening heart muscles, it also enhance cognitive function, concentration ability, as well as memory.
14. Prevent Alzheimer
Its antioxidants also protect brain cells from free radicals and in turn, protect us from brain-affecting diseases such as Alzheimer’s disease.
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15. Boosts metabolic rate
Another wonderful fact of Indian gooseberry is that it enhances our bodies’ ability in absorbing protein, which is crucial for determining our metabolic rate (i.e. how long it takes for our bodies to burn calories). This is a great news, because by increasing our metabolic activities, the better our body metabolism is going to be. Think of it this way, the better your metabolism is, the more ability you have in losing weight and increasing muscle mass.
16. Reduce bad cholesterol
Note that as mentioned above, it also helps reduce the bad cholesterol and is high in fiber, meaning that it will keep our tummy satisfy for longer period of time, both of which are of course crucial in losing weight.
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17. Eliminates free radicals
Therefore, if we think of it the other way around, by preventing free radicals from causing damage to our body, we would actually be able to age more slowly and gracefully. Likewise, such antioxidants also protect us from illnesses caused by oxidation damage.
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18. Rich of Antioxidant
As one of the strongest antioxidant agents out there, Indian Gooseberry does well in protecting body from being exposed to and being damaged by free radicals. If you do not know already, free radicals makes people age faster than they should have been.
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19. Acts as cooling properties
With vitamin C as one of its top ingredients, Amla can keep our bodies cool by managing the heat we are exposed to. This is because ascorbic acid boosts tannins, which is also contained in Amla. Tannin itself functions as heat shield. As such, if we boost tannin’s ability in acting as heat shield, our body will feel cooler despite the hot blazing sun.
20. Boosts calcium absorption
We all know just how big a role Calcium plays in our body. The good news is that Amla also helps boost calcium absorption! If calcium can be absorbed optimally, it means that we will have stronger bones and as such, keeping osteoporosis at bay. Calcium also contributes to normal heart rhythm, teeth, muscles contraction, enzymes functioning, and so on.
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21. Increases diuretic activity
Amla has very high water content and somewhat diuretic. By increasing diuretic activity, the frequency and volume of urination will also go up. That way, our body will have more chance to get rid of unwanted toxins and other excess unnecessary for our body. Therefore, boost in such activities will benefit our body and health in general.
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Indeed, there are many health benefits of Indian gooseberry or amla for health. Thus, there are still many more.
Indian Gooseberry for Beauty Treatments
However, here are more health benefits of Indian Gooseberry for skin and hair tricks:
22. Improves skin condition
As Indian Gooseberry has the ability to get rid of toxins in our bodies, consuming it on a regular basis can also improve our skin texture and condition. Its antibacterial and antioxidant properties are likely to help us control acnes which are mainly caused by inflammation and free radicals.
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23. Get Smooth Skin
On the other hand, do not forget that Amla is rich in vitamin C, which is proven to have the ability to stimulate collagen production and diminish hyper pigmentation. Therefore, it is no wonder that we will be able to have smoother and suppler skin by consuming Amla regularly.
24. Promotes healthier hair
Indian gooseberry has been long used to nourish hair and scalp, as it helps hair growth and protects hair pigmentation, which in turn helps to prevent prematurely grey hair and maintain hair color.
25. Anti Hair Loss
Thanks to carotene, iron and vitamin C that it contains, it strengthens hair roots, promotes hair growth as well as alleviating hair loss.
26. Shiny Hair
Meanwhile antioxidants help enrich hair pigmentation, making hair color stays longer and lustrous hair.
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27. Anti Dandruff
Not to mention that it has antibacterial properties to nourish scalp and getting rid of dandfruff. Amla can be used either by applying it directly on hair or by consuming the fruit.
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More Indian Gooseberry Benefits:
Thus, there are many more benefits of Indian Gooseberry:
- Acts as Anti acne
- Your best pimples solution
- Heal skin irritation
- Restore skin firmness
- Reduce pigmentation on your skin
- Brighten skin tone
- Your best natural cleanser
- Contains anti-viral properties
- Your premature hair graying solution
- Promote hair growth
- Treats scalp condition
- Make you hair black and shiny
- Lower fats contains
- It can purifies blood
- Remedy for kidney stones
- Remedy for ulcers
- Remedy for intestinal problem
- Remedy against many diseases
- Promote cardiovascular health
- Work for weight loss treatments
Overall, Amla has so many health benefits which are mainly attributed to its abundance in vitamins, minerals and other antioxidants. Now that you know just how beneficial Indian Gooseberry is, why don’t you start consuming it right away?
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