7 Health Benefits of Indian Gooseberry (Dosage, Side Effects)

What are the Benefits of Indian Gooseberry?

Reduces the risk of heart disease by lowering bad cholesterol (LDL).

Helps with reflux symptoms such as heartburn and vomiting.
Controls blood sugar levels.

Promotes healthy hair growth.
Helps with immunity due to its Vitamin C content.
Improves digestion and builds a strong metabolism.

Reduces inflammation.

In the video below, you can see the top 14 benefits of Amla powder:

What is Emblica Officinalis’ common name?

Emblica Officinalis is know with the common name of Indian Gooseberry. It’s also known in different languages as:

English

emblic myrobalan

French

groseillier de Ceylan
myrobalan emblic

German

Amblabaum

Hindi

amla
aonla

amalaki

Spanish

mirobalano
nelí

Swedish

emblika

Does Amla powder have Benefits for Hair?

increases scalp circulation.
stimulates hair growth.

boost length and volume.
strengthens hair roots.
reduces hair loss.

reduces graying.
treats dry scalp and prevents dandruff.
treat head lice.

See below the results of 2 studies that show examples of Amla powder for benefits hair:

Study 1

5α-reductase inhibition and hair growth promotion of some Thai plants traditionally used for hair treatment.

Many Thai traditional herbs have been used for hundreds of years for hair treatment and nourishment, including hair loss. However, scientific evidence about their mechanisms of action has not yet been clear.

Objective

The purpose of this research is to define the possible mechanisms involved in hair loss treatment of the selected plants by determining the 5α-reductase enzyme inhibition and hair growth promoting activities, and the relationship between these two activities.

Method used

Seventeen Thai plants traditionally used for hair treatment were selected. The plants were dried, ground and extracted by maceration with ethyl alcohol. These extracts were further tested for 5α-reductase inhibition using enzymes from rat livers. Hair growth promoting activity was tested in mice.

Results

Carthamus tinctorius was the most potent 5α-reductase inhibitor, with a finasteride equivalent 5α-reductase inhibitory activity (FEA) value of 24.30±1.64 mg finasteride equivalent per 1g crude extract. Carthamus tinctorius also was the most potent hair growth promoter in mice.

Phyllanthus emblica (Amla) was the second most potent inhibitor, with FEA of 18.99±0.40.
Rhinacanthus nasutus was the least potent 5α-reductase inhibitor (FEA 10.69±0.96).

There were strong relationships between 5α-reductase inhibitory activity and hair growth promoting activity, and between 5α-reductase inhibitory activity and hair follicle count.

Conclusions

Amla was the second most potent 5α-reductase inhibitor and hair growth promoter. This discovery may lead to the development of new alternative medicines for hair loss prevention and treatment.

Study 2

Clinical Study to Evaluate the Efficacy and Safety of a Hair Serum Product in Healthy Adult Male and Female Volunteers with Hair Fall

Hair fall is a widespread problem among all genders, ages, and ethnicity with both physical and psychological effects.

Objective

This clinical study was designed to evaluate the efficacy and safety of a hair serum formulation containing Amla extract, freeze-dried coconut water, and the micronutrient selenium along with sandalwood odorant and peanut shell extract in healthy male and female volunteers with hair fall.

Subject Information

Number of subjects: 4.
Study duration: 90 days.

Method used

TrichoScan® was used to evaluate the efficacy of the test product for improving hair growth rate, hair density, anagen hair, telogen hair, and the density of vellus and terminal hair.

Hair thinning and hair fall reduction were compared to its baseline by both dermatologists and subject self-assessment questionnaires.

Results

After 90 days of test product application, there was a significant improvement in:

hair growth rate
hair density
vellus hair density

terminal hair density

in comparison to baseline.

There was a significant reduction in:

hair fall with bulb
hair fall without bulb
hair thinning

compared to the baseline measurement.

Adverse events were not recorded during the study. No skin intolerance was reported during the study, and the test product was considered dermatologically safe to use.

Can you use Amla powder for Cholesterol?

Amla significantly improves (good) high-density lipoprotein-cholesterol and reduces (bad) low-density lipoprotein-cholesterol levels after 21 days. See below the details on this study:

The present study evaluated the anti-hyperglycemic and lipid-lowering properties of Emblica officinalis fruit in normal and diabetic volunteers.

Results

The results indicated a significant decrease in fasting and 2-h after eating blood glucose levels on the 21st day in both normal and diabetic subjects receiving 1, 2 or 3 g E. officinalis powder per day as compared with their baseline values.

Significant decreases were also observed in total cholesterol and triglycerides in both normal and diabetic volunteers on day 21 that were given either 2 or 3 g E. officinalis powder per day.

However, diabetic volunteers receiving only 3 g E. officinalis powder exhibited a significant decrease in total lipids on day 21.

Conclusion

Both normal and diabetic volunteers receiving 2 or 3 g E. officinalis powder significantly improved high-density lipoprotein-cholesterol and lowered low-density lipoprotein-cholesterol levels.

How much Amla powder per day?

For the common cold: Mix 2 teaspoons of Amla powder with 2 teaspoons of honey three to four times a day.

To decrease blood sugar and cholesterol: up to 3 g of Amla powder once a day.
For acid reflux: 2 Amla tablets (500 mg) twice a day, after meals, for 4 weeks.

The following study shows how much Amla powder a day you should take for GERD (Gastroesophageal reflux disease):

Study Title

Efficacy and safety of Amla (Phyllanthus emblica) in non-erosive reflux disease.

GERD, caused by the reflux of stomach contents into the esophagus, leads to troublesome symptoms such as heartburn and regurgitation. It is classified into two types:

Erosive esophagitis, characterized by visible esophageal mucosa erosion in endoscopy.

Non-erosive reflux disease (NERD).

GERD is a chronic and recurrent disease that impairs the quality of life and imposes socioeconomic and therapeutic burdens on both patients and society.

Due to the failure of the conventional treatments for GERD and to the traditional use of Amla (Phyllanthus emblica), in addition to beneficial effects shown in recent studies, we evaluated the safety and efficacy of Amla tablets for improvement of symptoms of patients with NERD.

Subject Information

Numer of Subjects: 68
Health Status: symptoms of GERD (heartburn, regurgitation and epigastralgia) for at least three months before the start of the trial.

Method Used

Patients in the Amla group received two 500 mg Amla tablets twice a day, after meals, for 4 weeks.

Patients in the control group received placebo tablets similar to the Amla prescription.

Results

Subjects were randomized in two equal groups. Frequencies of heartburn and regurgitation in both groups of the study were significantly reduced after intervention.

In the Amla group, there was a more significant reduction in

regurgitation frequency
heartburn frequency
regurgitation severity

heartburn severity

during the study period, compared with the placebo group.

Conclusion

This clinical trial demonstrated that Amla could reduce frequencies of heartburn and regurgitation and improve heartburn and regurgitation severity in patients with NERD.

What are Amla powder’s Side Effects?

Increased risk of bleeding or bruising due to blood thinning properties
Hyperacidity due to high Vitamin C content
Decrease of blood sugar levels

Decrease of blood pressure
Allergies and irritation
Dehydration and dryness

Constipation, bloating, stomach pain and diarrhea due to high fiber content

A study showed that Indian gooseberry and its processed products are rich source of vitamin C and dietary fiber, which can cause acidity and constipation.

The following study shows the blood thinning properties of Amla:

Study Information

A systematic review on the cardiovascular pharmacology of Emblica officinalis

Introduction

The Emblica officinalis (EO) fruit has traditionally been considered as a cardioactive medication and has demonstrated remarkable cardiovascular effects in the pharmacological literature. The present study reviews EO’s potential for prevention and therapy of cardiovascular diseases (CVD).

Results

19 articles concerning the cardiovascular pharmacological effects of EO were included in this review. The plant has shown the following effects:

antiatherogenic
anticoagulant
hypolipidemic

antihypertensive
antioxidant
antiplatelet

vasodilatory

as well as lipid deposition inhibitory properties.

Moreover, it improves vascular endothelial function in animal studies. Some high-quality clinical studies report the vasodilatory and myocardial antioxidant properties as well as anti-platelet aggregation effects of this plant.

Conclusion

EO influences various cardiovascular risk-factors. However, there is not sufficient evidence to confirm the plant efficacy in preventing and treating CVD.

The following study shows how Amla can lower blood pressure:

Study Information

Effects of Phyllanthus emblica extract on endothelial dysfunction and biomarkers of oxidative stress in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus

It has been reported that hyperglycemia can induce endothelial dysfunction via increased oxidative stress and that it plays a central role in the development of atherosclerosis and coronary heart disease.

Phyllanthus emblica (Emblica officinalis, amla) is known for its antioxidant and antihyperlipidemic activity. The present study compared the effects of an aqueous extract of P. emblica versus those of atorvastatin and placebo on endothelial dysfunction and biomarkers of oxidative stress in patients with type 2 diabetes.

Method Used

Eligible patients were randomized to receive either P. emblica 250 mg twice daily, P. emblica 500 mg twice daily, atorvastatin 10 mg in the evening and matching placebo in the morning, or placebo twice daily for 12 weeks.

Laboratory safety parameters were measured at baseline and after 12 weeks of treatment.

Results

80 patients completed the study.

Treatment with P. emblica 250 mg, P. emblica 500 mg, or atorvastatin 10 mg produced significant reductions in the reflection index, suggesting improvement in endothelial function after 12 weeks of treatment compared with baseline.

There was a significant improvement in biomarkers of oxidative stress and systemic inflammation compared with baseline and placebo.

Further, the treatments significantly improved the lipid profile compared with baseline and placebo. All treatments were well tolerated.

Conclusion

Both atorvastatin and P. emblica significantly improved endothelial function and reduced biomarkers of oxidative stress and systemic inflammation in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus, without any significant changes in laboratory safety parameters.

Want to know more:

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Sources

This article makes use of information from the U.S. National Library of Medicine under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

Hashem-Dabaghian F, Ziaee M, Ghaffari S, Nabati F, Kianbakht S. A systematic review on the cardiovascular pharmacology of Emblica officinalis Gaertn. J Cardiovasc Thorac Res. 2018;10(3):118-128. doi: 10.15171/jcvtr.2018.20. Epub 2018 Sep 25. PMID: 30386531; PMCID: PMC6203864.

7 Health Benefits of Indian Gooseberry (Dosage, Side Effects)