Amalaki (Emblica Officinalis): Definition, Properties and Usage

Amalaki is called as Indian gooshberry. It is one of the Triphala, commonly used in the preparation of Ayurveda formulation. It is most used Ayurvedic ingredients. It is both used as food and as medicine. The Amalaki name itself from the word amla which mean sour. Amalaki fruit having sour taste, as the predominant taste. 

Sanskrit name	Amalaki, Amalaka
Botanical name	Emblica officinalis Gaertn.
Family	Phyllanthaceae
Vernacular name -          English -          Indonesia -          Hindi -          Kannada -          Malayalam -          Tamil -          Bengali -          Gujarat -          Punjab -          Assam -          Manipuri -          Marathi -          Urdu -          Arab	Indian gooshberry Amla, amloko Amla, Awla, Anwla, Ambala, Amlika Nelli, Nellikai Nelli Nellikkai, Perunelli, Nellikaae Aamla, Amla, Aamalaki, Aamro Aavla, Aamlam, Aamli Aamla, Ambalo, Ambul Amlaki, Amla, Amlokhi, Amlok Heikru Aouli, Avalkati, Avil, Avla Aamla, Amal khushk Amlakhushk
Part Used	Fruit pulp
Rasa (taste)	Amla (sour) Madhura (sweet) Kaṭu (pungent) Tikta (bitter) Kaṣaya (astringent)
Guna (properties)	Laghu (light) Rukṣa (dry)
Vīrya (Potency)	Śīta (cooling)
Vipāka (metabolic effect)	Madhura (sweet)
Gaṇa (grouping)	Panca Kaṣaya Triphala Mustadi gaṇa Paruṣakadi gaṇa Amla skandha Nikumbhadi gaṇa
Action	Rasayana (rejuvenating) Vajikarana (aphrodiasiac) Cakṣusya (eye tonic) Vayasthapana (youth preserving)
Usage	Raktapitta (bleeding) Amlapitta (gastritis) Prameha (diabetes) Daha (burning sensation) Netra roga (eye disease) Kusṭha (skin disease) Arśa (hemorrhoids) Rajayakṣma (Phthisis) Pradara (leukoderma) Mutra krcchra (dysuria)
Effect to  body	Decrease vāta, pitta, kapha
Chemical content	Vitamin C Carotene Nicotinic acid Myoinositol Riboflavin Fatty acids Phyllembin Phyllemblic acid Mucic acid Embicol D-mannosyl D-glucosyl D-galactosyl residues Embicol L-rhamnosyl D-xylosyl D-arabinosyl Pectin D-fructose D-glucose Leucodelphinidin Procyanidin 3-O-gallated prodelphinidin Tannin (in bark) Ellagic acid Lupeol Oleanolic aldehyde O-acetyl oleanolic acid
Distribution	India, Indonesia, Sri Lanka, Nepal, and other tropical country
Morphology Size Leaves Flowers Fruits   Seeds Tree Bark	Up to 8-18 meters height Simple, light green, subsessile, resembling pinnate leaves. Small, greenish-yellow Round, nearly spherical, light greenish yellow, smooth, shining, presence of vertical stripes. Trigonous Brown in colour
Products	Amalaki churna Triphala churna Baladya grita Amalaki avaleha Etc.

Amalaki is tridoṣahara drug, means it give benefit to all tridoṣa or curing the disease by imbalance of vāta, pitta as well as kapha.