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As a continuation of the previous introductory article on the practice of Oriental Medicine of Ayurveda, we now focus on some of the main botanical ingredients that have been used for centuries to treat and prevent disease in this scientific practice. This article highlights Amalaki (also known as Amla, emblica officinalis, Indian gooseberry), a fruit that grows at the base of the Himalayas in northern India and has perhaps the best-documented botanical history within Ayurveda.

The 5,000-year-old science of Ayurveda reveres many fruits for their health-enhancing abilities, but none are celebrated like Amalaki, a fruit that has been given its own festival in India. The small green fruit called Amalaki stands alone as the most important rejuvenating botanical, or ‘rasayana’, within the Ayurvedic medicine pharmacopoeia. Amalaki, called “The Fruit of Immortality” and “The Great Rejuvenator” in the Ayurvedic tradition, has been used for thousands of years to promote better immunity, cellular detoxification, and rejuvenation. Additionally, Amalaki is widely believed to contain the most concentrated source of vitamin C in nature. This is just the beginning of the benefits that Amalaki possesses.

Ayurvedic literature documents that Amalaki has benefits on digestion, skin, hair and cell rejuvenation, improves metabolism and is anti-inflammatory. Ayurvedic scientific evidence for Amalaki has been substantiated throughout its history, and Western science has taken notice. Over the past four decades, numerous studies have been conducted on Amalaki for cholesterol improvement, cardioprotective agent, bone density increase, anti-inflammatory, antiviral, and anticancer properties, to name just a few. There is now considerable research on medical websites like PUBMED.

The ancient tradition behind Amalaki and its growing popularity outside of Eastern medicine raises many questions, one in particular. What compounds does this fruit contain that make it worthy of bridging the gap in philosophy and practice between Eastern and Western medicine?

The Amalaki fruit is home to a unique combination of ingredients that explains its use in promoting health in various organ systems. Polyphenols (ellagic acid, gallic acid, and emblicanin A and B), bioflavonoids (rutin, quercetin), and ascorbagens are the main components of Amalaki, the uses of which we are just beginning to understand in the West. together they are powerful free radical scavengers that help the body reduce damage caused by oxidative stress, thereby supporting powerful detoxification and cellular vitality. It is this unique spectrum of antioxidants that leads to the rejuvenating qualities and youth-promoting characteristics of Amalaki. Additionally, there are high amounts of amino acids and trace elements in Amalaki, and the natural ascorbagens in the fruit make vitamin C more bioavailable than any synthetic form of the vitamin.

As a society, we are beginning to understand just how important a role nutrition plays in our overall health and longevity. The most recent statistics on childhood obesity are a clear example. Now more than ever, people are turning to natural sources of healthy foods in search of alternatives that have scientific and clinical validity. I believe that as attention to Ayurvedic medicine has increased in the West, so has the evidence behind Amalaki and the other medicinal botanicals in this science. Pharmaceutical dominance in allopathic medicine probably contributes to the growing interest in holistic treatments and Eastern medicine.

If you are looking for natural medicinal alternatives, Ayurveda provides a good starting point, and Amalaki, although difficult to obtain in the West, is becoming more widely available and worth investigating.
The next installment in this series will look at another Ayurvedic botanical, one that came to the attention of the US National Institutes of Health and sparked studies that are currently underway.

To live a healthy life,

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