Aamalaki, Amalaki, Amblabaum, Amla, Amla Berry, Aonla, Aovla, Arbre de Malacca, Arbre Myrobolan, Dhatriphala, Emblic, Emblica, Emblica officinalis, Emblic Myrobalan, Groseille à Maquereau Indienne, Groseille Indienne, Groseillier de Ceylan, Grosella de la India, Indian-Gooseberry, Mirobalano, Myrobalan Emblic, Mirobalanus embilica, Neli, Phyllanthus emblica, Yu Gan Zi.
Indian gooseberry is a tree that grows in India, the Middle East, and some southeast Asian countries. Indian gooseberry has been used in Ayurvedic medicine for thousands of years. Today people still use the fruit of the tree to make medicine.
Indian gooseberry is taken by mouth for high cholesterol, “hardening of the arteries” (atherosclerosis), diabetes, pain and swelling of the pancreas (pancreatitis), cancer, upset stomach, eye problems, joint pain, diarrhea, bloody diarrhea (dysentery), osteoarthritis, obesity, and “organ restoration.” It is also used to kill germs and reduce pain and swelling caused by the body's reaction to injury or illness (inflammation).
How does it work?
Indian gooseberry seems to work by reducing total cholesterol levels, including the fatty acids called triglycerides, without affecting levels of the “good cholesterol” called high-density lipoprotein (HDL).
QUESTION
Next to red peppers, you can get the most vitamin C from ________________. See AnswerInsufficient Evidence to Rate Effectiveness for...
- High cholesterol. Early research suggests that taking Indian gooseberry for 4 weeks decreases low-density lipoprotein (LDL, or “bad”) cholesterol in people with high cholesterol.
- Osteoarthritis. Research shows that taking two capsules of an Ayurvedic formula containing Indian gooseberry and several other ingredients three times daily for 24 weeks is as beneficial as taking glucosamine sulfate or the drug celecoxib for reducing pain in people with knee osteoarthritis.
- Hardening of the arteries (atherosclerosis).
- Cancer.
- Swelling of the pancreas.
- Indigestion.
- Eye problems.
- Joint pain.
- Diarrhea.
- Bloody diarrhea (dysentery).
- Obesity.
- Diabetes.
- Other conditions.
Natural Medicines Comprehensive Database rates effectiveness based on scientific evidence according to the following scale: Effective, Likely Effective, Possibly Effective, Possibly Ineffective, Likely Ineffective, and Insufficient Evidence to Rate (detailed description of each of the ratings).
Indian gooseberry seems LIKELY SAFE for most people when consumed in amounts found in foods. Ayurvedic formulations containing Indian gooseberry have been linked to liver damage. But, it's not clear if taking Indian gooseberry alone might have these effects.
SLIDESHOW
Vitamin D Deficiency: How Much Vitamin D Is Enough? See SlideshowBleeding disorders: Indian gooseberry might increase the risk of bleeding or bruising in some people. If you have a bleeding disorder, use Indian gooseberry with caution.
Diabetes: Indian gooseberry might decrease blood sugar levels. Your diabetes medications might need to be adjusted by your healthcare provider.
Liver disease: In theory, taking Indian gooseberry with ginger, Tinospora cordifolia, and Indian frankincense might make liver function worse in people with liver disease. But it's not known if taking Indian gooseberry alone can have these effects.
Surgery: Indian gooseberry might increase the risk of bleeding during and after surgery. Stop taking Indian gooseberry at least 2 weeks before a scheduled surgery.
Medications for diabetes (Antidiabetes drugs)Interaction Rating: Moderate Be cautious with this combination.Talk with your health provider.
Indian gooseberry might decrease blood sugar. Diabetes medications are also used to lower blood sugar. Taking Indian gooseberry along with diabetes medications might cause your blood sugar to go too low. Monitor your blood sugar closely.
Some medications used for diabetes include glimepiride (Amaryl), glyburide (DiaBeta, Glynase PresTab, Micronase), insulin, pioglitazone (Actos), rosiglitazone (Avandia), chlorpropamide (Diabinese), glipizide (Glucotrol), tolbutamide (Orinase), and others.
Medications that can harm the liver (Hepatotoxic drugs)Interaction Rating: Moderate Be cautious with this combination.Talk with your health provider.
Some Ayurvedic formulations that contain Indian gooseberry have been linked to liver damage. While it's not clear if Indian gooseberry or other ingredients in these formulations caused the liver damage, in theory, taking Indian gooseberry along with medication that might also harm the liver can increase the risk of liver damage.
Some medications that can harm the liver include acetaminophen (Tylenol), amiodarone (Cordarone), carbamazepine (Tegretol), isoniazid (INH), methotrexate (Rheumatrex), methyldopa (Aldomet), and many others.
Medications that slow blood clotting (Anticoagulant / Antiplatelet drugs)Interaction Rating: Moderate Be cautious with this combination.Talk with your health provider.
Indian gooseberry might slow blood clotting. Taking Indian gooseberry along with medications that also slow clotting might increase the chances of bruising and bleeding.
Some medications that slow blood clotting include aspirin, clopidogrel (Plavix), diclofenac (Voltaren, Cataflam, others), ibuprofen (Advil, Motrin, others), naproxen (Anaprox, Naprosyn, others), dalteparin (Fragmin), enoxaparin (Lovenox), heparin, warfarin (Coumadin), and others.
The appropriate dose of Indian gooseberry depends on several factors such as the user's age, health, and several other conditions. At this time there is not enough scientific information to determine an appropriate range of doses for Indian gooseberry. Keep in mind that natural products are not always necessarily safe and dosages can be important. Be sure to follow relevant directions on product labels and consult your pharmacist or physician or other healthcare professional before using.
Report Problems to the Food and Drug Administration
You are encouraged to report negative side effects of prescription drugs to the FDA. Visit the FDA MedWatch website or call 1-800-FDA-1088.
Al Rehaily, A. J., Al Howiriny, T. A., Al Sohaibani, M. O., and Rafatullah, S. Gastroprotective effects of 'Amla' Emblica officinalis on in vivo test models in rats. Phytomedicine. 2002;9(6):515-522. View abstract.
Bafna, P. A. and Balaraman, R. Anti-ulcer and anti-oxidant activity of pepticare, a herbomineral formulation. Phytomedicine. 2005;12(4):264-270. View abstract.
D'Souza, P., Amit, A., Saxena, V. S., Bagchi, D., Bagchi, M., and Stohs, S. J. Antioxidant properties of Aller-7, a novel polyherbal formulation for allergic rhinitis. Drugs Exp.Clin.Res. 2004;30(3):99-109. View abstract.
Duan, W., Yu, Y., and Zhang, L. Antiatherogenic effects of phyllanthus emblica associated with corilagin and its analogue. Yakugaku Zasshi 2005;125(7):587-591. View abstract.
Jain, S. K. and Khurdiya, D. S. Vitamin C enrichment of fruit juice based ready-to-serve beverages through blending of Indian gooseberry (Emblica officinalis Gaertn.) juice. Plant Foods Hum.Nutr. 2004;59(2):63-66. View abstract.
Jose, J. K. and Kuttan, R. Hepatoprotective activity of Emblica officinalis and Chyavanaprash. J Ethnopharmacol. 2000;72(1-2):135-140. View abstract.
Jose, J. K., Kuttan, G., and Kuttan, R. Antitumour activity of Emblica officinalis. J Ethnopharmacol. 2001;75(2-3):65-69. View abstract.
Kaur, S., Michael, H., Arora, S., Harkonen, P. L., and Kumar, S. The in vitro cytotoxic and apoptotic activity of Triphala--an Indian herbal drug. J Ethnopharmacol. 2-10-2005;97(1):15-20. View abstract.
Khan, M. T., Lampronti, I., Martello, D., Bianchi, N., Jabbar, S., Choudhuri, M. S., Datta, B. K., and Gambari, R. Identification of pyrogallol as an antiproliferative compound present in extracts from the medicinal plant Emblica officinalis: effects on in vitro cell growth of human tumor cell lines. Int.J.Oncol. 2002;21(1):187-192. View abstract.
Lambertini, E., Lampronti, I., Penolazzi, L., Khan, M. T., Ather, A., Giorgi, G., Gambari, R., and Piva, R. Expression of estrogen receptor alpha gene in breast cancer cells treated with transcription factor decoy is modulated by Bangladeshi natural plant extracts. Oncol.Res. 2005;15(2):69-79. View abstract.
Lambertini, E., Piva, R., Khan, M. T., Lampronti, I., Bianchi, N., Borgatti, M., and Gambari, R. Effects of extracts from Bangladeshi medicinal plants on in vitro proliferation of human breast cancer cell lines and expression of estrogen receptor alpha gene. Int J Oncol. 2004;24(2):419-423. View abstract.
Manjunatha, S., Jaryal, A. K., Bijlani, R. L., Sachdeva, U., and Gupta, S. K. Effect of Chyawanprash and vitamin C on glucose tolerance and lipoprotein profile. Indian J Physiol Pharmacol 2001;45(1):71-79. View abstract.
Nemmani, K. V., Jena, G. B., Dey, C. S., Kaul, C. L., and Ramarao, P. Cell proliferation and natural killer cell activity by polyherbal formulation, Immu-21 in mice. Indian J Exp.Biol. 2002;40(3):282-287. View abstract.
Niture, S. K., Rao, U. S., and Srivenugopal, K. S. Chemopreventative strategies targeting the MGMT repair protein: augmented expression in human lymphocytes and tumor cells by ethanolic and aqueous extracts of several Indian medicinal plants. Int J Oncol. 2006;29(5):1269-1278. View abstract.
Rajak, S., Banerjee, S. K., Sood, S., Dinda, A. K., Gupta, Y. K., Gupta, S. K., and Maulik, S. K. Emblica officinalis causes myocardial adaptation and protects against oxidative stress in ischemic-reperfusion injury in rats. Phytother.Res. 2004;18(1):54-60. View abstract.
Rajeshkumar, N. V., Pillai, M. R., and Kuttan, R. Induction of apoptosis in mouse and human carcinoma cell lines by Emblica officinalis polyphenols and its effect on chemical carcinogenesis. J.Exp.Clin.Cancer Res. 2003;22(2):201-212. View abstract.
Rege, N. N., Thatte, U. M., and Dahanukar, S. A. Adaptogenic properties of six rasayana herbs used in Ayurvedic medicine. Phytother.Res 1999;13(4):275-291. View abstract.
Sabu, M. C. and Kuttan, R. Anti-diabetic activity of medicinal plants and its relationship with their antioxidant property. J Ethnopharmacol. 2002;81(2):155-160. View abstract.
Sandhya, T. and Mishra, K. P. Cytotoxic response of breast cancer cell lines, MCF 7 and T 47 D to triphala and its modification by antioxidants. Cancer Lett. 7-18-2006;238(2):304-313. View abstract.
Sandhya, T., Lathika, K. M., Pandey, B. N., and Mishra, K. P. Potential of traditional ayurvedic formulation, Triphala, as a novel anticancer drug. Cancer Lett. 1-18-2006;231(2):206-214. View abstract.
Scartezzini, P. and Speroni, E. Review on some plants of Indian traditional medicine with antioxidant activity. J Ethnopharmacol. 2000;71(1-2):23-43. View abstract.
Shanmugasundaram, K. R., Seethapathy, P. G., and Shanmugasundaram, E. R. Anna Pavala Sindhooram--an antiatherosclerotic Indian drug. J.Ethnopharmacol. 1983;7(3):247-265. View abstract.
Sharma, N., Trikha, P., Athar, M., and Raisuddin, S. In vitro inhibition of carcinogen-induced mutagenicity by Cassia occidentalis and Emblica officinalis. Drug Chem.Toxicol. 2000;23(3):477-484. View abstract.
Srikumar, R., Parthasarathy, N. J., Shankar, E. M., Manikandan, S., Vijayakumar, R., Thangaraj, R., Vijayananth, K., Sheeladevi, R., and Rao, U. A. Evaluation of the growth inhibitory activities of Triphala against common bacterial isolates from HIV infected patients. Phytother.Res. 2007;21(5):476-480. View abstract.
Tasduq, S. A., Kaisar, P., Gupta, D. K., Kapahi, B. K., Maheshwari, H. S., Jyotsna, S., and Johri, R. K. Protective effect of a 50% hydroalcoholic fruit extract of Emblica officinalis against anti-tuberculosis drugs induced liver toxicity. Phytother.Res. 2005;19(3):193-197. View abstract.
Yokozawa, T., Kim, H. Y., Kim, H. J., Okubo, T., Chu, D. C., and Juneja, L. R. Amla (Emblica officinalis Gaertn.) prevents dyslipidaemia and oxidative stress in the ageing process. Br.J Nutr. 2007;97(6):1187-1195. View abstract.
Zhang, Y. J., Abe, T., Tanaka, T., Yang, C. R., and Kouno, I. Phyllanemblinins A-F, new ellagitannins from Phyllanthus emblica. J Nat Prod 2001;64(12):1527-1532. View abstract.
Zhang, Y. J., Nagao, T., Tanaka, T., Yang, C. R., Okabe, H., and Kouno, I. Antiproliferative activity of the main constituents from Phyllanthus emblica. Biol.Pharm Bull. 2004;27(2):251-255. View abstract.
Anila L, Vijayalakshmi NR. Beneficial effects of flavonoids from Sesamum indicum, Emblica officinalis and Momordica charantia. Phytother Res 2000;14:592-5. View abstract.
Asmawi MZ, Kankaanranta H, Moilanen E, Vapaatalo H. Anti-inflammatory activities of Emblica officinalis Gaertn leaf extracts. J Pharm Pharmacol 1993;45:581-4. View abstract.
Bhattacharya A, Chatterjee A, Ghosal S, Bhattacharya SK. Antioxidant activity of active tannoid principles of Emblica officinalis (amla). Indian J Exp Biol 1999;37:676-80. View abstract.
Chaudhuri, R. K. Emblica cascading antioxidant: a novel natural skin care ingredient. Skin Pharmacol Appl Skin Physiol 2002;15(5):374-380. View abstract.
Chevallier A. Encyclopedia of Medicinal Plants. New York, NY: DK Publishing 1996;202.
Chopra A, Saluja M, Tillu G, Sarmukkaddam S, Venugopalan A, Narsimulu G, Handa R, Sumantran V, Raut A, Bichile L, Joshi K, Patwardhan B. Ayurvedic medicine offers a good alternative to glucosamine and celecoxib in the treatment of symptomatic knee osteoarthritis: a randomized, double-blind, controlled equivalence drug trial. Rheumatology (Oxford) 2013;52(8):1408-17. View abstract.
Dev S. Ancient-modern concordance in Ayurvedic plants: some examples. Environ Health Perspect 1999;107:783-9. View abstract.
GRIN Taxonomy. Available at: http://www.ars-grin.gov/cgi-bin/npgs/html/tax_search.pl? (Accessed 27 February 2000).
Hu JF. [Inhibitory effects of Phyllanthus emblica juice on formation of N-nitrosomorpholine in vitro and N-nitrosoproline in rat and human]. Chung Hua Yu Fang I Hsueh Tsa Chih 1990;24:132-5. View abstract.
Ihantola-Vormisto A, Summanen J, Kankaanranta H, et al. Anti-inflammatory activity of extracts from leaves of Phyllanthus emblica. Planta Med 1997;63:518-24. View abstract.
Jacob A, Pandey M, Kapoor S, Saroja R. Effect of the Indian gooseberry (amla) on serum cholesterol levels in men aged 35-55 years. Eur J Clin Nutr 1988;42:939-44. View abstract.