ABOUT AMLA - A RICH SOURCE OF THE VITAMIN C ANTIOXIDANT
Many citrus fruits are a source of vitamin C. The fruit or berries of the Amla tree are the richest source of vitamin C and antioxidants. Vitamin C is found in all citrus fruits and is a very powerful natural antioxidant. But, perhaps, the most important source of the key natural antioxidant, vitamin C,is the fruit of the plant, Amla, which is also known as the Indian gooseberry. Its botanical name is Emblica officinalis. Most of us are familiar with Amla, the round, gooseberry-like fruit of a tree native to India. The tree is found both in the wild and cultivated state in the mixed deciduous forests in India. It is a medium-to-large deciduous tree with small leaves closely set in pinnate fashion, and small pale greenish to greenish yellow, dense clusters of flowers. The fruit resembles the gooseberry nearly spherical or globular, slightly broader than long, and with small, shallow, conical depressions at either end of its longitudinal axis, especially at the place of attachment to the stalk. Normally, the fruit is 18 to 25 mm wide at the middle. When ripe, the fruit can be succulent, yellow or pink. The fruit juice of the Amla contains vitamin C and other antioxidants, making it the most valuable source of antioxidants.Read on to find out how you can benefit from its therapeutic properties.
THE AMLA IS A HERBAL FOOD SUPPLEMENT
Herbs may be popular for their flavoring or coloring properties but many herbs are also acclaimed for preventing health problems and for healing. Typically, herbs are non-woody plants that die down to the ground after flowering. But, in the modern context, the term herb is applied to all plants, any part of which is used for therapeutic, flavouring or colouring purposes. These could be the roots of a plant, leaves, stem, bark, flowers, or fruit. Most of us are familiar with the array of kitchen herbs commonly used as seasoning in Indian cooking such as haldi, lassun, adarak, pudina, or imli. However, there are many other valuable herbs like the Amla, which is widely used as an ingredient in common household recipes and also for medicinal purposes. In recognition of its beneficial properties, Amla is known as amritphala in Sanskrit, which literally means the fruit of heaven or nectar fruit. It is so called because it is rich in many desirable properties. The herb features in a 7th century Ayurvedic medical text. According to several scholars, the sage Chyawan is reputed to have restored his vitality with this fruit.

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