Amla: The Superfood You May Have Never Heard Of

Amla, also known as Indian gooseberry, amalaki, Emblica Officinalis, and several other names, is a berry found natively in India and Southeast Asia. 

It’s arguably the most powerful superfood and plant-based medicine ever discovered. 

Amla berries have begun to make waves in the world of nutritional research in the past few decades, with an impressive and growing list of health benefits.

Amla is also the most widely prescribed food in all of Ayurvedic medicine (and have been for thousands of years).

So why hasn’t amla taken the world by storm in the way that other superfoods like kale, goji berries, and turmeric have? 

There are two main reasons why amla berries haven’t been widely publicized (yet).  

First, no matter whether you’re looking for fresh amla powder, amla fruit, amla juice, or amla oil, it’s difficult to get a quality product outside of India and Southeast Asia. 

Second, amla has an exceptionally sour and bitter taste that puts many people off, regardless of its impressive nutritional and medicinal properties. 

In this article, we’ll talk about amla powder, a solution to the taste problem that is becoming increasingly available to order online.

We’ll touch on the health benefits of amla powder, talk about how to find high-quality products, and also explore 7 ways to take advantage of this superfood.

Table of Contents

The Health Benefits of Amla Powder: A Quick Overview

Simply based on its nutritional power alone, amla is one of the most powerful superfoods in the world. 

• Amla is high in gallic acid, ellagic acid, Vitamin A, Vitamin E, tannins, pectin, and other polyphenols. These phytonutrients are extremely powerful compounds that have potent antioxidant activity. 
• Amla has 600mg of Vitamin C per 100g, which is about 20x per weight of fruits like lemons or oranges
• The amla berry is also the most powerful antioxidant ever discovered, with an ORAC value that is 75x that of Goji berries, 50x raw blueberries, 2.5x acai berries, and 2x turmeric. These antioxidant-rich foods help neutralize free radicals and possess anti-aging properties. 
• A single serving of amla also has 7g of fiber, which is about 1/3rd of the recommended daily value

In truth, amla’s health benefits go far beyond its nutritional value. Scientific research has demonstrated that:

• Amla can reduce your blood glucose (Remember to use a glucose control solution any time you get a drastically different or very unexpected result.)
• Amla can lower high cholesterol and blood pressure
• Amla can help stimulate weight loss.
• Amla berries drastically reduce your present and future oxidative stress
• Amla boosts your immune system
• Amla has strong anti-inflammatory and antibacterial properties
• Amla berries help prevent liver disease
• Amla has a strong neuroprotective effect
• Amla can help fight cancer

Amla has even been shown to have a strong, measurable effect as a hair tonic.

Modern research is only now shedding light on why amla berries have been so prominent in Ayurvedic medicine for centuries. 

As it turns out, amla actually lives up to its reputation, and adding it to your diet has extremely powerful benefits to your health for both infectious and chronic diseases.

7 Ways to Take Amla Powder

Amla Powder as a Flavoring

Though amla can be a bit too strong to eat like other popular snack fruits, its tart flavors actually function excellently when added in small batches as a touch of flavor. 

Pastas, curries, soups — anywhere where herbs and spices blend in the meal, amla can usually bring a tart and exceptionally healthy addition. 

Simply sprinkle powder in the sauce for added flavor and antioxidant punch.

Amla Powder as a Drink

Probably one of the easiest ways to enjoy amla is simply mixed in with a fresh glass of water. 

Amla powder dissolves easily in water, which can dilute the sharp taste and make it much more pleasant and accessible.

One or two tablespoons (depending on your preference) in a 12 oz glass make for a slightly sour drink that has a little zing to it.

And if you’re drinking Amla Green, this tart taste becomes a smooth, sweet, and refreshing drink that you’ll look forward to every day.

Amla Powder in Salad Dressing

Our friends over at Mastering Diabetes are some of the leading experts in plant-based, whole-food nutrition, and their recipe list is full of low-fat, vegan friendly meals that are just waiting for a touch of amla powder. 

One of the most versatile are their Raw Vegan Rainbow Salad Dressings, which are perfect to drizzle on vegetable and fruit salads, steamed greens, and whole grains. 

Feel free to experiment too, as amla powder plays especially well in this environment. Head to this article for four nutrient-packed, delicious salad recipes.

Amla Powder in Smoothies

Another exceptionally simple way to add amla to your diet is in a smoothie. 

You don’t need much — maybe one or two tablespoons — to start experiencing the powerful effects of amla powder in your diet.

And with a host of other fruits and vegetables included, you’ll have the benefits of even more whole food nutrition with fun flavors that can be a highlight of the day. 

Try amla powder mixed with any of the following for a health boost that’ll keep your day going in the right direction:

• Bananas
• Mangos
• Papaya
• Strawberries
• Blueberries
• Dragonfruit
• Cucumber
• Kale
• Goji berries
• Acai
• Oranges
• Lemons
• Limes
• And more!

How to Use Amla Powder as a Hair Treatment

Earlier we mentioned that Ayurvedic medicine prescribes amla for a wide variety of ailments, including to help hair growth. 

The beauty is that research is showing very strong signs that it actually works. 

One study explored how amla helps hair follicles by testing 1% and 5% mixtures of these Indian gooseberries as a hair tonic. The paper found that the 5% treatment significantly improved hair density, hair shaft diameter, and the hair growth rate between 8-16 weeks of treatment.

It’s actually very simple to use amla powder as a hair treatment. 

Simply mix amla powder with water until its consistency is similar to a paste, or a thick shampoo. Then, just massage the paste into your hair like any other hair product, and allow it to sit (for up to 45 minutes for maximum effect) before washing it out. 

Used two or three times a week, amla can have a powerful effect.

Amla as a Supplement

Maybe the quickest, and most convenient way to add amla to your diet is as a supplement. Using standard digestible capsules, you can turn amla powder into a daily supplement to take at any point throughout the day. 

This option is especially helpful if you’re traveling and might not have time to make meals for yourself, or if you already take supplements or throughout the day.

Amla Powder Mixed with Tea

Herbal teas like hibiscus, turmeric, ginger, rooibos, and many others are great examples of medicinal plants with potent health benefits and powerful flavors. 

Brewing amla into its own tea, or mixing it in with your favorite tea flavor helps integrate amla into your diet during your morning, afternoon, or evening. It also makes a great intermittent fasting tea.

Amla Green has handled this for you already with its blends of Oolong (regular and decaf) and Hibiscus teas. 

These blends combine the powerful health benefits of amla with the additional benefits of green and herbal tea, for a great-tasting mix that’s ready to brew (or add to drinks and smoothies like above).

Amla with a Little Upgrade | Amla Green

On the topic of extras, even sourcing high-quality, organic, non-modified amla powder is still just half the battle. 

After all, there are two obstacles to amla’s popularity, and the second is amla’s powerfully bitter and sour taste. 

We’ve eliminated both of these obstacles with Amla Green. 

We work with top-quality producers in India and Asia to produce an organic, 20X concentrated amla powder that’s organic, non-GMO, and vegan.

Then, we mix in organic Oolong tea or Hibiscus, which keep all the benefits of amla while making its taste much more adaptable to foods, salads, smoothies, drinks, and more.

The Take-Home Message

So, amla is one of the most powerful superfoods ever discovered, with a nutritional and medicinal value that can be downright hard to believe. 

However, there are some obstacles to amla’s popularity, mainly how difficult it is to source and how sour it tastes. 

Fortunately, both of these problems have solutions. With amla powder increasingly available online in high quality, it’s now possible to get this superfood delivered right to your doorstep.

And with the options mentioned above, you have a wide variety of options to turn amla’s tart taste into an asset, blend it with other flavors, and even use it as a shampoo! 

Of all of these solutions, our favorite all-around winner is Amla Green. 

Mixed with green tea or hibiscus, Amla Green, can be used as a flavoring, a drink, a salad dressing, a supplement, a tea, in smoothies, and even as a hair care product, all with a great taste.

Here are three meals that you can bring to your next family or friends gathering. Add a scoop of Amla Green to these recipes for a boost of health! 

You can try the first batch of Amla Green for yourself at the link below, and thanks to our lifetime satisfaction guarantee, your order is 100% risk free. 

If you don’t like it (and we think you’ll like it), you can send it back to us, no questions asked.

Amla Green is available in both regular and decaffeinated versions, and also comes in a deliciously refreshing hibiscus flavor. Try one today!