Amla vs. Cholesterol - A Review of the Evidence
Amla vs. Cholesterol - A Review of the Evidence
Controlling cholesterol is struggle for +100 million Americans
High cholesterol is a fact of life for millions. What makes this especially difficult for people to deal with is that often, addressing the problem means significant lifestyle change.
That is why cholesterol lowering medications are some of the most widely used drugs on the planet. But that doesn’t mean they come without drawbacks.
Cholesterol control meds can make you feel “off”
Drugs to control cholesterol generally work by blocking your liver’s ability to produce cholesterol. Shutting down this metabolic pathway can cause side effects. The most common side effects people report from statins are muscle pains, digestive problems and mental fuzziness. More rarely, people report liver damage.
These side effects are why researchers and public health advocates are constantly searching for natural alternatives to medication. That said, most things they test don’t clear their rigorous standards for effectiveness and safety.
Scientists are thoroughly studying Amla’s potential impact on cholesterol levels
In a recent scientific study, researchers selected 60 patients with total cholesterol levels of 240mg and LDL (bad) cholesterol with 130mg. 40 of the selected patients were treated with 500mg of Amla, and 20 were given a popular drug called simvastatin (20mg). This kind of study puts Amla head to head with prescription medication.
This study was not funded by pharmaceutical companies, nor was it evaluated by the FDA.
The results showing Amla’s potency shocked the medical community
As expected, patients who took the prescription drug had their cholesterol reduced. Shockingly, however, the patients who took Amla also had statistically significant reductions in total cholesterol and LDL (bad) cholesterol!
Moreover, the Amla patients only took 1/10th of 1 teaspoon of Amla powder per day - a surprisingly low amount to produce such an effect. Similar research also showed impacts on arterial function and a drop in c-reactive protein and liver dysfunction.
Amla makes you more resistant to cold weather?
These fascinating results prompted a range of scientific investigation evaluating Amla against several classes of drugs.
Interestingly, scientists ran a study where they had people plunge their hand into ice water time how long they could keep it there till the pain became “unbearable.” This causes the arteries to constrict and the blood pressure to rise. However, people taking Amla extract showed more resistance to these cardiovascular stressors. Good to know for your next ice bucket challenge!
So why isn’t everyone taking Amla?
Amla has been used for centuries in Ayurvedic medicine, and is becoming the latest superfood trend, but the truth is, it can be hard to stomach. Specifically, it tastes very bitter - like vinegar mixed with dish soap. Also, many amla powders are contaminated with pesticides, making them taste even worse. Some products mix this questionable amla powder with sugar, salt or other fillers to mask the taste.
The only Amla you’ll WANT to take daily because it tastes so good
Amla Green is the only all natural Amla powder that actually tastes incredible. What’s the secret? Amla Green is high quality, wild harvested, pesticide free amla that is concentrated 20x. This concentrated Amla is blended with a specific, proprietary oolong dark green tea that counteracts the bitter compounds in Amla.