India’s Best Kept Superfood Secret
Since being in India, I’ve been on the search for the best kept secret local ‘superfood’ that is little known inn the West. Here in Rajasthan, I’ve found it: the medicinal plant Amla! I’ve been drinking the juice and eating the fruit right off the tree in front of my Yoga teacher’s house each morning and I’m feeling pretty amazing!
Why Amla is So Amazing..
Amla, or Indian Gooseberry is one of the most if not THE most powerful medicinal plant in Ayurvedic Medicine, the oldest system of medicine and the most common form of medicine in India even today. It has been proven in multiple reserach studies to lower cholesterol in people with high cholesterol who would otherwise have to take prescription lipid-lowering drugs, which have many side effects. Even more remarkably, it can lower something called ‘hemoglobin A1C, one of the toxic forms of sugar that accumulates in the blood in diabetes, and is also being investigated as an alternative to conventional pharmaceuticals for the treatment of non insulin dependant type 2 diabetes! It also has remarkable unique and potent phytochemicals that protect your brain from deterioation with aging, and protect other vital organs such as the liver and kidneys. It is also used as an anti-inflammatory for a variety of inflammatory conditions in India.
So, in this Video, I’m visiting Sonu, my local juice bar owner in the town where I’ve been staying and I’m going to show you what it looks like, how to spot it, all it’s benefits and how to enjoy it!
Studies on Amla
1. Phytotherapy Research”; Chemical and antioxidant evaluation of Indian gooseberry; E.A. Poltanov et al.; 2009
2. “Journal of Nutritional Science and Vitaminology”; Influence of amla (Emblica officinalis Gaertn.) on hypercholesterolemia and lipid peroxidation in cholesterol-fed rats; H.J. Kim et al.; 2005
3. National Institutes of Health Office of Dietary Supplements: “European Journal of Clinical Nutrition”; Effect of the Indian gooseberry (amla) on serum cholesterol levels in men aged 35-55 years; A. Jacob et al.; 1988
4. “Journal of Medicinal Food”; Amla (Emblica officinalis Gaertn.) extracts reduce oxidative stress in streptozotocin-induced diabetic rats; T.P. Rao; 2005
5. “Journal of Clinical Biochemistry and Nutrition”; Indian Herbs and Herbal Drugs Used for the Treatment of Diabetes; Manisha Modak et al.; 2007
6. Eur J Cancer Prev. 2011 May;20(3):225-39. doi: 10.1097/CEJ.0b013e32834473f4.
Yours In health,
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