The Amla or Neelikkai (Phyllanthus Embilca) is also called Amalka in Hindi. In Sanskrit its name is Amalaki, which translates as ‘the sustainer’ or ‘the fruit where the goddess of prosperity presides’. The English term for Amla is Indian gooseberry. It is a small tree with leathery leaves and a fleshy fruit. Amla is one of the richest natural sources of vitamin C, its fresh juice containing nearly twenty times as much vitamin C as orange juice. A single tiny Amla is equivalent in vitamin C content to two oranges. Clinical tests on patients suffering from pulmonary tuberculosis have shown that this high concentrate is more quickly assimilated then the synthetic vitamin.It is an ingredient of many Ayurvedic medicines and tonics, as it removes excessive salivation, nausea, vomiting, giddiness, spermatorrhoea, internal body heat and menstrual disorders. Because it is also cooling, it increases sattwa, and is an excellent liver tonic. The Ayrvedic text Bhav-Prakash describe the Amlaor Amallkias: According to Ayurveda,Amla fruit is sour and astringent (kashaya) in taste (rasa), with sweet (madhura), bitter (tikta) and pungent (katu) .Its qualities (gunas) are light (laghu) and dry (ruksha), the postdigestive effect (vipaka) is sweet (madhura), and its energy (virya) is cooling (shita).
It is also a very important ingredient in the famous Chyavanaprash, and a constituent of Triphala (three fruits) powder. The Amla fruit is considered to be so nourishing that the tree has been worshipped in India from ancient times as the ‘Earth Mother’, and is said to be nursing humankind. Amala is the medium size deciduous plant. It grows to the height of 8-18 meter.It has a crooked trunk and spreading branches. Its flower is yellow greenish in colour. The fruit are sperical pale yellow with six vertical furrows. The mature fruits are hard and do not fall for the gentle touch The average weight of the fruit is 60-70 gram. It has agray bark and reddish wood. Its leaves are feathery.It is a tropical plant. Annual rainfall of 630-800 mm is ideal for its growth. The young plant upto the age of 3 years should be protected from hot wind during May-June and from frost during winter months. The mature plants can tolerate freezing temperature as well as a high temperature upto 46OC.
Once, when the whole earth was submerged into the water and Lord Brahma was immersed in the meditation of Parbrahma (Almighty Vishnu). He became so full of emotion that tears started rolling down from his eyes and fell down on the earth. The Amla tree germinated from those tears.The Amla tree had many branches, and it was full of Amla fruits. Since the Amla tree was the first tree to manifest itself on the earth, therefore it is also known as ADIROHA (Pre-eminent tree).This Amla tree was very much liked by Lord Vishnu and all the deities alike. One day while the deities was looking at this pre-eminent Amla tree, they heard a voice from the sky: "This Amla tree is the supreme among all the trees because it is dear to Lord Vishnu. A mere remembrance of this tree gives the virtues attained by seeing this Amla tree are twice than donating a cow and the virtues attained by eating an Amla fruit is thrice as compared to donation of a cow. So efforts should be made for its preservation.Eating the fruits of Amla is very nutritious for the body. Taking bath by the water mixed with the juice of Amla fruit has great curative values. The performance of 'Pindadana' under the Amla trees gives salvation to the souls of dead ancestors. Ghosts and other evil spirits do not trouble a house where Amla fruits are kept. One who is desirous of acquiring wealth should take bath by water mined with the juice of Amla fruits daily.A person who washes his hairs with the juice of Amla mixed with water, attains 'Vishnuloka' by destroying all his sins of this Kaliyuga.A person who has his food under an Amla tree in the Hindu month of Kartik, becomes free from the defects of the food
Prof. John Kurakar
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