Phyllanthus emblica - Indian Gooseberry

❏ Binomial Name : Phyllanthus emblica L.

❏ Synonym : Cicca emblica,Emblica arborea,Phyllanthus taxifolius

❏ Family : Phyllanthaceae

❏ Common Name : Indian Gooseberry

❏ Tamil Name : Kattu nelli

❏ Hindi Name : Bahu-muli

❏ IUCN status: Not Evaluated

Phyllanthus emblica Botanical Description

Deciduous trees, to 15 m high, bark grey-brown, rough, irregularly flaking; blaze pink-red. Leaves simple, alternate, bifarious on short deciduous branchlets, closely overlapping, subsessile; stipules minute, lateral, linear; lamina 0.4-1.5 x 2-4 mm, oblong or linear-oblong, base round, apex obtuse and shortly apiculate, glabrous, membranous; nerves obscure. Flowers unisexual, 2-3 mm across, greenish-yellow, densely clustered in leaf axils; male flowers: tepals 6, oblanceolate, 1.5 mm, obtuse, stamens 3, anthers oblong, connate by their connectives; apiculate; disc glands 6; female flowers: tepals 6, oblanceolate, obtuse; ovary superior, 1.5 mm, 3-celled; ovules 2 in each cell; styles 3, broadly fimbriate, recurved, stigmatiferous. Fruit a capsule 1.5-2.5 cm across, subglobose, dehiscing into 6 cocci, disc enlarged to give an appearance of fleshy yellowish-green, indehiscent berry. Fl. &Fr.: Febuary to June.

Phyllanthus emblica Medicinal uses

❀ The fruits are consumed raw or dried. The fruits are also used in culinary dishes. Pickles are also prepared. Popularly known as Amla they are also used in Shampoos and hair oils

❀ The fruits have diuretic, laxative and purgative activities and also show molluscicidal and antimicrobial properties. A principal ingredient of various Ayurvedic tonic formulae

❀ The sour fruits are one of the ingredients of 'triphala', an Ayurvedic rejuvenating, laxative tonic based on this species plus the fruits of Terminalia bellirica and Terminalia chebula

❀ The juice of the fruit is also given in order to strengthen the pancreas of diabetics, as well as in the treatment of eye problems, joint pain, diarrhoea and dysentery

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