According to Ayurveda, amla balances all three doshas. While amla is
unusual in that it contains five out of the six tastes recognized by Ayurveda,
it is most important to recognize the effects of the "virya", or
potency, and "vipaka", or post-digestive effect. Considered in this
light, amla is particularly helpful in reducing pitta because of its cooling energy. It also balances both Pitta and vata by virtue of its sweet taste. The kapha is balanced primarily due to its
drying action. It may be used as a rasayana (rejuvenative) to promote longevity,
and traditionally to enhance digestion (dipanapachana), treat constipation (anuloma), reduce fever (jvaraghna), purify the blood (raktaprasadana), reduce cough (kasahara), alleviate asthma (svasahara), strengthen the heart (hrdaya), benefit the eyes (chakshushya), stimulate hair growth (romasanjana), enliven the body (jivaniya), and enhance intellect (medhya).
In Ayurvedic
polyherbal formulations, Indian gooseberry is a common constituent, and most
notably is the primary ingredient in an ancient herbal rasayana called Chyawanprash. This formula, which contains 43 herbal
ingredients as well as clarified butter, sesame oil, sugar cane juice, and
honey, was first mentioned in the Charaka
Samhita as a premier rejuvenative
compound.
In Chinese traditional therapy, though
this fruit is mentioned as yuganzi (余甘子), or you gan zi (油甘子）, it is not commonly found in China.
