What Are The Health Benefits of Indian Gooseberry (Amla)?
Written By Michael Greger M.D. FACLM on November 2, 2021

Amla, also known as Indian gooseberry, is one of the most antioxidant-rich foods on Earth. Though unfamiliar to many, particularly in Western countries, it is commonly used in Ayurvedic herbal preparations.

What Is Indian Gooseberry (Amla)?
Indian gooseberries, not to be confused with Barbados gooseberries, Cape gooseberries, Chinese gooseberries (also known as kiwi fruit), Jamaican gooseberries, Tahitian, or star gooseberries. The true Indian gooseberry, also known as amla, is arguably the most important medicinal plant in Ayurvedic medicine, and is also used in traditional Chinese and Thai medicine.

What Are The Indian Gooseberry (Amla) Benefits?

Powerful Source of Antioxidants
The #1 most antioxidant-packed single whole food on the planet, on average, is amla. A teaspoon of that gooseberry powder (that’s about four cents’ worth of amla) provides 1,500 units of antioxidant power! That’s more than the average person gets in an entire week. See how this compares to common breakfast foods in my video A Better Breakfast.

Reducing Cholesterol Levels
As discussed in the video Amla vs. Drugs For Cholesterol, Inflammation, & Blood-Thinning, 500 milligrams (which is like a tenth of a teaspoon) of powdered amla works just as well as Zocor, a leading cholesterol-lowering drug.