Phyllanthus emblica

Phyllanthus emblica
Plant
Fruit, whole and halved
Conservation status
Least Concern  (IUCN 3.1)[1]
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Plantae
Clade:	Tracheophytes
Clade:	Angiosperms
Clade:	Eudicots
Clade:	Rosids
Order:	Malpighiales
Family:	Phyllanthaceae
Genus:	Phyllanthus
Species:	P. emblica
Binomial name
Phyllanthus emblica L.[2]
Synonyms[3][4]
Cicca emblica (L.) Kurz Diasperus emblica (L.) Kuntze Dichelactina nodicaulis Hance Emblica arborea Raf. Emblica officinalis Gaertn. Phyllanthus glomeratus Roxb. ex Wall. nom. inval. Phyllanthus mairei H.Lév. Phyllanthus mimosifolius Salisb. Phyllanthus taxifolius D.Don

Phyllanthus emblica, also known as emblic,^[2][5] emblic myrobalan,^[2] myrobalan,^[5] Indian gooseberry,^[2][5] Malacca tree,^[5] or amla,^[5] is a deciduous tree of the family Phyllanthaceae. Its native range is tropical and southern Asia.^[4]

The tree is small to medium in size, reaching 1–8 metres (3+1⁄2–26 feet) in height. The bark is mottled. The branchlets are finely pubescent (not glabrous), 10–20 centimetres (4–8 inches) long, usually deciduous. The leaves are simple, subsessile and closely set along branchlets, light green, resembling pinnate leaves. The flowers are greenish–yellow. The fruit is nearly spherical, light greenish–yellow, quite smooth and hard on appearance, with six vertical stripes or furrows. The fruit is up to 26 millimetres (1 in) in diameter, and, while the fruit of wild plants weigh approximately 5.5 grams (0.2 ounces), cultivated fruits average 28.4 g (1 oz) to 56 g (2 oz).^[6]

The fruits contain high amounts of ascorbic acid (vitamin C),^[7] and have a bitter taste that may derive from a high density of ellagitannins,^[8] such as emblicanin A (37%), emblicanin B (33%), punigluconin (12%), and pedunculagin (14%).^[9] Amla also contains punicafolin and phyllanemblinin A, phyllanemblin other polyphenols, such as flavonoids, kaempferol, ellagic acid, and gallic acid.^[8][10]

Ripening in autumn, the berries are harvested by hand after climbing to upper branches bearing the fruits. The taste of Indian emblic is sour, bitter and astringent, and it is quite fibrous.

The amla fruit may be eaten raw or cooked, and in South Asia, the fruit is often pickled with salt, oil, and spices. It is used as an ingredient in dishes including dal (a lentil preparation), and is also made into amle ka murabbah, a sweet dish made by soaking the berries in sugar syrup until they are candied. It is traditionally consumed after meals.^{[citation needed]}

In the Batak area of Sumatra, Indonesia, the inner bark is used to impart an astringent, bitter taste to the broth of a traditional fish soup known as holat.^[11]

In Ayurveda, dried and fresh fruits of the plant are used as a common constituent.^[8][12]

In the Buddhist tradition there are many references to the fruit of the emblic myrobalan. In the Śatapañcāśatka, Buddha's knowledge is described in a poetic simile: "O Bhagavan, the entire origination of all types of phenomena throughout time is within the range of your mind, like an ambalan fruit in the palm of your hand".^[13]

Half an amla fruit was the final gift to the Buddhist sangha by the great Indian emperor Ashoka. This is illustrated in the Ashokavadana in the following verses: "A great donor, the lord of men, the eminent Maurya Ashoka, has gone from being lord of Jambudvipa [the continent] to being lord of half a myrobalan".^[14] In Theravada Buddhism, this plant is said to have been used as the tree for achieving enlightenment, or Bodhi, by the twenty first Buddha, named Phussa Buddha.^[15]

In Hinduism, the myrobalan, called the āmalaka in Sanskrit, is sacred to all three members of the Trimurti, the Hindu supreme trinity of Brahma, Vishnu, and Shiva. According to legend, during a religious gathering, Lakshmi, Vishnu's consort, expressed a desire to worship Shiva, while Parvati, Shiva's consort, wished to worship Vishnu. Moved by each other's piety, they shed tears upon the earth, from which emerged the first myrobalan trees.^[16] The Amalaka Ekadashi is a Hindu occasion dedicated to Vishnu, venerating the myrobalan.

• Emblicanin
• Triphala, an Ayurvedic mixture containing amla.

• Media related to Phyllanthus emblica at Wikimedia Commons