It is a coincidence that the spice that I am going to talk about today is not connected to us as a regular spice we add in our food but also has a spiritual significance in Hinduism. This is why I am starting my narration with a mythological story.
Once the whole earth was submerged in the water. During this Lord Brahma also got immersed in the water who was in meditation of Parbrahma, the almighty Vishnu at that time. Seeing Lord Brahma swamped in water without breaking the deep prayers, Lord Vishnu went so overwhelmed with emotions that tears started rolling down his eyes which fell on the earth. With these pious tears a tree germinated.
Can you guess which tree is this? Yes, Amla or Indian Gooseberry.
The Amla tree is also known as ADIROHA (the pre-eminent tree) since it was the first tree to manifest itself on the earth.
I For Indian Gooseberry
The inclusion of divinity in plants and trees, prevalent in Indian civilization since the inception of the world and its acceptance among us as a tradition makes me feel wonderful. After Tulsi, another sacred tree is Amla Tree that people worship in India. As per mythological texts, even deities respect Amla tree as it is very dear to Lord Vishnu. It is also believed that mere remembrance of this tree bestows virtues twice as much as donating a cow. The virtues attained by eating the Amla fruit are three times more than the donation of a cow. According to 'Skanda Purana' performing 'Pindadana' under the Amla trees brings salvation to the souls of dead ancestors. Anyone who eats under an Amla tree in the Hindu month of Kartik gets released from any ill effects of the food (Anna-dosha) for the entire year. And washing hair with Amla juice mixed with water entitles one for 'Vishnuloka' by destroying all his sins of this Kaliyuga.
Despite the deep religious significance, Amla is indeed a superfood. Eating the Amla fruit is very beneficial for the body. In our Indian kitchens, Amla Chutney and Amla pickle are very common. Not sure about the whole India, but at least in North India, Amla Murabba is no less than a sweet delicacy. Amla Murabba is basically a simple preparation of Amla fruit and sugar. But as Amla comes with plenty of health benefit, the Amla Murabba is considered as great health tonic which can keep you healthy with satisfying your sweet tooth.
Benefits of Indian Gooseberry as per Ayurveda
Being a multi-purpose food, Amla provides a number of benefits with its antioxidant, skin enhancing, hair enriching, and a number of other great benefits for everyone. Because of its extensive nutritional benefits and medicinal properties, Amla is one of the three ingredients that make very famous and propitious Ayurvedic formulation "Triphala". Ayurveda suggests Triphala as a remedy for a number of health issues.
Scientifically, the health benefits of Amla are quite a lot linked to its high vitamin C contents. Though the super fruit also contains many other minerals and vitamins including calcium, phosphorus, iron, carotene, and vitamin B complex. Amla enhances the ability of food digestion and absorption of its nutrients. It also nourishes the brain and mental functioning along with adding a lot to our heart health. Not just this, Amla fruit also acts as a body coolant. Consumption of Amla flushes out toxins, increases vitality, helps in vision care and improves muscle tone significantly. Amla is one of the best known and most effective antioxidants. Beside, other benefits of Amla are:
Amla fruit is available easily in your vegetable market and in food stores. You can also grab dry Amla powder and Amla juice for everyday consumption. Triphla is another Amla formulation that is up for grabs in all Ayurvedic stores. Although every form of Amla (powder/pickle/chutney/toffees/juice etc) is super healthful, I prefer fresh Amla.
(I am taking part in #BlogchatterA2Z and today’s letter is 'I'.)
You can read my other #BlogchatterA2Z posts here :
Once the whole earth was submerged in the water. During this Lord Brahma also got immersed in the water who was in meditation of Parbrahma, the almighty Vishnu at that time. Seeing Lord Brahma swamped in water without breaking the deep prayers, Lord Vishnu went so overwhelmed with emotions that tears started rolling down his eyes which fell on the earth. With these pious tears a tree germinated.
Can you guess which tree is this? Yes, Amla or Indian Gooseberry.
The Amla tree is also known as ADIROHA (the pre-eminent tree) since it was the first tree to manifest itself on the earth.
I For Indian Gooseberry
The inclusion of divinity in plants and trees, prevalent in Indian civilization since the inception of the world and its acceptance among us as a tradition makes me feel wonderful. After Tulsi, another sacred tree is Amla Tree that people worship in India. As per mythological texts, even deities respect Amla tree as it is very dear to Lord Vishnu. It is also believed that mere remembrance of this tree bestows virtues twice as much as donating a cow. The virtues attained by eating the Amla fruit are three times more than the donation of a cow. According to 'Skanda Purana' performing 'Pindadana' under the Amla trees brings salvation to the souls of dead ancestors. Anyone who eats under an Amla tree in the Hindu month of Kartik gets released from any ill effects of the food (Anna-dosha) for the entire year. And washing hair with Amla juice mixed with water entitles one for 'Vishnuloka' by destroying all his sins of this Kaliyuga.
Despite the deep religious significance, Amla is indeed a superfood. Eating the Amla fruit is very beneficial for the body. In our Indian kitchens, Amla Chutney and Amla pickle are very common. Not sure about the whole India, but at least in North India, Amla Murabba is no less than a sweet delicacy. Amla Murabba is basically a simple preparation of Amla fruit and sugar. But as Amla comes with plenty of health benefit, the Amla Murabba is considered as great health tonic which can keep you healthy with satisfying your sweet tooth.
Benefits of Indian Gooseberry as per Ayurveda
Being a multi-purpose food, Amla provides a number of benefits with its antioxidant, skin enhancing, hair enriching, and a number of other great benefits for everyone. Because of its extensive nutritional benefits and medicinal properties, Amla is one of the three ingredients that make very famous and propitious Ayurvedic formulation "Triphala". Ayurveda suggests Triphala as a remedy for a number of health issues.
Scientifically, the health benefits of Amla are quite a lot linked to its high vitamin C contents. Though the super fruit also contains many other minerals and vitamins including calcium, phosphorus, iron, carotene, and vitamin B complex. Amla enhances the ability of food digestion and absorption of its nutrients. It also nourishes the brain and mental functioning along with adding a lot to our heart health. Not just this, Amla fruit also acts as a body coolant. Consumption of Amla flushes out toxins, increases vitality, helps in vision care and improves muscle tone significantly. Amla is one of the best known and most effective antioxidants. Beside, other benefits of Amla are:
- Promotes Liver Health
- Reduces Cholesterol Levels
- Has Anti-Cancer Properties
- Controls Blood Sugar
- Prevents Constipation
- Decreases Inflammation
- Keeps Hair and Skin Healthy
- Enhances Digestive Health
- Supports Cognitive Function
- Regulates elimination of free radicals
- Helps the urinary system
- Has Anti Aging proerties
Dadi Maa Ka Nuskha
Dilute Amla juice in half a cup of water and gargle. It is one of the best remedies for mouth ulcer.
How to buyAmla fruit is available easily in your vegetable market and in food stores. You can also grab dry Amla powder and Amla juice for everyday consumption. Triphla is another Amla formulation that is up for grabs in all Ayurvedic stores. Although every form of Amla (powder/pickle/chutney/toffees/juice etc) is super healthful, I prefer fresh Amla.
(I am taking part in #BlogchatterA2Z and today’s letter is 'I'.)
You can read my other #BlogchatterA2Z posts here :
- A For Alkanet Root - A Magical Spice
- B For Black Salt - A Digestive Stimulant
- C For Cinnamon - God of Spices
- D for Dried Ginger - A More Beneficial Form of Ginger
- E For Edible Silver and Gold Foils
- F For Fennel Seeds - More Than A Mouth Freshener
- G for Green Cardamom - The Queen of Spices
- H For Holy Basil - The King of Herb
Wow! anti-ageing properties. I could do with some means of anti-ageing indeed. In south too we do make Murabba but out of ginger. But Amla is very popular in south India too. We make achar from it. And in fact you know many people say it is healthy t eat Amla raw. When I was a young kid I used to travel often by the GT express from Delhi to Chennai the erstwhile Madras and we always used to go past a junction called Amla in MP. So your article in addition to telling me about the worthiness of Amla also brings back some wonderful memories of train journeys.
ReplyDeleteAmla sure has a lot of useful properties. We make pickles out of it and its juice is the best suited for our health. Loved the informative post.
ReplyDeletethis is a must in our home shipra. hubby eats this early morning. I make it a pickle every week. somehow amla goes into the tummy. I have made raita with this and it goes well off with south indian gravies. anti ageing and long life = amla!
ReplyDelete