Gooseberry – A Natural Health Rejuvenator
Gooseberries are small and firm but sometimes ribbed and translucent, filled with tiny seeds. Indian gooseberry has many different characteristics.
One major difference is that Indian gooseberries are trees and regular gooseberries are shrubs.
Gooseberry plant
Gooseberry is grown on a medium sized plant, having simple and light green leaves. It has sharp thorns all along its woody branches. It also has finely pubescent or blabrous branchlets with a length of about 10 – 20 cm. The leaves are subsessile and closely set along branchlets. It has a greenish yellow flower. The Indian gooseberry has a sour, bitter and an astringent taste. The plant begins fruiting 2-3 years after plantation.
Indian gooseberry or Amla is deciduous plant with a medium size. It can have a height of 8 to18m. It has a yellow greenish flower. The wood is of reddish colour and has gray barks. The pale yellow fruit has six vertical furrows. The fruits will be hard when matured and do not fall with a gentle touch. Each amla has a an average weight of 60-70g. Linear oblong shaped feathery leaves smells like lemon.
Indian gooseberry is called by the name Amla, used as an essential ingredient in ayurvedic medicines. The medicinal properties of gooseberry is due to the presence of vitamin A,C, antioxidants, potassium, iron, calcium, magnesium, fibres etc. The presence of these nutrients, vitamins and essential elements make it a healthy food.
Reduces heart diseases
Indian Gooseberry can play an important role in keeping the heart healthy. It strengthens the heart muscles, so that heart can smoothly pump the blood throughout the body. Essential elements present in gooseberry helps to reduce the excess cholesterol buildup in the body. This can reduce the chance of atherosclerosis or plague build up in the arteries. Moreover the antioxidants present in Amla may protect against the nerve cell damage. So it can be used to maintain the cardiovascular health
Green gooseberries
Improves eye sight
Amla is useful for improving eye sight by curing problems such as nearsightedness, cataracts and intraocular tension. The presence of carotene in Indian gooseberry is responsible for its powerful effect on vision related conditions. Taking amla juice with honey is an excellent natural remedy for improving eyesight. Carotene and vitamin A in gooseberry can strengthen your vision, reduce night blindness and macular degeneration. It is also useful against itchy, watery and red eyes.
Indian gooseberry tree
Useful for hair protection
Amla is useful in enriching hair growth and hair pigmentation. Hence it is an essential ingredient in many of the hair tonics. Amla oil is used to reduce hair loss and baldness. Gooseberry juice strengthen the hair follicles, thus enhancing hair growth. Carotene, iron and essential antioxidants in gooseberry helps to reduce hair loss by protecting the hair follicles against free radicals or hormones that causes premature hair loss.
Helps to control diabetes
The nutrients and elements in gooseberry helps in stimulating insulin secreting hormones, thereby reducing the blood sugar. The antioxidant properties of gooseberry is useful for diabetic patients. This helps in proper insulin absorption and managing blood sugar.
