Amla/Indian Gooseberry (Indian Herbs Series)

Amla

Medicinal Plant: Indian Gooseberry
Latin Name: Emblica officinalis

All parts of the plant are used in various Ayurvedic/Unani medicine

According to Ayurveda, amla fruit is sour and astringent in taste, with sweet, bitter and pungent secondary tastes.

Its qualities are light and dry, the postdigestive effect is sweet, and its energy is to cooling.

According to Ayurveda, amla balances all three doshas.  While amla is unusual in that it contains five out of the six tastes recognized by Ayurved, it is most important to recognize the effects of the "virya", or potency, and vipaka", or post-digestive effect.
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Amla is particularly helpful in reducing pitta due to its cooling energy and 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, treat constipation, reduce fever, purify the blood, reduce cough, alleviate asthma, strengthen the heart, benefit the eyes.

Indian gooseberry is a common constituent, and most notably is the primary ingredient in an acient herbal rasayana called Chyawanprash.

In Chinese traditional therapy, this fruit is called 余甘子, which is used to cure throat inflammation.

Emblica officinalis tea may ameliorate diabetic neuropathy.

Amla is used in many hair tonics.  It enriches hair growth and hair pigmentation.  It strengthens roots of hair, maintains color and luster.  Eating fresh fruit or applying its paste on hair roots improves hair growth and color.  Amla oil is very popular in India as it serves as a very good hair growth booster thereby preventing hair loss.

Taking Gooseberry juice with honey is good for improving eyesight. It improves nearsightedness and cataract.  It reduces intraocular tension.

Gooseberry contains chromium.  It has a therapeutic value in diabetes.  Indian Gooseberry or Amla stimulate the isolated group of cells that secret the hormone insulin.  Thus it reduces blood sugar in diabetic patient.

Gooseberry strenghtens heart muscles.  So heart pumps blood flawless throughout the body.

Infection:  Due to its antibacterial and astringent attributes the Indian Gooseberry protects against infection.  It improves body resistance.

Due to its strong, cooling and laxative properties, Gooseberry is useful for remedies for diarrhea, and dysentery.  It is a great relief for gastic syndrome and hyperchlorhydria.

Consuming Gooseberry powder with butter and honey before meal improves appetite.  It helps in balancing Nitrogen level and thus increases weight in a healthy way.

Amla prevents health related hyperlipidaemia through attenuating oxidative stress in the aged process.

Gooseberry is a good source of vitamin C.

Scientific studies show that amla has anti-flammatory and antioxidant properties that can help maintain healthy hair.

Other studies conclude that topically applied amla has exfoliating and anti-bacterial properties and may help maintain a healthy scalp and promote hair growth.

Treat your hair with the amla powder mixture about once every two weeks.  Between treatments, try using a shampoo and conditioner containing amla.  You also can use amla oil on your hair between treatments for extra shine.

100 grams of amla contains 700mg Vitamin C.  If amla is dried in the shade then much of the vitamin C is retained.  To get the maximum out of amla it should be taken raw with very little salt.

Constipation causes infrequent stool, anal and perianal pain and abdominal discomfort.  This persistent straining during the defecation leads to bleeding piles.  Amla being rich in fibre regulates the bowel action and keeps constipation at bay.  Juice of amla taken with 250mg of giloy extract(Guduchi) provides an effective remedy for hemorroids.

If your blood cholesterol troubles you then take amla.  The vitamin C in amla helps in dilating the blood vessels and thereby lowering the blood pressure. Grind dried amla into a fine powder and mix it with sugar candy.  Store this mixture in a glass bottle and take one teaspoon of this mixture every day empty stomach.  This will help maintain the cholesterol level.

Amla has anti diabetic quality.  Make a mixture of equal quantity of amla, jamun and bitter ground powder.  Take one teaspoonful of this mixture once or twice a day.  This mixture is also useful in treating conjunctivitis and glucoma.

In case of acidity take 1 gram of dry amla powder with a little sugar in milk or water twice a day.

1 tablespoon of paste of amla leaves, mixed with honey is an effective treatment for diarrhoea.

For promoting hair growth and prevent premature graying of hair one can use amla rich oils and shampoos.  For a quick home remedy soak amla powder in water for a week.  Then use it wash hair.  This preparation is a 3 in 1 shampoo, conditioner and hair day. 

Amla helps in restoring Vitamin C level in elderly, diabetic patients, hypertensive and women using estrogen contraceptives.

Deficiency of Vitamin C makes a person lethargic, susceptible to infections, rheumatic pains and intestinal disorders.  Consuming amla removes this lethargic feeling and makes one vibrant and upbeat.

According to a research low vitamin C levels puts a person at risk of developing gallbladder disorders.  Taking amla saves one from gallbladder infections.

In children low vitamin C levels leads to disturbed growth and fragile disorders. For a person with low vitamin C level healing of wounds and fractures is a slow process.  For quick healing, one must consume amla.

Amla is also a cure for scurvy.  Dry amla powder mixed with an equal quantity of sugar taken in doses of one teaspoon twice a day with milk provides enough vitamin C to beat scurvy.

Amla also works wonder with pregnant and lactating mothers.

It also reduces the incidence of cancer of the gastrointestinal and respiratory tract.

Amla is nature's best antioxidant.  Food rich in antioxidants combat free radicals naturally and without any side effects.

Triphala is the best formulation of amla.  It is a household name in India.  As the name suggests it is a combination of 3 herbs - amla, harad and beheda.  Triphala is prepared by mixing the powder of these three herbs together.

滋補肝臟和膽囊的天然保健配方 Liver Tonic Home Remedy for healthy liver and gallbladder.

配方詳情(等份)：
蒲公英根
水飛薊(苔薊草)
朝鮮薊
茴香子

作用：
本配方能恢復和保護肝臟功能，清理肝臟和膽囊多餘毒素。

用途：
用以維護肝臟健康，或經歷肝臟和膽道疾病後（急性或慢性）清理和強化肝膽功能。本配方適合肝衰竭、肝炎、黃疸病、膽汁不足和膽結石，並作為輔助治療慢性便秘。

Liver Tonic Home Remedy for healthy liver and gallbladder.

Remedy details(equal portions):
Dandelion root
Milk Thistle
Artichoke
Fennel seed

Action:
This remedy is a restorative and protective tonic for the liver, and is cleansing to both the liver and gallbladder.

Uses:
Can be used as an occasional maintenance tonic, or to cleanse and strengthen after illness or liver abuse or in the treatment of hepatic and biliary illness(acute or chronic).  Indicated in hepatic torpor, hepatitis, jaundice, sluggish bile and gallstones, and as adjunct therapy in chronic constipation.

金印草(北美黃蓮)在實驗測試中證實能降低膽固醇 Popular Herb Goldenseal Lowers Cholesterol in Lab Tests

由美國弗吉尼亞州帕洛阿爾托醫療保健機構統籌的一項動物和細胞培養試驗表明，一種主要用於對抗上呼吸道感染的北美草藥金印草，也可能是一種有效的降膽固醇藥物。研究結果刊登於 Journal of Lipid Research。

姓劉研究員及同事們指出，以往的研究發現金印草和其他草藥都含有一種叫黃連素的生物鹼可以降低血脂。在一個發表於2004年自然醫學雜誌的小型臨床試驗發現，一組包括32例高脂血症患者服用由中國草藥黃連(與金印草非常接近）提取的黃蓮素後，病人的膽固醇和甘油三酯水平平均來說下降了約三分之一。

在新的研究中，劉姓研究員發現金印草除含有黃連素外還含有其他有效成分，對高膽固醇人士更為有益。她從細胞培養和倉鼠實驗上發現，其他有益化合物配合黃連素產生協同效應，能有效平衡血脂。她的研究小組發現其中一種有效化合物為Canadine。

研究表明，Canadine及相關化合物有助促進肝臟低密度脂蛋白受體的產生。這種低密度脂蛋白受體粘附到肝細胞表面後，能有效抓住血液中低密度膽固醇（LDL），有效降低血液中“壞”膽固醇水平。

西藥他汀類藥物也有助降低膽固醇，不過其作用包括阻斷一種促進肝臟製造膽固醇的酶發揮作用，令肝臟天然產生的膽固醇降低，這樣會激活低密度脂蛋白受體和肝細胞從血液中抽取更多的有害血脂，其副作用可能包括肝臟和肌肉損傷。

Popular Herb Goldenseal Lowers Cholesterol in Lab Tests

Animal and cell-culture tests by a team at the VA Palo Alto Health Care System have shown that goldenseal root, a popular North American herb used mainly to fight upper respiratory infections, may also be an effective cholesterol-lowering agent. The findings appeared online in the Journal of Lipid Research.

Previous research by Liu and colleagues found that berberine, an alkaloid found in goldenseal and other herbs, could lower lipids. In a small clinical trial published in 2004 in Nature Medicine, a group of Liu's collaborators in China treated 32 hyperlipidemic patients with berberine isolated from the traditional Chinese herb huang lian, like goldenseal, mainly as an antimicrobial. On average, the patients' cholesterol and triglyceride levels dropped by about a third.

In the new research, conducted solely in Liu's VA lab, goldenseal root proved more powerful than berberine by itself as an agent against high cholesterol. Based on the evidence from her cell-culture and hamster experiments, Liu believes that other compounds in goldenseal, in addition to berberine, work in concert to keep lipids in check. Her team identified one of these compounds as canadine. They are working to purify and characterize two others.

The study showed that the compounds boost the production of a protein known as LDLR (liver low-density lipoprotein receptor). Anchored to the surface of liver cells, LDLR grabs particles of LDL, or "bad," cholesterol from the blood and draws them inside the cell. This lowers cholesterol in the bloodstream.

Statin drugs accomplish the same job, but they do so by blocking an enzyme that enables natural production of cholesterol in the liver. When the liver is low in cholesterol, this activates LDLR and liver cells take in more harmful lipids from the bloodstream. Their side effects could include liver and muscle damage.

磷脂絲氨酸：對多動症(注意力缺乏症)兒童有幫助 PS: Help for ADHD kids

對於注意力缺陷症(ADHD)兒童，服用磷脂絲氨酸(PS)或許會有幫助。一項最新研究表明，每天補充磷脂絲氨酸一段短時間便會有顯著改善。這項研究發布於人類營養和飲食期刊(Journal of Human Nutrition and Dietetics)。

磷脂絲氨酸普遍存在於高代謝活性器官(例如肺、心、腦和骨骼肌等)，是維持腦功能最關鍵的營養素之一。在研究中，36名四歲至十四歲兒童每日服用200毫克磷脂絲氨酸，連續服用2個月。

研究人員得出的結論是，這能顯著改善ADHD症狀和短期聽力記憶。他們說：“補充磷脂絲氨酸可能是其中一種最為天然和安全的方法，改善患有ADHD年幼童的心理表現。”

“缺乏磷脂與神經元結構和功能損傷有莫大關係，在兒童早期發育過程中這關係尤為明顯。”首席研究員T. Hirayama表示。“飲食中缺乏必需脂肪酸和磷脂可能會增加童年患上注意力缺乏症的風險....通過補充磷脂絲氨酸能有效糾正這種根本性失衡，這可能是一個重要的治療策略。”這項研究也確認了早前的另一項研究結果。

PS: Help for ADHD kids

Kids with attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) may benefit from taking phosphatidylserine (PS). A new study suggests that daily doses of the supplement creates significant improvement, even over a short period of time. The study can be found in the Journal of Human Nutrition and Dietetics.

Phosphatidylserine is a nutrient found in organs with high metabolic activity, like lungs, heart, brains and skeletal muscle. It's one of the nutrients most critical to brain function. In the study, 36 children between the ages of four and 14 were given PS in supplement form at a dose of 200 mg per day per two months.

The researchers concluded that the supplement significantly improved ADHD symptoms and short-term auditory memory in children. They wrote that “PS supplementation might be a safe and natural nutritional strategy for improving mental performance in young children suffering from ADHD.”

“Phospholipid deficiencies are linked to impairments in neuronal structure and function, especially during early development,” wrote lead researcher, T. Hirayama. “Dietary deficiency in essential fatty acids and phospholipids during childhood may increase the risk of developing ADHD-type symptoms....correcting underlying imbalances through PS supplementation may be an important treatment strategy in cases where deficiency exists." The research confirms results from an earlier pilot study.

大腦健康與乙酰基-左旋肉鹼 Brain Health, Acetyl-L-Carnitine

許多權威研究指出，乙酰基-左旋肉鹼比其他形式的左旋-肉鹼更容易穿過血腦屏障。這解釋了乙酰基-左旋肉鹼為何比用其他形式左旋肉鹼在大腦中發揮更高活性。

乙酰基-左旋肉鹼能影響大腦中乙酰膽鹼的水平，乙酰膽鹼是腦部主要負責記憶和適當腦功能的神經遞質。乙酰基-左旋肉鹼也能影響神經元水平，促進其合成和增強其功能。乙酰基-左旋肉鹼更能促進神經元釋放更多多巴胺(一種神經遞質），並幫助它粘合多巴胺受體，從而發揮重要功效。

大腦衰老過程中，合成和利用乙酰膽鹼和多巴胺的能力都明顯減弱。補充乙酰基-左旋肉鹼能有效延緩腦退化。研究人員還發現，乙酰基-左旋肉鹼能進一步作為大腦內的一種抗氧化劑，穩定細胞膜，並增強腦細胞內的能源生產。


Many authorities point out that acetyl-L-carnitine more readily crosses the blood-brain barrier than do other forms of L-carnitine. This is one explanation sometimes given for the greater activity found with acetyl-L-carnitine than with other forms of L-carnitine in conditions involving the brain.

Acetyl-L-carnitine influences neuronal levels of acetylcholine, a major neurotransmitter responsible for memory and proper brain function, but supporting its synthesis and functions. Acetyl-L-carnitine also enhances the release of dopamine from neurons and helps it bind to dopamine receptors.

As the brain ages, the ability to synthesize and utilize acetylcholine and dopamine declines. Researchers have discovered that acetyl-L-carnitine further acts as an antioxidant within the brain, that is stabilizes cell membranes, and enhances energy production within brain cells.

Acetyl-L-carnitine influences neuronal levels of acetylcholine, a major neurotransmitter responsible for memory and proper brain function, but supporting its synthesis and functions. Acetyl-L-carnitine also enhances the release of dopamine from neurons and helps it bind to dopamine receptors.

As the brain ages, the ability to synthesize and utilize acetylcholine and dopamine declines. Researchers have discovered that acetyl-L-carnitine further acts as an antioxidant within the brain, that is stabilizes cell membranes, and enhances energy production within brain cells.

認識二吲哚甲烷(DIM) Facts about Diindolylmethane

DIM是從“十字花科”蔬菜，例如白菜、甘藍、花椰菜和西蘭花中所含的植物物質在體內所形成。科學家認為，這些蔬菜有助於保護人體免受癌癥侵害，因為它們含有DIM和相關的I-3-C成分。

DIM可用於預防乳腺癌、子宮癌和大腸癌。它對預防前列腺肥大（BPH）和治療經前綜合徵（PMS）皆有功效。

DIM的工作基理？
DIM能發揮像人體雌激素相似的作用，但在某些情況下，它也能阻止雌激素對身體的影響。
韋恩州立大學醫學院的科學家最近指出，"I3C和DIM能影響大量細胞基因的表達方式，對預防癌變和提高細胞存活率和相關生理作用都有正面影響"。

Diindolylmethane(DIM) is formed in the body from plant substances contained in “cruciferous” vegetables such as cabbage, Brussels sprouts, cauliflower, and broccoli. Scientists think these vegetables may help to protect the body against cancer because they contain diindolylmethane and a related chemical called indole-3-carbinol.

Diindolylmethane is used for preventing breast, uterine, and colorectal cancer. It is also used to prevent an enlarged prostate (benign prostatic hypertrophy, BPH) and treat premenstrual syndrome (PMS).

How does it work?
Diindolylmethane might act like estrogen in the body, but there is evidence that under certain circumstances it might also block estrogen effects.
Scientists at Wayne State University School of Medicine recently noted that “I3C and DIM affected the expression of a large number of genes that are related to the control of carcinogenesis, cell survival, and physiologic behaviors.