What are the health benefits of amla and is it safe?

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Amla Extract for Blood Sugar?

Written by Meredith Worthington, Ph.D. — Medically reviewed and edited by Tod Cooperman, M.D.

Updated July 27, 2023 ⓘ

Amla supplement capsules being poured onto a wooden table with amla fruit in the background

Answer:

What is amla?

Amla (Emblica officinalis), also known as Indian gooseberry, is one of the most commonly used ingredients in traditional Ayurvedic medicine. The fruit of amla contains vitamin C, tannins, phenols, including the phenolic ester β-glucogallin, and other nutrients that are believed to contribute to its health benefits.

Health benefits of amla

Although amla has been promoted for numerous conditions, including diabetes, heart health, digestive health, immunity, kidney and liver function, dementia, Alzheimer's disease, hair growth, age-related macular degeneration, cataract, aging skin, and cancer, many of these uses have not been evaluated in clinical studies. Among the uses that have been evaluated in humans, most of the studies have been small and preliminary. Larger, longer-term studies are needed to confirm the benefits of amla in people.

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ConsumerLab uses only high-quality, evidence-based sources, including peer-reviewed studies and information from agencies such as the FDA and USDA, and the National Academy of Medicine. On evolving topics, studies from pre-print journals may be sourced. All of our content is reviewed by medical doctors and doctoral-level experts in pharmacology, toxicology, and chemistry. We continually update and medically review our information to keep our content trustworthy, accurate, and reliable.

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In addition the results of its expert testing, ConsumerLab uses only high-quality, evidence based, information sources. These sources include peer-reviewed studies and information from agencies such as the FDA and USDA, and the National Academy of Medicine. On evolving topics, studies from pre-print journals may be sourced. All of our content is reviewed by medical doctors and doctoral-level experts in pharmacology, toxicology, and chemistry. We continually update and medically review our information to keep our content trustworthy, accurate, and reliable. The following sources are referenced in this article: