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|image = Phyllanthus_officinalis.jpg | |image = Phyllanthus_officinalis.jpg | ||
|image_caption = Plant | |image_caption = Plant | ||
|image2 = Phyllanthus emblica |
|image2 = Phyllanthus emblica - whole and cross section.jpg | ||
|image2_caption = Fruit | |image2_caption = Fruit, whole and halved | ||
|status = LC | |status = LC | ||
|status_system = IUCN3.1 | |status_system = IUCN3.1 | ||
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== Description == | == Description == | ||
⚫ | The tree is small to medium in size, reaching {{convert|1-8|m|ft|abbr=off|frac=2}} in height. The bark is mottled. The branchlets are finely pubescent (not ]), {{convert|10–20|cm|abbr=off|frac=2}} long, usually deciduous. The ] are simple, ] and closely set along branchlets, light green, resembling ] 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 {{convert|26|mm|abbr=|frac=2}} in diameter, and, while the fruit of wild plants weigh approximately {{convert|5.5|g|4=1|abbr=off}}, cultivated fruits average {{convert|28.4|g|4=0|abbr=on}} to {{convert|56|g|4=0|abbr=on}}.<ref>Huxley. A. The New RHS Dictionary of Gardening. 1992. MacMillan Press 1992 ISBN 0-333-47494-5</ref> | ||
⚫ | |||
===Morphology=== | |||
{{gallery|mode=packed | |||
] | |||
⚫ | |Indian gooseberry bark.jpg|Trunk and main branches | ||
⚫ | The tree is small to medium in size, reaching {{convert|1-8|m|abbr= |
||
⚫ | |Indian gooseberry (Phyllanthus emblica syn Emblica officinalis) new leaves at Jayanti, Duars, West Bengal W Picture 039.jpg|Leaves | ||
⚫ | |Indian gooseberry (Phyllanthus emblica syn Emblica officinalis) at Jayanti, Duars, West Bengal W Picture 045.jpg|Budding and flowers | ||
⚫ | |油甘果實.jpg|Fruits | ||
⚫ | |Amala in Madhya Pradesh 4.jpg|Fruit size comparison | ||
⚫ | |油甘果種子.jpg|Seed close-up | ||
}} | |||
===Chemical constituents=== | ===Chemical constituents=== | ||
The fruits contain high amounts of ] (vitamin C),<ref>{{cite journal |vauthors=Tarwadi K, Agte V |title=Antioxidant and micronutrient potential of common fruits available in the Indian subcontinent |journal=Int J Food Sci Nutr |volume=58 |issue=5 |pages=341–9 |date=Aug 2007 |pmid=17558726 |doi=10.1080/09637480701243905 |s2cid=7663752 }}</ref> and have a ] that may derive from a high density of ]s,<ref name=dharm>{{cite web|author=Dharmananda S|title=''Emblic myrobalans'' (Amla)|publisher=Institute of Traditional Medicine|url=http://www.itmonline.org/arts/amla.htm|date=September 2003|access-date=2006-02-07|archive-date=2005-09-01|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20050901135329/http://www.itmonline.org/arts/amla.htm|url-status=live}}</ref> such as ] A (37%), emblicanin B (33%), ] (12%), and ] (14%).<ref>{{Cite journal | |||
| last1 = Bhattacharya | first1 = A. | | last1 = Bhattacharya | first1 = A. | ||
| last2 = Chatterjee | first2 = A. | | last2 = Chatterjee | first2 = A. | ||
Line 51: | Line 57: | ||
}}</ref> Amla also contains ] and phyllanemblinin A, phyllanemblin other ]s, such as ]s, ], ], and ].<ref name=dharm/><ref>{{cite journal |author1=Habib-ur-Rehman |author2=Yasin KA |author3=Choudhary MA |title=Studies on the chemical constituents of Phyllanthus emblica |journal=Nat. Prod. Res. |volume=21 |issue=9 |pages=775–81 |date=Jul 2007 |pmid=17763100 |doi=10.1080/14786410601124664 |s2cid=30716746 |display-authors=etal}}</ref> | }}</ref> Amla also contains ] and phyllanemblinin A, phyllanemblin other ]s, such as ]s, ], ], and ].<ref name=dharm/><ref>{{cite journal |author1=Habib-ur-Rehman |author2=Yasin KA |author3=Choudhary MA |title=Studies on the chemical constituents of Phyllanthus emblica |journal=Nat. Prod. Res. |volume=21 |issue=9 |pages=775–81 |date=Jul 2007 |pmid=17763100 |doi=10.1080/14786410601124664 |s2cid=30716746 |display-authors=etal}}</ref> | ||
== |
== Uses == | ||
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. | 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. | ||
===Culinary |
===Culinary=== | ||
⚫ | |||
The amla fruit is eaten raw or cooked into various dishes, such as '']'' (a lentil preparation) and ''amle ka murabbah'', a sweet dish made by soaking the berries in sugar syrup until they are candied. It is traditionally consumed after meals.{{cn|date=October 2020}} | The amla fruit is eaten raw or cooked into various dishes, such as '']'' (a lentil preparation) and ''amle ka murabbah'', a sweet dish made by soaking the berries in sugar syrup until they are candied. It is traditionally consumed after meals.{{cn|date=October 2020}} | ||
In the ] area of ], Indonesia, the inner bark is used to impart an astringent, bitter taste to the broth of a traditional fish soup known as ''holat''.<ref>{{cite book|last1=de Clercq|first1=F. S. A.|title=Nieuw Plantkundig Woordenboek voor Nederlandsch Indië|url=https://archive.org/details/nieuwplantkundig00cler|date=1909|publisher=J. H. de Bussy|location=Amsterdam|page=}}</ref> | In the ] area of ], Indonesia, the inner bark is used to impart an astringent, bitter taste to the broth of a traditional fish soup known as ''holat''.<ref>{{cite book|last1=de Clercq|first1=F. S. A.|title=Nieuw Plantkundig Woordenboek voor Nederlandsch Indië|url=https://archive.org/details/nieuwplantkundig00cler|date=1909|publisher=J. H. de Bussy|location=Amsterdam|page=}}</ref> | ||
{{gallery|mode=packed | |||
⚫ | |Indian gooseberry pickle.png|Indian gooseberry pickle | ||
⚫ | |Amla juice.jpg|Amla juice | ||
}} | |||
===Traditional medicine=== | ===Traditional medicine=== | ||
In ], dried and fresh fruits of the plant are used as a common constituent.<ref name=dharm/><ref>Indian Ministry of Health and Family Planning. The Ayurvedic Formulary of India. Part I. 1st ed. Delhi, 1978.</ref> | In ], dried and fresh fruits of the plant are used as a common constituent.<ref name=dharm/><ref>Indian Ministry of Health and Family Planning. The Ayurvedic Formulary of India. Part I. 1st ed. Delhi, 1978.</ref> | ||
== |
==In culture== | ||
In the Buddhist tradition there are many references to the fruit of the emblic myrobalan. In the {{Transliteration|sa|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".<ref>Chen, K. (1952). The Śatapañcāśatka of Mātrceta: Sanskrit Text, Tibetan translation and commentary, and Chinese translation. Edited by D. R. Shackleton Bailey, with an introduction, English translation and notes. Cambridge: The University Press, 1951. xi, 237 p. The Far Eastern Quarterly, 11(3), 408–410. {{doi|10.2307/2049590}}.</ref> | In the Buddhist tradition there are many references to the fruit of the emblic myrobalan. In the {{Transliteration|sa|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".<ref>Chen, K. (1952). The Śatapañcāśatka of Mātrceta: Sanskrit Text, Tibetan translation and commentary, and Chinese translation. Edited by D. R. Shackleton Bailey, with an introduction, English translation and notes. Cambridge: The University Press, 1951. xi, 237 p. The Far Eastern Quarterly, 11(3), 408–410. {{doi|10.2307/2049590}}.</ref> | ||
Half an amla fruit was the final gift to the Buddhist '']'' by the great Indian emperor ]. This is illustrated in the ] in the following verses: "A great donor, the lord of men, the eminent Maurya Ashoka, has gone from being lord of Jambudvipa to being lord of half a myrobalan".<ref>] (1983) ''The Legend of King Ashoka''. New York: Princeton University Press. p. 99.</ref> In ], this plant is said to have been used as the tree for achieving enlightenment, or ], by the twenty first ], named ].<ref></ref> | Half an amla fruit was the final gift to the Buddhist '']'' by the great Indian emperor ]. This is illustrated in the ] in the following verses: "A great donor, the lord of men, the eminent Maurya Ashoka, has gone from being lord of Jambudvipa to being lord of half a myrobalan".<ref>] (1983) ''The Legend of King Ashoka''. New York: Princeton University Press. p. 99.</ref> In ], this plant is said to have been used as the tree for achieving enlightenment, or ], by the twenty first ], named ].<ref></ref> | ||
{{gallery|mode=packed | |||
==Gallery== | |||
⚫ | |Lingaraj Temple, Bhubaneswar (4) - Oct 2010.jpg|] at the top of the ] in ] | ||
<gallery> | |||
⚫ | |Buddha statue holding a myrobalan.jpg|Hand of a standing ] holding a myrobalan | ||
⚫ | |||
⚫ | |Amala in Madhya Pradesh 2.jpg|Amala in ] Madhya Pradesh | ||
⚫ | |||
}} | |||
⚫ | |||
⚫ | |||
⚫ | |||
⚫ | |||
⚫ | |||
⚫ | Amala in Madhya Pradesh 2.jpg|Amala in ] Madhya Pradesh | ||
⚫ | Amala in Madhya Pradesh 4.jpg| |
||
</gallery> | |||
==See also== | ==See also== |
Revision as of 17:06, 2 January 2024
Berry and plant For other plants called gooseberry, see List of gooseberries.
Phyllanthus emblica | |
---|---|
Plant | |
Fruit, whole and halved | |
Conservation status | |
Least Concern (IUCN 3.1) | |
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. | |
Synonyms | |
|
Phyllanthus emblica, also known as emblic, emblic myrobalan, myrobalan, Indian gooseberry, Malacca tree, or amla, from the Sanskrit आमलकी (āmalakī), is a deciduous tree of the family Phyllanthaceae. Its native range is tropical and southern Asia.
Description
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).
Chemical constituents
The fruits contain high amounts of ascorbic acid (vitamin C), and have a bitter taste that may derive from a high density of ellagitannins, such as emblicanin A (37%), emblicanin B (33%), punigluconin (12%), and pedunculagin (14%). Amla also contains punicafolin and phyllanemblinin A, phyllanemblin other polyphenols, such as flavonoids, kaempferol, ellagic acid, and gallic acid.
Uses
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.
Culinary
The amla fruit is eaten raw or cooked into various dishes, such as dal (a lentil preparation) and amle ka murabbah, a sweet dish made by soaking the berries in sugar syrup until they are candied. It is traditionally consumed after meals.
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.
Traditional medicine
In Ayurveda, dried and fresh fruits of the plant are used as a common constituent.
In culture
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".
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 to being lord of half a myrobalan". 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.
- Amalaka at the top of the Lingaraj temple in Bhubaneswar
- Hand of a standing Buddha statue holding a myrobalan
- Amala in Bhopal Madhya Pradesh
See also
- Emblicanin
- Triphala, an Ayurvedic mixture containing amla.
References
- Roland, C. (2020). "Phyllanthus emblica". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2020: e.T149444430A149548926. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2020-3.RLTS.T149444430A149548926.en. Retrieved 19 November 2021.
- ^ "Phyllanthus emblica". Germplasm Resources Information Network. Agricultural Research Service, United States Department of Agriculture. Retrieved 2008-03-06.
- "Phyllanthus emblica L." World Flora Online. World Flora Consortium. 2023. Archived from the original on 20 May 2023. Retrieved 25 April 2023.
- ^ "Phyllanthus emblica L." Plants of the World Online. Royal Botanical Gardens, Kew. Archived from the original on 1 June 2022. Retrieved 30 June 2022.
- ^ Lim, T.K. (2012). "Phyllanthus emblica". Edible Medicinal And Non-Medicinal Plants. Springer Netherlands. pp. 258–296. doi:10.1007/978-94-007-4053-2_37. ISBN 9789400740525.
- Huxley. A. The New RHS Dictionary of Gardening. 1992. MacMillan Press 1992 ISBN 0-333-47494-5
- Tarwadi K, Agte V (Aug 2007). "Antioxidant and micronutrient potential of common fruits available in the Indian subcontinent". Int J Food Sci Nutr. 58 (5): 341–9. doi:10.1080/09637480701243905. PMID 17558726. S2CID 7663752.
- ^ Dharmananda S (September 2003). "Emblic myrobalans (Amla)". Institute of Traditional Medicine. Archived from the original on 2005-09-01. Retrieved 2006-02-07.
- Bhattacharya, A.; Chatterjee, A.; Ghosal, S.; Bhattacharya, S. K. (1999). "Antioxidant activity of active tannoid principles of Emblica officinalis (amla)". Indian Journal of Experimental Biology. 37 (7): 676–680. PMID 10522157.
- Habib-ur-Rehman; Yasin KA; Choudhary MA; et al. (Jul 2007). "Studies on the chemical constituents of Phyllanthus emblica". Nat. Prod. Res. 21 (9): 775–81. doi:10.1080/14786410601124664. PMID 17763100. S2CID 30716746.
- de Clercq, F. S. A. (1909). Nieuw Plantkundig Woordenboek voor Nederlandsch Indië. Amsterdam: J. H. de Bussy. p. 303.
- Indian Ministry of Health and Family Planning. The Ayurvedic Formulary of India. Part I. 1st ed. Delhi, 1978.
- Chen, K. (1952). The Śatapañcāśatka of Mātrceta: Sanskrit Text, Tibetan translation and commentary, and Chinese translation. Edited by D. R. Shackleton Bailey, with an introduction, English translation and notes. Cambridge: The University Press, 1951. xi, 237 p. The Far Eastern Quarterly, 11(3), 408–410. doi:10.2307/2049590.
- Strong, J. S. (1983) The Legend of King Ashoka. New York: Princeton University Press. p. 99.
- Buddha: His Life, His Teachings, His Order: Together with the History of the Buddhism, Manmatha Nath Dutt, Society for the resuscitation of Indian literature, 1901, p. 3
External links
- Media related to Phyllanthus emblica at Wikimedia Commons