Witnessed by: TCM · Ayurveda · Western · Unani
Amla (Phyllanthus emblica), of the Phyllanthaceae family. Small deciduous tree, fine feathery foliage; native range: Indian subcontinent, reaching into South China and Southeast Asia. Globally recognized as amalaki in Sanskrit, aonla in Hindi, nellikai in Tamil, yu gan zi (余甘子) in Chinese, and Indian gooseberry in English. The part used is fruit. Pale translucent green, round, six-furrowed; forcefully sour and astringent, then the odd sweet cooling aftertaste that gives it its Chinese name, 'surplus sweet.'.
In this cross-tradition database, we analyze how this substance operates across world medicine systems — tracking its traditional tastes, temperatures, tissue affinities, post-digestive effects, and planetary correspondences across Ayurveda, Unani, and Western herbalism.
AMLA
IDENTITY
Name
- Common
- amla
- Scientific name
- Phyllanthus emblica L.
- Family
- Phyllanthaceae
Form
- Part used
- fruit
PROPERTIES
Nature
Taste
how the plant declares itself on the tongue
- TCM
- sour · sweet · astringent
- Ayurveda
- dominant: sour · then: sweet · bitter · pungent · astringent
- Western
- sour · astringent
Temperature
TCM: cool
Ayurveda: cooling (sheeta)
Western: cool
Unani: cold
convergence: all {witness_count} witnesses converge — nature showing plainly through every lens
Affinity
where in the body it travels
Organs / channels
- TCM
- Lung · Stomach
- Western
- liver · blood · digestion
PRACTICE
Virtue
Actions
- TCM
- clears heat, generates fluids
- Ayurveda
- rasayana (rejuvenative), pitta-pacifying
- Western
- antioxidant, vitamin-C tonic
Cautions
Contraindications: cooling nature leans against deep-cold or cold-kapha constitutions
Toxicity: none notable — broadly gentle and well-tolerated
Interactions
- Western
- anticoagulants: may deepen blood-thinning effect · antidiabetic agents: may add to glucose lowering
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