Plant atlas Short
Indian Gooseberry (Amla): LDL Fell in a Trial
Indian Gooseberry / Amla · มะขามป้อม · Phyllanthus emblica
Indian Gooseberry / Amla — มะขามป้อม (ma-kham-pom) — Phyllanthus emblica.
It's so tart. Water can taste sweet right after. In a 98-person double-blind trial, amla extract lowered LDL, total cholesterol, and triglycerides in people with high cholesterol. The berry is the edible part.
It's a source of vitamin C and fiber. Vitamin C helps your body build collagen for skin, supports normal immune function, and works as an antioxidant inside your cells. Fiber keeps digestion regular and helps you feel full, and it slows sugar absorption, softening the blood-sugar rise after a meal.
Nam Phrik Ma Kham Pom pounds the gooseberries with garlic, chilies, shrimp paste, and dried fish into a thick chili paste, eaten with hard-boiled eggs and raw vegetables. Ma Kham Pom Chae Im blanches the berries, brines them to pull out bitterness, and steeps them in sugar syrup for a cold, sweet-tart snack.
Beyond the two amla recipes above, Thais also take the berries fresh, dried, pickled, or brined. Pair them with plant-based iron foods, since their vitamin C can improve iron absorption in that meal. If you take blood thinners, check with your doctor first, since amla may slow clotting. The tree shrugs off drought and heat once established. Follow Longevity Biome for a new Thai plant every day.
Nam Phrik Ma-kham-pom — น้ำพริกมะขามป้อม (nam-phrik-ma-kham-pom)
Ma-kham-pom Chae-im — มะขามป้อมแช่อิ่ม (ma-kham-pom-chae-im)
Source: Upadya H et al. (2019). Emblica officinalis extract in dyslipidemia: multicenter double-blind RCT (n=98). BMC Complement Altern Med 19:27. DOI:10.1186/s12906-019-2430-y (PMID 30670010)
Educational content, not medical advice! Consult your doctor before changing diet or medication.
#LongevityBiome #ThaiHerbs #IndianGooseberry
Food and nutrients
Rich in: vitamin C, fiber
Research context
Amla extract lowered LDL, total cholesterol, and triglyceride markers in a trial — BMC Complement Altern Med, 2019