The amla tree is a middle sized deciduous tree found wild throughout tropical India. The tree is extensively cultivated in many parts of India for its fruits.

The amla fruit is round and light greenish yellow. Its primary taste is sour and astringent. Secondary tastes are sweet, bitter and pungent. The Amla fruit’s properties include being an aperient, carminative, diuretic, aphrodisiac, laxative, astringent, tonic and refrigerant. If you drink water after eating amla, it feels very cold and sweet. While all parts of the tree are used in medicinal preparations, it is the fruit which has the main medicinal value.