Amla (Indian Gooseberry)

About

What it is and where it shows up.

Amla (Phyllanthus emblica / Emblica officinalis) is a fruit native to India and Southeast Asia, consumed fresh, pickled, juiced, or powdered, and widely used as a traditional Ayurvedic food ingredient. It is prized for its exceptionally high vitamin C content (up to 1,700 mg per 100 g), along with rich polyphenols, hydrolysable tannins, and minerals, making it one of the most concentrated natural antioxidant food sources known.

Safety summary

The regulatory and scientific consensus.

Amla is generally regarded as safe when consumed as food or supplement; a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled crossover trial in healthy adults at 500 mg/day over 18 weeks found no hepatotoxicity, no adverse renal effects, and demonstrated improvements in vascular function and lipid profiles. Its documented anti-coagulant, anti-platelet, and hypoglycemic properties warrant caution for individuals on anticoagulant or antidiabetic medications. No formal Acceptable Daily Intake (ADI) has been established, as it is regulated globally as a whole fruit or botanical food ingredient rather than a synthetic food additive.

Regulatory landscape

What food-safety regulators have decided.

Jurisdiction	Status	Note
EFSA (European Food Safety Authority) (European Union)	Approved	Amla fruit and powder are sold as food supplement ingredients across the EU. Concentrated or standardized extracts may fall under Novel Food Regulation (EU) 2015/2283 if a significant history of EU consumption prior to May 1997 cannot be demonstrated. No EFSA-assigned E-number exists for amla as it is not a synthetic food additive. No formal ADI established.source
FSSAI (Food Safety and Standards Authority of India) (India)	Approved	Under the FSS (Health Supplements, Nutraceuticals, Foods for Special Dietary Use, Foods for Special Medical Purpose, Functional Foods and Novel Food) Regulations 2016 (amended 2021), amla is listed as a permitted botanical source for nutraceutical and health supplement formulations; amendment in force from 6 September 2021.source
FDA (Food and Drug Administration) (United States)	Approved	Amla fruit is consumed as a conventional food and dietary supplement ingredient in the US. FDA's GRAS framework recognizes substances with a substantial history of safe common use in food before 1958 or through scientific procedures (21 CFR 170.30); amla qualifies under traditional use. No specific GRAS notification has been filed for amla as an isolated food additive, but it is widely sold as a food and supplement ingredient without FDA objection.source

Who should approach with care

Whose guidance would steer them away.

Pregnancy — Insufficient controlled clinical safety data in pregnant women; amla's anti-platelet, anti-coagulant, and hypoglycemic pharmacological activities documented in RCTs warrant medical consultation before use at supplemental doses during pregnancy.

Diabetes — Meta-analysis of RCTs confirms amla significantly reduces fasting blood glucose; concurrent use with antidiabetic medications may potentiate hypoglycemic effects, requiring blood glucose monitoring and possible dose adjustment.

Heart Disease — Amla's documented anti-coagulant, anti-thrombosis, and anti-platelet activities may interact with anticoagulant or antiplatelet drugs (e.g., warfarin, aspirin, clopidogrel) commonly prescribed for heart disease, increasing bleeding risk.

Kidney Disease — Amla's very high vitamin C content (1,100–1,700 mg per 100 g of fruit) may significantly increase urinary oxalate excretion; patients with chronic kidney disease or a history of calcium oxalate nephrolithiasis should consult a physician before supplemental amla use.

Research citations

The sources behind this verdict.

1PubMed. The impact of Emblica Officinalis (Amla) on lipid profile, glucose, and C-reactive protein: A systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials, 2023. pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
2PubMed. Insight about the biochemical composition, postharvest processing, therapeutic potential of Indian gooseberry (amla), and its utilization in development of functional foods - A comprehensive review, 2022. pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
3PubMed. Clinical evaluation of Emblica Officinalis Gatertn (Amla) in healthy human subjects: Health benefits and safety results from a randomized, double-blind, crossover placebo-controlled study, 2020. pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
4PubMed. Therapeutic potential of Phyllanthus emblica (amla): the ayurvedic wonder, 2010. pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
5PubMed. Supplementation of Emblica officinalis (Amla) extract reduces oxidative stress in uremic patients, 2009. pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Independently researched5 citations