Indian Gooseberry Is a Centuries-Old Botanical for Wellness and Lustrous Hair

by Stacey Lindsay on Aug 07, 2019

Botanicals are powerful. Plants and herbs are the force behind countless elixirs, medicines, and therapies. They're the hero ingredient in beauty solutions, the aesthetic compass for narratives. And they are the nucleus of healing modalities—including those in Ayurveda.

If you were to take a macro look at the botanicals used in Ayurveda it would read like a kaleidoscope. There are plant extracts that hydrate skin, essential oils that promote relaxation, spices that promote circulation. And sometimes there are botanicals that have the ability to benefit a wide range of things.

That is the case with Indian Gooseberry. A perfect illustration of a botanical that holds a throng of benefits, Indian Gooseberry—also known as Amla—is an incredibly effective healer in Ayurveda. Medical experts have been referred to it as "the most important medicinal plant in the Indian traditional system of medicine." A round bright green fruit with glossy skin, Indian Gooseberry grows wild in various tropical and subtropical regions of south and southeast Asia including India, Nepal, Thailand, Myanmar, and China. Harvesters pluck the fruits from the leafy trees (called Indian Gooseberry trees). The clusters of green globes resemble giant versions of grape vines. Thin skin encases soft sour flesh that surrounds a hexagonal stone.

For centuries people have used various part of the plant—the fruit, the leaves, the bark, the stone—for its incredible health benefits. Indian Gooseberry is rich in vitamin C (it has approximately twenty times the vitamin C of lemons), polyphenols, essential fatty acids, and antioxidants including beta carotene, gallic acid, and ellagic acid. Practitioners have long used Indian Gooseberry to treat fevers, colds, and digestive issues. It's been known to ease inflammation and various diseases.

With nutrients abounding, Indian Gooseberry makes an incredible difference in the health of your hair. The fruit extract keeps hair follicles strong and elastic, preventing free radical and environmental damage and enhancing the natural color of the strands. It also clarifies and restores moisture to the scalp, which results in glossier, thicker, healthier locks. A star ingredients in UMA's Intensely Nourishing Hair Oil, Indian Gooseberry is a brilliant beauty oil with a rich history.

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