Hello and welcome to the Nutrition Diva podcast. I'm your host Monica Reinegel. And this

week's episode was prompted by Josh, who sent in this question.

Hi Monica, I'm a long time follower of Nutrition Diva and I was hoping you could give me your

take on Amla, also called Indian Gooseberry, supplements to reduce cholesterol. I have

naturally high cholesterol, despite exercising regularly and eating a relatively

healthful high fiber and low saturated fat diet. Amla or Indian Gooseberry is a

small green fruit approximately an inch in diameter that grows on small trees

throughout India and Asia. Like most berries, it's rich in vitamin C and other

antioxidants. But compared to other berries, it is relatively high in fiber. Now

the Amla Gooseberry is edible as a fruit, but it's pretty sour and

distringent. And when it is served as a fruit, it's usually cooked in a sugar

syrup. However, the dried powdered fruit is also a staple of the ancient

Hindu system of Ayurvedic medicine. It's thought to be good for the skin, the

eyes, the heart, and to have general anti-aging properties. It's also used to

treat everything from fever to bleeding disorders, diabetes, sore throats,

hair loss, even low sex drive. Like most traditional medicine systems, Ayurvedic

medicine was developed and refined over thousands of years using observation and

experience. And you know, that's exactly where science begins. In fact, the

Sanskrit word Ayurveda literally translates to the science of life. However,

Ayurvedic medicine was developed and codified long before the emergence of the

modern scientific method, which involves systematic testing of hypotheses

under conditions that attempt to eliminate as many variables as possible. Some of

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