Amla vs Amalaki: Are They the Same?

Yes, Amla and Amalaki are the same fruit, simply known by two different names. It is the small, sour, pale green fruit of the tree Emblica officinalis, which Ayurveda counts among its foremost rejuvenating substances. If you have seen it called Indian gooseberry, that is the same fruit again, under its common English name.

Amla and Amalaki are the same fruit

There is no difference between Amla and Amalaki. They are two names for one thing.

Amalaki is the Sanskrit name, the name used throughout the classical texts of Ayurveda. Amla is the common Hindi and everyday name, the word most people in India would use in the kitchen or the market. Both refer to the fruit of the same tree, known to botany as Emblica officinalis and also written Phyllanthus emblica. In English it is called the Indian gooseberry, and in Sanskrit it carries a further well-known name, Dhatri, meaning something close to “the nurse,” for the way the tradition regarded it as sustaining.

So whether a label reads Amla, Amalaki, Dhatri or Indian gooseberry, it is pointing to one and the same fruit.

Why the two names exist

The two names sit at two levels of language. Amalaki is the classical Sanskrit name, the form fixed in the old medical writings and used whenever the fruit is discussed in a formal or textual setting. Amla is the vernacular name, the living everyday word carried down through Hindi and the other spoken languages of the region.

This pattern is common right across Ayurveda, where a single plant will often have one Sanskrit name for the texts and another for daily speech. The same fruit can therefore appear under several names at once without any of them being wrong. They simply belong to different registers of the same tradition.

What Ayurveda values it for

Ayurveda places the fruit high among its rejuvenating substances. It is described as a foremost rasayana, a substance taken over time to steady and restore the body rather than to act in a single day. The Charaka Samhita gives it a chapter of its own under the name Amalaki Rasayana.

What sets it apart is its cooling nature. It is rich in the sour taste, which would ordinarily be warming, yet in its effect the fruit is described as cooling, and as tridoshahara, settling all three doshas at once. The tradition treats this as a special property that the taste alone does not explain. It is also one of the three fruits of Triphala, the classical three-fruit combination, alongside Haritaki and Bibhitaki.

Forms you will see

Because the fruit is so widely used, you will meet it in several forms. It is eaten as the fresh fruit, kept as the dried fruit, and most often ground into a powder, or churna. It is also taken as a juice pressed from the fresh fruit.

Beyond the plain fruit, it is a central ingredient in two of the best-known classical preparations. It is the principal fruit of Chyawanprash, the well-known herbal jam of the rejuvenation group, and it is one of the three fruits of Triphala. If you are reading an ingredient list, it may be named there as Amla, Amalaki, Dhatri or Indian gooseberry, but in every case it is the same fruit described on this page.

Good to know

This guide describes the classical Ayurvedic understanding and is not medical advice. Speak to a qualified doctor or registered Ayurvedic practitioner before using any herb, especially if you are pregnant, taking medication or managing a health condition.

Frequently asked

Is Amla and Amalaki the same thing? Yes. Amla is the common Hindi and everyday name, and Amalaki is the Sanskrit name used in Ayurveda. Both refer to the fruit of Emblica officinalis, also called the Indian gooseberry.

What is the difference between Amla and Amalaki? There is no difference in what they name. The difference is only one of language: Amalaki is the classical Sanskrit word, while Amla is the everyday vernacular word for the very same fruit.

Is Amla the same as Indian gooseberry? Yes. Indian gooseberry is the English name for the fruit that Ayurveda calls Amalaki and everyday speech calls Amla. All three names describe one fruit, Emblica officinalis (also written Phyllanthus emblica).

Why does the fruit have so many names? Like many plants in Ayurveda, it carries a formal Sanskrit name for the texts (Amalaki, and also Dhatri) and a common name for daily use (Amla), with Indian gooseberry serving as the English name. The names differ; the fruit does not.