The short answer
Amalaki Rasayana is a rasayana, a preparation meant to keep the body strong into old age, built on amalaki (amla, आंवला). In the Charaka Samhita version, amla powder is soaked in fresh amla juice over 21 nights, then mixed with honey, ghee, pippali and sugar. We did not find it in Parts I or II of the Ayurvedic Formulary of India, so products sold under this name may not follow the same recipe.
The human study we reviewed was a placebo-controlled trial. Healthy older volunteers took freshly made Amalaki Rasayana or a placebo for 45 days, and one measure of DNA repair held steady or improved while two others did not change. That tells us nothing yet about illness or ageing. The classical recipe contains sugar and honey, which matters if you have diabetes.
What is in it
| Ingredient | Botanical name | Part used | Proportion |
|---|---|---|---|
| Amalaki (amla) powder | Emblica officinalis | Fruit | 1 adhaka |
| Amalaki (amla) juice | Emblica officinalis | Fresh fruit juice | For soaking the powder, over 21 nights |
| Madhu (honey) and ghrita (ghee) | - | - | Two adhakas between them, as the verse words it |
| Pippali (long pepper) | Piper longum | Fruit | One eighth part, relative to the powder |
| Sharkara (sugar) | - | Powdered | One fourth part, relative to the powder |
These are the inputs of one Charaka recipe, in the text's own measures. How the two adhakas divide between honey and ghee is with our Sanskrit reviewer. Products on sale may differ, so check the label.[1]
Classical source
Charaka describes an adhaka of amalaki powder soaked in amalaki juice over twenty-one nights, then combined with honey and ghee, pippali and powdered sugar. The same chapter has several other amalaki rasayanas, including an amalaki ghee and two avalehas, so this is one variant among several.[1]
What it is used for
- Charaka places it in the rasayana chapter, among preparations taken for a long and vigorous life rather than for a named disease.[1]
What the evidence says
RCTTrial in healthy older people, 2016. Volunteers were randomised to freshly prepared Amalaki Rasayana or placebo for 45 days and checked again 45 days after stopping. Repair of DNA strand breaks was maintained or improved, but two other repair pathways (nucleotide and base excision repair) did not change. The abstract does not give the number of people or the dose, and DNA repair is a lab marker, not a health outcome.[2]
Safety notes
- The Charaka recipe adds powdered sugar at a quarter of the amla powder, plus honey. This matters if you have diabetes. Retail recipes vary, so read the label.[1]
- Amla, the main herb, has its own interaction pages. See Amla and blood thinners, and Amla and metformin.
- The classical recipe contains pippali (long pepper). In a small study of people with epilepsy, a single dose of piperine, a compound in pippali and black pepper, raised blood levels of phenytoin. That study used isolated piperine, not this medicine. See Pippali and phenytoin.[3]
- Our search for side-effect reports and regulator alerts on products sold under this name is not finished. Finding none so far is not a sign that they are harmless.
Who makes it
Sold in India by makers including Baidyanath. We list names so you can match your bottle to this page. We do not recommend or sell any brand.
Withheld until review
Questions people ask
Is amla the same as Amalaki Rasayana?
Amalaki is amla, the fruit. Amalaki Rasayana is a prepared medicine: in Charaka's version the powder is soaked in amla juice for 21 nights and mixed with honey, ghee, pippali and sugar. Plain amla tablets or powder are a different product.[1]
Is every Amalaki Rasayana made the same way?
No. Charaka's rasayana chapter gives several amalaki preparations, and the name on a pack does not tell you which one was followed. Ask the maker or check the ingredient list on the label.[1]
Related
Amla and blood thinners
Amla extract slowed platelet clumping in small human studies, alone and with aspirin or clopidogrel. Warfarin has not been tested.
InteractionAmla and metformin
Amla lowered blood sugar further alongside metformin in one small rat study. Nobody has tested the two together in people.
FormulationChyawanprash
Amla jam with 36 herbs, sugar and honey. The review we assessed covered COVID-19 prevention trials, with uncertain results. The sugar matters in diabetes.
FormulationTriphala Churna
Three fruits in one powder, best known as a laxative. Human trials are few and small; most research is in the lab or in animals.
Sources
- Charaka Samhita, Chikitsa Sthana 1.2.8 (Rasayana Adhyaya, Pranakamiya Rasayana Pada), Amalaka churna.
- Vishwanatha U, Guruprasad KP, Gopinath PM, et al. Effect of Amalaki rasayana on DNA damage and repair in randomized aged human individuals. J Ethnopharmacol. 2016;191:387-397. PMID 27364038.
- Pattanaik S, Hota D, Prabhakar S, Kharbanda P, Pandhi P. Effect of piperine on the steady-state pharmacokinetics of phenytoin in patients with epilepsy. Phytother Res. 2006;20(8):683-686. PMID 16767797.
Updated 4 November 2026
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