All in a Gooseberry - Story of C

The amla has been found to be the most abundant source of Vitamin C in the plant kingdom

---containing as much as 20 times that of an orange. What makes this even more extraordinary is that unlike many other natural sources, the vitamin C content in amla does not diminish with cooking. It was used successfully in the treatment of scurvy during teh Hissar (Haryana) famine of 1939-40.

In recent times, there have been a few research reports that dispute the presence of vitamin C or Ascorbic Acid in amla and state that these are other acids mistaken for vitamin C. However, what is important is this. Even the reports disputing the presence of vitamin C in amla say that its antioxidant effect --- whether it'sjust due to the presence of polyphenols or a combination of them and vitamin C -- is so powerfu that it is significantly greater than that of vitamin C!