The Medicinal Uses of Phyllanthus emblica L. (Indian gooseberry): An Evidence-Based

Abstract

Phyllanthus emblica L. (Indian gooseberry) has been used in traditional medicine for treatment of various diseases in Asian countries. It has been recorded in Ayurvedic and traditional medicines in Thailand for antitussive medicine for a long time. It is developed into Phyllanthus emblica fruit extract and also medicine/ health products with several health claims. However, there have been not articles discussing its use in Thai traditional medicine and relevant empirical evidence. The objective of this article is to review and evaluate evidence related to medicinal uses of the Indian gooseberry, including treatment of COVID-19, in order to provide information for rationale uses. The Indian gooseberry and Thai traditional uses in Tamra Kanphaet Thaidoem (Pheattayasat Songkhro Chabab Anurak) Volume 1 were listed. The empirical evidence of the medicinal properties of Indian gooseberry as list were searched in PubMed, Web of science, ScienceDirect, SpringerLink, ThaiJO and Google Scholar. Eleven out of thirteen scriptures mentioned to 164 recipes contain the Indian gooseberry, Khamphi Prathomchinda contained the highest number of herbal recipes (32 recipes), followed by Khamphi That Wiworn (31 recipes) and Khamphi Sapphakhunya (24 recipes), respectively. The eleven literature searches provided evidence related to cough, sore throat, constipation and pain including treatment or prevention of COVID-19. In conclusion, the Indian gooseberry can be used as an alternative to cough relief. The use of herbal mixtures is more common than single herbs for sore throat, constipation, fever and pain. There is a crucial need for clinical studies on combined treatment with COVID-19.