Raw Amla Recipes for Hair Growth and Skin Glow

Amla is one of the most talked-about foods for hair and skin, but most people find it too sour and bitter to eat daily. Daisy wanted to eat it raw and fresh every day, without forcing down a glass of bitter juice. So she made two quick recipes that take 10 minutes or less and taste good enough to repeat. This page walks you through both.

Why Daisy eats amla raw

Daisy begins with what she calls amla’s track record. She says L’Oreal has a patent on amla for depigmentation, and Shiseido has one for skin firmness and nasolabial folds (the lines from nose to mouth corners). She adds that Unilever has a patent on a hair-darkening extract from amla. These are claims she makes in the video, not something this page has checked.

She also says research shows amla’s hair growth factors are equal to 1% minoxidil, and that skin cells make about seven times more collagen when exposed to amla. Her point is that if you take amla daily, your skin may make far more collagen than it does now.

Her main idea is simple. She says that putting amla on the skin gives only about 10% of its benefit. Eating it fresh, she says, creates change at the cellular level.

She also points to the Ayurvedic text Charaka, written around 5,000 years ago. In its chapter on rasayana (rejuvenation therapy), she says Charaka calls amalaki the foremost of all rejuvenating remedies.

Why she does not cook or sweeten it

Daisy gives two rules for her recipes.

• No high heat. She says frying or high-heat cooking reduces vitamin C by 35%. So the amla goes in raw.
• No sugar. She skips amla muraba, the sugar-preserved version. Even with unrefined sugar, she says, you cannot eat much of it, especially if anti-aging is your goal.

She also says you can simply have amla shots, which is the easiest route. Her recipes are for people who want something that “doesn’t taste like punishment”.

Recipe 1: Amla shamani

This is her grandmother’s recipe, with a small twist from Daisy. Daisy warns that it often disappears before it reaches the table. The full list and steps are in the recipe card above.

In short, you grind raw amla coarsely with ginger, coconut, salt and green chilli. You mix in chopped onion, then add a tadka of mustard seeds, jeera, curry leaves and crushed garlic made in sesame or mustard oil. Finish with fresh coriander and roll it into balls.

Daisy likes it with hot rice, and it also goes with rotis. She notes that the recipe brings together raw amla and good-quality natural fats. Her grandmother made it by crushing everything in a large floor pestle. Daisy uses a mixer, which she finds more convenient.

Recipe 2: Cucumber and amla side salad

Daisy says this one is so tasty that the first time she made a small batch, she went back and made a large one. She then ate it as her main meal, without rice or rotis. It takes about 5 minutes.

For one small serving:

• 1/2 cucumber, thinly sliced (add more if you like).
• 1 grated amla.
• 2 garlic cloves, grated or chopped.
• Chilli flakes, to your tolerance.
• Kala namak (black salt), to taste.
• 1/2 teaspoon date syrup or maple syrup.
• 1 teaspoon vinegar, either apple cider or rice vinegar.
• 1/4 teaspoon soy sauce.
• 1 teaspoon cold-pressed olive oil or avocado oil.

Put everything in a bowl and toss gently. Do not toss too much, because the cucumber will release its water. Daisy says you can eat it as a side with any meal of the day. Pick one meal and add amla to it.

What research says

Most of the evidence on amla and skin comes from lab work. In one study, amla extract added to human skin cells in a dish increased procollagen, the building block of collagen. It also lowered MMP-1, an enzyme that breaks collagen down. The authors said it may help with collagen care in skin products.

That study used an extract on skin cells in a lab. It did not test eating amla, and it did not look at hair. So it supports the idea that amla is interesting for skin, but it does not prove what a daily bowl of amla does for you. The specific figures Daisy mentions, such as the minoxidil comparison, are hers and we could not match them to a study. Ayurveda has used amla for centuries as a rejuvenating food.

Daisy’s tips

• Use fresh amla and eat it raw. Do not fry or boil it.
• Skip sugar. Use only a small amount of date or maple syrup in the salad.
• Add some good fat. The shamani has coconut and sesame or mustard oil, which Daisy says supports absorption.
• Choose one meal a day and add amla to it, as a side or as a main.
• Alternate the two recipes, one day each, so you do not get bored.
• Be patient. Daisy says to give it at least 4 months to show on your skin and hair.
• Toss the salad lightly so the cucumber stays crisp.

Daisy shows both recipes in the video above. It takes about 6 minutes.