Emblica offi cinalis (Figure 1), also known as Phyllanthus emblica, belongs to family Phyllanthaceae. It is commonly known as the Indian Gooseberry, Amalika (Sanskrit) and Amla (Hindi). It is worshipped as an auspicious fruit from ancient time and respected as a symbol of good health. Amla is one of the most often used herbs in indigenous medicine, whose all parts including fruit, seed, leaves, root, bark, and fl owers are used in various Ayurvedic/Unani medicines. It is traditionally used to enhance digestion, treat constipation, reduce fever, reduce cough, alleviate ABSTRACT Background: Amla is one of the most often used herbs in indigenous medicine, whose all parts including fruit, seed, leaves, root, bark, and fl owers are used in various Ayurvedic/Unani medicines. However, studies to establish analgesic potential of amla were limited, so the purpose of the present study was to evaluate analgesic activity of amla, if it possesses any. Methods: Albino rats were divided randomly in three groups of six rats each. Group 1 (control) received distilled water orally, Group 2 (test) received Emblica offi cinalis extract in dose of 600 mg/kg orally and Group 3 (standard) received Pentazocine in dose 10 mg/kg intraperitoneally. Results: Emblica offi cinalis extract did not produced statistically signifi cant (p>0.05) analgesia when compared with the control group in hot plate latency, but produced a statistically signifi cant reduction in 6% NaCl induced abdominal writhing (p<0.05). Conclusions: Since the plant extract signifi cantly reduced the number of writhes in abdominal writhing model, but do not increase hot plate latency, the commercially available crude extract of Emblica offi cinalis exhibit analgesic activity involving peripheral mechanisms.
