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Chin J Integr Med 2012 Dec;18(12):946-954
Triphala (in Sanskrit, "tri" means three, and
"phala" means fruits), composed of the three medicinal
myrobalans Terminalia chebula Retz. ( Haritaki , Family:
Combretaceae), Terminalia bellirica Roxb. ( Bibhitaki ,
Family: Combretaceae) and Phyllanthus emblica Linn.
or Emblica officinalis Gaertn. ( Amalaki or the Indian
gooseberry, Family: Euphorbiaceae) is an important
drug in the traditional Indian system of medicine
the Ayurveda (Figure 1).
(1-5)
It is an antioxidant rich
herbal formulation and has been described by certain
Ayurvedic practitioners as an effective Rasayana
(rejuvenator) drug.
(1-5)
The myriad beneficial effects of
Triphala are supposed to be due to the combination of
the three fruits. The drug characteristics and uses of
each of these plants in Ayurveda are listed in Table 1.
Depending on the medical condition Triphala is used
in various forms like as churna (fine powder), kwatha
(decoction), mashi (ash), taila (oil) and gritha (Triphala
cooked with clarified butter or Ghee).
(1)
Their mode
of preparation, composition and medicinal uses are
specified in Table 2.
TRADITIONAL USES of TRIPHALA
In Ayurveda, Triphala is a frontline remedy
for treating various gastrointestinal ailments and a
universal panacea against various diseases and
ailments. Triphala is widely used to treat constipation,
as an intestinal cleanser, as a gastrointestinal tract
tonifier, to fasten peristalsis and to support both
REVIEW
Scientific Validation of the Ethnomedicinal Properties of the
Ayurvedic Drug Triphala: A Review
Manjeshwar Shrinath Baliga
1
, Sharake Meera
2
, Benson Mathai
3
,
Manoj Ponadka Rai
1
, Vikas Pawar
4
, and Princy Louis Palatty
5
©The Chinese Journal of Integrated Traditional and Western
Medicine Press and Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg 2012
1. Department of Research and Development, Father Muller
Medical College, Kankanady, Mangalore, Karnataka (575002),
India; 2. Sanjeevini Ayurvedic Chikitsalaya, Mallikatte,
Mangalore, Karnataka (575003), India; 3. Department of
Pharmacology, St. John's Pharmacy College, Vijayanagar II
Stage, Bangalore, Karnataka (560040), India; 4. Unilever R&D,
No. 64, Main Road, Whitefield, Bangalore, Karnataka (560066),
India; 5. Department of Pharmacology, Father Muller Medical
College, Kankanady, Mangalore, Karnataka (575002), India
Correspondence to: Dr. Manjeshwar Shrinath Baliga, Tel:
91-824-2238331, Fax: 91-824-2437402/91-824-2436352, Email:
msbaliga@gmail.com
DOI: 10.1007/s11655-012-1299-x
ABSTRACT Triphala, a herbal formula composed of the three fruits of Terminalia chebula Retz. ( Haritaki ,
Family: Combretaceae), Terminalia bellirica Roxb. ( Bibhitaki , Family: Combretaceae) and Phyllanthus emblica
Linn. or Emblica officinalis Gaertn. ( Amalaki or the Indian gooseberry, Family: Euphorbiaceae) is considered
to be a universal panacea in the traditional Indian system of medicine the Ayurveda. It has been described
in the Ayurveda text as a " Rasayana " and to rejuvenat the debilitated organs. Ayurvedic physicians use
Triphala for many ailments but most importantly to treat various gastrointestinal disorders. Scientific studies
carried out in the past two decades have validated many of the ethnomedicinal claims and researches have
shown Triphala to possess free radical scavenging, antioxidant, antiinflammatory, antipyretic, analgesic,
antibacterial, antimutagenic, wound healing, anticariogenic, antistress, adaptogenic, hypoglycaemic, anticancer,
chemoprotective, radioprotective and chemopreventive effects. Clinical studies have also shown that Triphala
was found to have good laxative property, to improve appetite and reduce gastric hyperacidity. Studies have
also shown that Triphala was effective in preventing dental caries and that this effect was equal to that of
chlorhexidine. The current review addresses the validated pharmacological properties of Triphala and also
emphasizes on aspects that need further investigation for its future clinic application.
KEYWORDS Ayurveda, Rasayana , Triphala, Terminalia chebula , Terminalia bellerica and Phyllanthus emblica
and Emblica officinalis
Figure 1. The Three Individual Components of Triphala
Terminalia
chebula Haritaki
Emblica officinalis
Phyllanthus emblica
Amalaki
Terminalia belerica
Bibhitaki