Chebulic myrobalan (Terminalia chebula)
Terminalia chebula
Western, Chinese and Ayurvedic herbalism
Western, Chinese and Ayurvedic herbalism

Chebulic myrobalan

Terminalia chebula

Also known as black myrobalan, haritaki, Indian gall nut, Chebulic myrobalan fruit, Ink tree, Myrobalan, Myrobalans, Haritaki, Abhaya, Pathya.

WarmingDryingTaste: AstringentTaste: BitterTaste: PungentTaste: SweetTaste: Sour

Terminalia chebula is a large deciduous tree of the Combretaceae, native to the deciduous forests of the Indian subcontinent from the Himalayan foothills through central India to the Western Ghats, and cultivated in Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra and the Deccan. The dried ripe fruit, Haritaki, is held in Ayurveda as the foremost of the rasayana fruits, the herb that pacifies all three doshas, and the first member of Triphala. The classical texts give it five of the six tastes, an unusual profile that explains its reach across digestion, elimination, the senses and the aging body.

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Mild laxativeAstringentDigestive tonicCarminativeAntioxidantAntimicrobialAnti-inflammatoryHypolipidemicHypoglycemic (mild)Rejuvenative tonicWound healing (topical)CardioprotectiveLaxativeAnthelminticHypoglycemicHepatoprotectiveGastroprotectiveVulneraryNervine tonicExpectorant

Indications what the tradition reached for it in

Specific indications

A middle aged patient with hard, dry, infrequent stools, gas and a coated tongue who is also fatigued and slightly overweight, and who needs a gentle daily regulator rather than a stimulant purge

Chronic low grade gum inflammation and bad breath in a patient who prefers a botanical rinse to chlorhexidine

The elderly vata patient whose digestion has slowed, whose skin and mucosa are dry, and who benefits from a warm, tonifying laxative taken at night

Metabolic syndrome with elevated lipids and glucose where a daily fruit powder or decoction can support diet and exercise

Safety

Pregnancy: Avoid medicinal doses in pregnancy: no published safety class is known to us, and the classical texts list pregnancy among the conditions in which Haritaki should not be given because of its downward moving, drying action.

Breastfeeding: Lactation: avoid single-herb use (traditional Ayurvedic concern of decreased milk supply) / insufficient safety data

The record lists 8 contraindications; open the plate in the library to read them in full.

In practice

The Ayurvedic practitioner reaches for Haritaki when elimination is sluggish but the patient is not congested with heat: the constipated vata patient, the grahani case with irregular stools and gas, the aging body whose channels need gentle clearing.

In Ayurveda

Rasa: kashaya (astringent) predominant, with madhura (sweet), amla (sour), katu (pungent) and tikta (bitter); all rasas except lavana (salty). Virya: ushna (heating). Vipaka: madhura (sweet). Guna: laghu (light), ruksha (dry). Dosha: pacifies all three doshas, tridoshahara, with a special affinity for vata by virtue of its sweet vipaka and heating potency. Prabhava: Tridoshaghna and rasayana; the tradition treats Haritaki as a drug whose balancing action on all three doshas exceeds what its rasa and virya alone would predict. Karma: rasayana (rejuvenative); anulomana (carminative, normalizes downward movement of vata); rechana (mild purgative, in larger doses); deepana (kindles digestion); pachana (digestive, ripens ama); medhya (supports intellect and memory); chakshushya (benefits the eyes); srotoshodhana (cleanses the channels); vayasthapana (delays aging); hridya (cardiotonic); kushthaghna (helps skin disease); shothahara (reduces swelling). Classical indications: vibandha (constipation); arsha (hemorrhoids); grahani (malabsorption and irritable bowel); udara (abdominal distension and enlargement); kasa and shvasa (cough and dyspnea); prameha (urinary disorders including diabetes); netra roga (eye disorders); kushtha (skin disease); shotha (edema and inflammatory swelling); hridroga (heart disease); mukha roga (diseases of the mouth and gums); jara (aging and debility). The dried ripe fruit pericarp is the drug, given as churna with honey, ghee, jaggery, rock salt or warm water according to the season and the dosha, as kwatha for gargle and internal use, as a paste for wounds and mouth ulcers, and as a leading member of fermented and confection formulas. Classical formulations: Triphala churna, Abhayarishta, Agastya Haritaki rasayana, Chitrakadi Haritaki, Pathyadi kwatha, Dashamoola Haritaki, Danti Haritaki, Triphala ghrita. Described in: Charaka Samhita, Sushruta Samhita, Ashtanga Hridaya, Bhavaprakasha Nighantu, Dhanvantari Nighantu, Raja Nighantu, Madanapala Nighantu, Kaiyadeva Nighantu, Sharngadhara Samhita, Ayurvedic Pharmacopoeia of India.

Dosing as the sources wrote it

PreparationAs writtenMetric
Churna3-6 g powdered fruit once daily at night with warm water3000-6000 mg
Churna, purgative6-10 g powdered fruit at night with warm water6000-10000 mg
Kwatha50-100 mL decoction twice daily50-100 mL
Kwatha, gargle50-100 mL decoction used as a mouth rinse twice daily50-100 mL
Arishta12-24 mL twice daily after food12-24 mL
Standardized extract250-500 mg aqueous fruit extract twice daily250-500 mg

Doses are reproduced from the sources for practitioners and are not a recommendation for any person.

From the sources

Overview. Terminalia chebula is a large deciduous tree of the Combretaceae, native to the deciduous forests of the Indian subcontinent from the Himalayan foothills through central India to the Western Ghats, and cultivated in Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra and the Deccan. The dried ripe fruit, Haritaki, is held in Ayurveda as the foremost of the rasayana fruits, the herb that pacifies all three doshas, and the first member of Triphala. The classical texts give it five of the six tastes, an unusual profile that explains its reach across digestion, elimination, the senses and the aging body.

Clinical Notes. The Ayurvedic practitioner reaches for Haritaki when elimination is sluggish but the patient is not congested with heat: the constipated vata patient, the grahani case with irregular stools and gas, the aging body whose channels need gentle clearing.

primary-actions. Haritaki acts primarily as: Laxative, Astringent, Carminative, Digestive tonic, Anti-inflammatory, Antimicrobial. Secondary actions include Anthelmintic, Hypolipidemic, Hypoglycemic, Hepatoprotective, Gastroprotective, Vulnerary.

indications. Haritaki is traditionally indicated for: Irritable bowel syndrome, Fever (including chronic/intermittent), Urinary calculi, Abdominal colic/cramps, Worm infestation, Obesity/"fat scraping" (traditional), Uterine prolapse, Dental caries, Malabsorption, Constipation, Anemia (traditional), Bowel cleansing, Gout/vatarakta (traditional), Diabetes/urinary disorders (traditional), Heart disease/heart tonic uses (traditional), and 60 further conditions.

Drawn from King's American Dispensatory, 18th edition (Felter and Lloyd), and the Bountiful Herbs editorial.

In formulas

Chebulic myrobalan stands in 117 documented formulas in the library, among them Abhayāriṣta, Aśokāriṣta, Aśvagandhādyariṣṭa, Kuṭajāriṣta, Khadirāriṣta, Dantyādyariṣṭa.

Often paired with

Indian gooseberryPhyllanthus emblicabeleric myrobalanTerminalia belliricalong pepperPiper longumGingerZingiber officinaleblack pepperPiper nigrumcardamomElettaria cardamomum

Nearby on the shelf

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