In Sanskrit, Triphala means "three fruits". Triphala is a combination of all of the above: Indian gooseberry, black myrobolan, and belleric myrobolan. It is available as a powder, juice, tincture, extract, capsule or tablet.
Triphala has long been used in Ayurveda, a system of healing that originated thousands of years ago in India. Today it is used to treat a variety of health conditions.
In Ayurvedic medicine, Triphala is considered a tridoshic rasayana. This means that Triphala supports all three doshas: air/space, fire/water and water/earth. The doshas are the elements responsible for physical, mental and emotional health.
According to Ayurvedic tradition, Triphala can treat a wide range of health conditions. As with many multi-herb medicines, it is not known which parts of Triphala are responsible for its benefits.
Many of Triphala's health benefits can be attributed to its laxative effect or ability to "clear the system." At lower doses, Triphala works as a bowel tonic to relieve gas and aid digestion. It can also be used at higher doses as a purgative or strong laxative.
In addition to its gastrointestinal benefits, Triphala is believed to help:
To date, there is little research that strongly supports these claims. The studies have been small or poorly designed. However, there have been some promising results that warrant further study.
According to a 2012 study in Alternative Therapies in Health and Medicine, mice fed a high-fat diet and prescribed a daily dose of Triphala had lower:
The treated mice also experienced improvements in the following areas, which may help in controlling type 2 diabetes.
Numerous test tube studies have shown that Triphala has anti-inflammatory, antibacterial, and antifungal properties that may benefit dental health. However, these effects do not appear to be as strong in humans
Triphala has been found to reduce and/or prevent:
According to a 2016 study in the Journal of Periodontology, adults who were prescribed Triphala mouthwash twice daily for 60 days had less oral plaque, oral bacteria, and gingivitis than those who were given a placebo.
A similar study, in Oral Health and Preventive Dentistry, found that Triphala mouthwash prevented tooth decay better than the chlorhexidine gluconate mouthwash prescribed.
Triphala includes fruits rich in vitamin E, flavonoids and polyphenols. These antioxidants neutralize free radicals or unstable atoms that can damage cells. This can slow or prevent some age-related diseases, such as cataracts.
A 2010 study in the Journal of Ayurveda and Integrative Medicine studied the effect of Triphala in 9-day-old rat pups. Half of the rats were given Triphala before receiving injections that cause cataracts. The other half did not receive Triphala.
At the end of the study, only 20 and the Triphala-treated rats had cataracts, while 100 el untreated control group did. The results suggested that Triphala may help prevent other age-related eye diseases, including macular degeneration. More research is still needed.
