A traditional blend of 3 fruits (Amalaki, Bibhitaki, and Haritaki), rich in antioxidants and used in Ayurveda for their soothing effect on the intestines. The 3 fruits are rich in antioxidants, and when combined, they nourish and soothe the intestinal tract. Triphala is a traditional Ayurvedic blend that has been used for thousands of years and is still used in abundance today (1,2).
According to the Ayurvedic system, triphala is most generally used as an overall body tonic, thought to be effective in cleansing and detoxifying the system. It may be recommended for use for arthritis, headaches, and liver problems. In terms of digestive health, triphala is thought to be helpful in addressing: abdominal pain, bloating, constipation, dyspepsia (3).
There is a lack of clinical research on triphala for digestive health. Therefore an affirmative conclusion for the use of triphala’ s use in IBS is impossible at this time. However, it has been used in Ayurvedic medicine for IBS symptoms for 1000’s of years (4).
Due to triphala’ s laxative qualities, it should not be used with diarrhea-predominant IBS (4).
REFERENCES
- Birardar Y, Jagatap S, Khandelwal K, Singhania S. Exploring of antimicrobial activity of triphala mashi-an ayurvedic formulation. Evidence-based Complementary and Alternative Medicine. 2008;5:107-133.
- Gurjar S, Pal A, Kapur S. Triphala and its constituents ameliorate visceral adiposity from a high-fat diet in mice with diet-induced obesity. Alternative Therapies in Health and Medicine. 2012;18:38-45.
- Prakash S, and Shelke A. Role of triphala in dentistry. Journal of Indian Society of Periodontology. 2014;18(2):132–135.
- Tierra M. Triphala and elderberry for IBS. East West School of Planetary Herbology blog. https://planetherbs.com/blogs/michaels-blogs/triphala-and-elderberry-for-ibs/. Accessed March 27, 2018.
