Ayurveda uses food and herbs as medicine! One of the most well-known and commonly used Ayurvedic herbs is triphala. Triphala is a combination of the fruits of three plants. The three plants are dried, ground into powder, and blended to precise amounts. The three herbs are: amalaki, haritaki, and bibhitaki. Triphala is traditionally used as a bowel tonic. It is often prescribed as a mild laxative. Though it also has many noteworthy qualities! Triphala acts as a rejuvenative herb. It helps to maintain a state of good health in the mind and body. Triphala is traditionally taken with honey and ghee (triphala rasayana). According to the classical Ayurvedic text the Charaka Samhita, taking this daily can “make a person live for one hundred years devoid of old age and diseases.”
Triphala’s qualities are light and dry, adding lightness to the mind and body. It cleanses all the channels in the body, especially the channels of elimination, thus aiding in detoxification. The biggest impact is perhaps the health benefits as they relate to digestion. This mixture encourages balanced, full elimination, by pulling stagnated Ama or toxic residue from the digestive tract and increasing the colon’s absorption functions.
In Ayurveda, the colon is the seat of Vata. Medicine, like Triphala, that helps the function of the colon is beneficial to general Vata disorders. Several bowel diseases start out as Vata imbalances, even if later fueled by Pitta or Kapha issues. Triphala’s balancing effect on the “wind” of your digestive tract can not only get things moving but also help your bowels find the appropriate pace for optimal absorption.
Triphala promotes digestive regularity. The importance of this cannot be understated, especially for those who suffer from irregular elimination and other forms of bowel disease. To learn more if you should be taking triphala contact your Ayurvedic Practitioner!