Triphala Churna
In Ayurveda, Haritaki is wonder medicine and is used to cure many types of diseases. Terminalia chebula herb has astringent,rejuvenating, laxative and purgative properties. Haritaki is wonder fruit grown on Haritaki Tree(Terminalia Chebula Tree). It has unique characteristics which make him universal remedy of all diseases in Ayurveda.This is on of the major component of wonder Ayurveda medicine known as Triphala Powder. Haritaki Trees are found in deciduous forests of India, especially in the northern region. Fruits, Roots, and bark of this tree is used to prepare herbal medicines. Haritaki Fruit is a drupe-like fruit vary in size between 2 to 4.5 cm length and 1.2 to 2.5 cm in breadth having five longitudinal ridges. Oval in shape and turns green to blackish in color as ripen depend upon it’s variety. The taste of Haritaki Fruits are sweet, sour, bitter and astringent depend upon its type which is discussed below in different types of Haritaki section.Triphala ingredients:
Terminalia chebula
Terminalia chebula is medium to large sized deciduous tree growing up to height of 25-30mt and diameter of trunk of this tree is 1mt. this plant matures with numerous branches and rounded crown. Bark of this medicinal plant is dark brown in color with longitudinal cracks. Leaves are oval or elliptic, 7-8cm long, alternate or sub opposite in direction with a petiole of 1-3cm. leaves are oblique and unequal at the base and have 5-8 pairs of veins. Fruit of this plant is ovoid drupe, broad, blackish and have five longitudinal ridges. Flowers have dull white to yellow color with strong and unpleasant odor. Flowers of this plant are hermaphrodite and fruits are yellow to orange-brown in color. Flowering of this Indian medicinal plant appears between April and August and plant bears fruits from November to January.
Terminalia Belirica
The leaves are about 15 cm long and crowded toward the ends of the branches. It is considered a good fodder for cattle. Terminalia bellirica seeds have an oil content of 40%.
The nuts of the tree are rounded but with five flatter sides. It seems to be these nuts that are used as dice in the epic poem Mahabharata and in Rigveda book 10 hymn 34. A handful of nuts would be cast on a gaming board and the players would have to call whether an odd or even number of nuts had been thrown. In the Nala, King Rituparna demonstrates his ability to count large numbers instantaneously by counting the number of nuts on an entire bough of a tree.
Embellica officinelis
Ripening in autumn, the berries are harvested by hand after climbing to upper branches bearing the fruits. The taste of Indian emblic is sour, bitter and astringent, and it is quite fibrous. In India, it is common to eat emblic steeped in salt water and red chilli powder to make the sour fruits palatable.
