Haritaki Benefits, Uses & Dosage: Ayurveda's King of Medicines

Haritaki is the dried fruit of Terminalia chebula, a tree native to South and Southeast Asia, and Ayurveda uses it to strengthen digestion, keep the bowels moving and rejuvenate the whole body.10 It's one of the three fruits in triphala,2 and in trials with people, haritaki on its own has cut the bacteria behind cavities, calmed inflamed gums as well as a medicated rinse, reduced colds in the rainy season and smoothed skin.6345

If you're living with constipation, bloating or a gut that feels heavy and sluggish, Ayurveda reads those symptoms as signals, and so do I, because they point to what's behind them: a bowel that has lost its tone, gut bacteria out of balance, too little water and fiber, or a life running on stress.811 My standard is simple: "If you don't have a bowel movement every day, that's constipation. You should have at least one healthy, well-formed bowel movement every single day."12 Haritaki is one of Ayurveda's classic tools for getting you there, and it works best when you also fix what slowed things down.

Through triphala, haritaki has served Ayurveda's physicians for over 1,000 years,2 sour as it is.

Did you know?

• Haritaki is used as medicine across China, Nepal, India, Myanmar, Sri Lanka, Thailand and Bangladesh.10

• Researchers have identified over 149 compounds in haritaki, most of them tannins and phenolic acids.10

• Tibetan medicine builds haritaki into traditional formulas for the kidneys and joints, including formulas used for gout.10

Advertisement

What is haritaki?

Haritaki is a fruit, but you use it like an herb: it's picked and dried, then taken whole, ground into powder or made into an extract, and Chinese medicine records the dried fruit as Chebulae Fructus.10 Its strength comes from the same compounds behind its sharp taste, the tannins and phenolic acids, among them chebulagic acid, chebulinic acid, gallic acid, ellagic acid and corilagin.10 Because you take haritaki by the gram, the way you'd take a medicine, its value lies in those compounds rather than in vitamins or minerals.

The first thing you'll notice is the taste, which is sour, bitter and astringent, with the dry, puckering finish of strong tea, and in Ayurveda that taste is part of the medicine.104

A short history of haritaki

Haritaki is called the king of medicines, and it's always listed first among Ayurveda's medicines.1 Other traditions prize it too: Tibetan medicine gives it the same title, Chinese medicine includes it in its official pharmacopoeia, and Unani physicians use it as well.1014

The old physicians knew this fruit remarkably well. Their classical texts describe seven varieties, told apart by shape, color and where they grew (Vijaya, Rohini, Putana, Amrita, Abhaya, Jivanti and Chetaki), and each had its own job. Vijaya, the large variety, was used for every kind of illness and for both rejuvenation and cleansing, Rohini for wounds, and Abhaya, with five ridges, for the eyes. Chetaki, the small fruit with three ridges, was used to clear the bowels, and that small, dark fruit is still sold today, so if you see jangi haritaki on a label, that's the one, the kind ground into laxative powders.1 Healers also applied haritaki to the skin for wounds and fungal infections and in the mouth for an inflamed lining.1 In Ayurveda and Siddha medicine, it's also used for asthma, coughs, hemorrhoids, poor appetite, skin diseases and memory loss.10

What is haritaki good for?

How does haritaki work in your body?

Ayurveda starts with taste, and it holds that haritaki's astringent taste settles aggravated doshas, that its warming potency acts on vata and kapha, that its qualities are light and dry, and that it kindles agni, your digestive fire.42 Agni works like the pilot light under your digestion, and in Ayurveda's view, haritaki helps keep that flame lit. Because the fruit is both astringent and laxative, it's used to firm loose stools and also to move a sluggish bowel.110 Researchers have traced several of the steps behind that reputation:

Put together, haritaki works with your body's own machinery: it strengthens the bowel's contractions, feeds the helpful bacteria in your gut microbiome as part of triphala, and quiets two enzymes that drive inflammation,182322 all of which helps your gut do the work it was built to do.

Haritaki benefits

Here's what haritaki does for you, starting with the job Ayurveda gives it first, regularity, then the benefits tested in people, from your gums to your blood vessels.

Does haritaki help with constipation?

Here's how I think about constipation. Chinese medicine traces it to heat and dryness in the large intestine and to a stagnant liver, with overwork and frustration adding to it.8 Stress matters, too, and if your bowels slow down during a hard week, you've felt it yourself. On my show, I put it this way:

To see where haritaki fits, start with its job in triphala, where the fruits work like a crew of three, each with its own task. In Ancient Remedies, I describe how the three fruits share the work of elimination: amla supports intestinal repair and healing, haritaki strengthens the intestinal muscles to contract more efficiently, and bibhitaki cleanses,8 which makes haritaki the one that gets things moving. Triphala is one of the five ancient remedies I list for constipation, beside probiotics, slippery elm and marshmallow root, chia and flaxseed, and magnesium.8

That muscle work shows up in studies of the gut itself. Your intestine moves food along in waves, a little like squeezing toothpaste along a tube. In mice, haritaki powder shortened the time it took food to move through the gut, and the powder worked better than a tablet made from it.17 In rats, a water extract of haritaki seed made the small intestine squeeze more often and more strongly, and in rats made constipated with morphine, it raised the number of stools and their water content.18 That lines up with what Ayurveda has described all along: a fruit that gets a sluggish bowel moving.

Haritaki on its own eased constipation in a 4-week trial of 104 people with hemorrhoids, a use Ayurveda and Persian medicine share. Compared with placebo, haritaki capsules taken four times a day on an empty stomach eased constipation and pain and shrank the hemorrhoids, and neither the people nor the researchers knew who got what.115 Triphala adds to the picture. A 2017 review of triphala's medical uses reports a clinical trial, its size not given, in which triphala eased constipation, mucus, belly pain, hyperacidity and gas, and stools came more often and were better formed.2 Ayurveda describes triphala by dose: a bowel tonic at low doses, a mild laxative at normal doses and a purgative at high ones.2 So in Ayurveda the amount decides what it does, which is why starting low makes sense.

For triphala as a laxative, my advice is to take it in the evening, about two hours after eating and at least 30 minutes before bed,8 and haritaki powder fits the same window. But you'll want to build the foundation first: water, vegetables, chia or flaxseed, and a daily walk (these natural laxatives and steps for natural constipation relief will help). Then add haritaki in the evening.

Is haritaki good for your teeth and gums?

Your mouth is the front door of your digestive tract, with an oral microbiome of its own, and haritaki goes to work right at that door. In lab tests, its water extract stopped Streptococcus mutans, the main bacterium behind cavities, from growing, sticking and clumping together.28 It also keeps saliva less acidic: in a randomized study of 30 people, saliva stayed alkaline for an hour after a single haritaki rinse.29

A haritaki rinse, made from a dried fruit, holds its own against chlorhexidine, the standard medicated mouthwash, which matters if your gums bleed when you brush. In the 2-week trial of 78 people with plaque and gingivitis, 26 rinsed twice a day with 10% haritaki, 26 with 0.12% chlorhexidine and 26 with salt water. Plaque and gum inflammation fell with both medicated rinses, with no meaningful difference between them. Haritaki also brought salivary pH back toward neutral.3 In a 30-day trial of 90 college students, a haritaki mouthwash worked as well as 0.2% chlorhexidine for plaque and bleeding gums, and both beat plain water.16 In both trials, neither the people rinsing nor the researchers knew who had which rinse.316

With cavities, researchers count the bacteria. In a randomized trial of 60 schoolchildren aged 12 to 15 in India, one 1-minute rinse with a 2.5% haritaki extract cut S. mutans in saliva 44.42% at 5 minutes and 64.14% at 60 minutes, so a single minute of swishing, the kind you'd do after brushing, cut those cavity bacteria by nearly two-thirds within the hour. In 8 of the 10 children followed longer, counts stayed low for up to 6 hours. A look-alike rinse without haritaki served as the comparison, and neither the children nor the researchers knew who got which.6

The results held up in younger children, too. In a randomized trial of 60 children aged 8 to 12 at high risk of cavities, a single rinse lowered cavity bacteria at 10, 60 and 90 minutes, whether the rinse was made with hot or cold water,30 a useful detail if you make your own. And when 40 people with active cavities, 37 of whom finished, tried rinses made from the seeds of haritaki, bibhitaki and amla, and a triphala rinse of all three, in turn, each person using all four, every rinse cut S. mutans, and the three together, in triphala, cut it most.31

A haritaki rinse pairs well with oil pulling, another Ayurvedic habit for the mouth, and you'll find more ideas in how to get rid of bad breath. To use it, make the rinse in the recipes below, swish it for a minute after brushing, and spit it out.

Haritaki vs. triphala

Triphala blends haritaki in equal parts with amla and bibhitaki, so haritaki on its own gives you the one crew member that does the bowel's muscle work, while triphala brings the whole crew, adding amla's repair and bibhitaki's cleansing.28 Which should you choose? Take triphala as an everyday formula, and haritaki when you want that one job, a rinse, or Ayurveda's seasonal practice.

I've put triphala into a formula for constipation, paired with a probiotic,32 and its benefits go well beyond healthy bowel movements.33 When I listed the supplements I'd add for longevity, I named triphala for the gut and constipation.12 In Heal Your Cells, Dr. Will Cole and I describe detox as nourishment, not punishment, with triphala as a perfect example: a gentle housekeeping crew that sweeps out waste so your cells can reset and recharge. We list it at 500 to 1,000 mg a day to regulate bowel movements and nourish gut bacteria.34

Triphala has its own studies in people, for both your gut and your gums. In a 4-week placebo-controlled pilot trial of 31 healthy adults, 9 of whom finished on triphala, the triphala group took 2,000 mg a day, and it shifted gut bacteria in personal ways: each person's gut responded a little differently, with a trend toward more Akkermansia muciniphila.35 And a 2020 review of 7 randomized trials found that triphala mouth rinses improved gum inflammation and plaque about as well as chlorhexidine,36 the same result haritaki showed on its own in the rinse trials above. (For the full picture, see our guide to triphala.)

Haritaki in Ayurveda and Chinese medicine

My approach to ancient remedies draws on Ayurveda, India's 4,000-year-old system of natural healing (our guide to Ayurvedic medicine walks through it). Ayurveda reads your health as a balance of three doshas, or energies: vata, pitta and kapha. Like Chinese medicine, it looks for the root cause of what you're feeling, then uses diet, stress reduction and herbs to bring your body back into balance.8

Ayurveda classes haritaki as a rasayana, a rejuvenating herb that builds strength and resistance to disease, and credits it with balancing all three doshas and strengthening agni.4 Charaka, the physician behind one of Ayurveda's founding texts, taught that taking triphala daily with honey and ghee could help a person live 100 years free of old age and disease.2 People have taken it day after day for generations, and the trials in people on this page have begun to test what they found.

In Ayurveda, taste carries the medicine, and haritaki's medicine starts with those sour, bitter and astringent flavors. Those flavors matter in the rest of your diet, too, especially if you fight a sweet tooth. As I said on a 2026 episode of my show, "I've often found, working with patients, that when you add more bitter and sour flavors to the diet, cravings for sweets start to decrease."37 That's the idea behind digestive bitters, too.

Ayurveda also times haritaki to the seasons in a practice called Ritu Haritaki, giving the fruit a different partner in each season, much the way you might change what you eat when the weather turns. In the rainy season, when Ayurveda holds that strength and digestion run low, the partner is rock salt, the same pairing tested in the cold trial above.4

Traditional Chinese Medicine describes the dried fruit in its own language: bitter and sour, neutral in temperature, and headed for the lung and large intestine channels. In plain terms, it's used to tighten, or astringe, the lungs and intestines and to help the throat. So if you're dealing with chronic diarrhea, a cough that lingers, throat pain or a voice that's gone, Chinese medicine would reach for it.10 The two traditions meet on one point: Ayurveda and Chinese medicine both rely on the fruit's astringency to firm loose stools.

How to use haritaki: powder, tea, capsules and triphala

Here are the main forms and the amounts behind them. You'll find the evening tonic, warm milk and mouth rinse in the recipes below.

• Powder: start with about ½ teaspoon in a cup of warm water and adjust to how your bowels respond, staying within Ayurveda's 3 to 6 grams a day.7

• Capsules or tablets: the easiest way past the taste; the extract trials used 250 to 500 mg twice a day.5207

• Triphala: 500 to 1,000 mg a day.34

For regularity, use the evening window, about two hours after dinner,8 and drink a full glass of water with your dose. For colds, the rainy-season trial gave it first thing in the morning on an empty stomach.4 The taste is strong, like a mouthful of tea that steeped too long, so if it's too much for you, switch to capsules or the warm milk recipe below.

How to choose a haritaki supplement

Start with the label. You want Terminalia chebula fruit, in a powder or extract that a third party has tested for heavy metals and identity. For extracts, look for a standardized tannin content. The extract in the skin trial, for example, was standardized to 70% hydrolyzable tannins.5 At home, keep the powder in a tightly closed jar, away from heat and light.

Haritaki recipes

These four recipes cover the classic ways to use haritaki, inside and out. For a gentle reset, take the evening tonic during a few days of simple, warm meals, such as this kitchari.

Haritaki side effects and who should skip it

Loose stools at high doses. Before the rainy-season trial, the researchers ran a pilot with 6 grams of haritaki powder and rock salt. It caused severe purging and vomiting, so they halved the dose to 3 grams.4 Start low, take it with a full glass of water, and cut back at the first loose stool you notice.

In the trials. Side effects were few in the placebo-controlled trials above. In the uric acid trial, one of the 18 taking 500 mg twice a day for 24 weeks had mild stomach upset. In the skin trial, none were reported at 250 mg twice a day for 8 weeks. In the 12-week knee trial, 250 or 500 mg twice a day brought a few mild or moderate complaints, in line with placebo and none serious. And in a placebo-controlled trial in adults with chronic schizophrenia, 3 grams a day for 4 weeks caused no serious side effects.752013 At the amounts people take, haritaki has been easy on the body.

Pregnancy and breastfeeding. Classical Ayurveda rules haritaki out in pregnancy, and there are no human safety data for pregnancy or nursing, so skip it during both.9 For regularity while you're pregnant, lean on water, vegetables, cooked fruit and a daily walk.

Underweight, run down or dehydrated. Ayurveda also rules haritaki out for people who are malnourished or have lost their appetite.9 Because it loosens the stool, skip it while you're dehydrated, and rebuild your strength and fluids first.14

Children. Haritaki hasn't been studied as a daily supplement for children, so give it only under a practitioner's guidance. In the rinse trials, children aged 8 to 15 rinsed and spat out a single dose.306

Stop and get help for diarrhea that lasts more than a day, cramping belly pain, dizziness or other dehydration symptoms. See a doctor for constipation with blood in the stool, vomiting, an inability to pass gas, unexplained weight loss or a sudden change in bowel habits.

The bottom line

Haritaki: frequently asked questions

References

1. Ratha KK, Joshi GC. Haritaki (Chebulic myrobalan) and its varieties. Ayu. 2013;34(3):331-4. doi:10.4103/0974-8520.123139. PMID:24501534
2. Peterson CT, Denniston K, Chopra D. Therapeutic Uses of Triphala in Ayurvedic Medicine. J Altern Complement Med. 2017;23(8):607-614. doi:10.1089/acm.2017.0083. PMID:28696777
3. Gupta D, Bhaskar DJ, Gupta RK, Karim B, Gupta V, Punia H, et al. Effect of Terminalia chebula extract and chlorhexidine on salivary pH and periodontal health: 2 weeks randomized control trial. Phytother Res. 2014;28(7):992-8. doi:10.1002/ptr.5075. PMID:24123617
4. Smitha AV, Dilipkumar KV. Efficacy of Rituharitaki (seasonal adjuvant of Haritaki) on disorders of Varsha Ritu (monsoon) w.s.r. to quality of life: An open labelled randomized controlled clinical trial. Ayu. 2019;40(4):223-229. doi:10.4103/ayu.AYU_243_18. PMID:33935439
5. Chakkalakal M, Pan A, Nadora D, Gahoonia N, Chaudhuri RK, Burney W, et al. Randomized Double-Blind Placebo-Controlled Supplementation with Standardized Terminalia chebula Fruit Extracts Reduces Facial Sebum Excretion, Erythema, and Wrinkle Severity. J Clin Med. 2023;12(4). doi:10.3390/jcm12041591. PMID:36836126
6. Nayak SS, Ankola AV, Metgud SC, Bolmal U. Effectiveness of mouthrinse formulated from ethanol extract of Terminalia chebula fruit on salivary Streptococcus mutans among 12 to 15 year old school children of Belgaum city: a randomized field trial. J Indian Soc Pedod Prev Dent. 2012;30(3):231-6. doi:10.4103/0970-4388.105016. PMID:23263427
7. Usharani P, Nutalapati C, Pokuri VK, Kumar CU, Taduri G. A randomized, double-blind, placebo-, and positive-controlled clinical pilot study to evaluate the efficacy and tolerability of standardized aqueous extracts of Terminalia chebula and Terminalia bellerica in subjects with hyperuricemia. Clin Pharmacol. 2016;8:51-9. doi:10.2147/CPAA.S100521. PMID:27382337
8. Axe J. Ancient Remedies: Secrets to Healing with Herbs, Essential Oils, CBD, and the Most Powerful Natural Medicine in History. Little, Brown Spark; 2021 (introduction: Ayurveda, the three doshas and the root cause; Triphala entry: amla, haritaki and bibhitaki in elimination, and evening timing as a laxative; Prescriptions for 70+ Conditions, Constipation: ancient perspective and top 5 ancient prescriptions, triphala #5).
9. Ajanal M, Nayak S, Prasad BS, Kadam A. Adverse drug reaction and concepts of drug safety in Ayurveda: An overview. J Young Pharm. 2013;5(4):116-20. doi:10.1016/j.jyp.2013.10.001. PMID:24563588
10. Wang C, Zhang H, Wang X, Wang X, Li X, Li C, et al. Comprehensive Review on Fruit of Terminalia chebula: Traditional Uses, Phytochemistry, Pharmacology, Toxicity, and Pharmacokinetics. Molecules. 2024;29(23). doi:10.3390/molecules29235547. PMID:39683707
11. Axe J. What's Living Inside You Could Be Why You're Sick | Dr. Bill Rawls. The Dr. Josh Axe Show. 2025 (triphala, gut motility and a stressed-out state at 52:43; YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5Uqs1VsmAfw&t=3163s).
12. Axe J. 9 Signs You're Aging Too Fast & How to Reverse Them. The Dr. Josh Axe Show. 2025 (a daily, well-formed bowel movement at 6:28; triphala for the gut and constipation among longevity supplements at 47:55; YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2xR7q_t2WSo&t=388s).
13. Banazadeh M, Mehrabani M, Banazadeh N, Dabaghzadeh F, Shahabi F. Evaluating the effect of black myrobalan on cognitive, positive, and negative symptoms in patients with chronic schizophrenia: A randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial. Phytother Res. 2022;36(1):543-550. doi:10.1002/ptr.7340. PMID:34814232
14. Tasneem Parapur S, Husain N, Khalid M, Mamdapur SAR, Kauser Khan KA. Evaluation of the efficacy of topical Terminalia chebula Retz. with vinegar in the treatment of tinea corporis: a non-inferiority randomized controlled trial. Drug Metab Pers Ther. 2023;38(3):237-245. doi:10.1515/dmpt-2022-0188. PMID:37012894
15. Andarkhor P, Sadeghi A, Khodadoost M, Kamalinejad M, Gachkar L, Abdi S, et al. Effects of Terminalia chebula Retz. in treatment of hemorrhoids: A double-blind randomized placebo-controlled clinical trial. Eur J Integr Med. 2019;30:100935. doi:10.1016/j.eujim.2019.100935
16. Gupta D, Gupta RK, Bhaskar DJ, Gupta V. Comparative evaluation of terminalia chebula extract mouthwash and chlorhexidine mouthwash on plaque and gingival inflammation - 4-week randomised control trial. Oral Health Prev Dent. 2015;13(1):5-12. PMID:25386630
17. Jirankalgikar YM, Ashok BK, Dwivedi RR. A comparative evaluation of intestinal transit time of two dosage forms of Haritaki [Terminalia chebula Retz]. Ayu. 2012;33(3):447-9. doi:10.4103/0974-8520.108866. PMID:23723658
18. Mard SA, Veisi A, Naseri MK, Mikaili P. Spasmogenic Activity of the Seed of Terminalia chebula Retz in Rat Small Intestine: In Vivo and In Vitro Studies. Malays J Med Sci. 2011;18(3):18-26. PMID:22135597
19. Kheirieh AE, Sharififar F, Ansari Dogaheh M, Dabaghzadeh F, Shamsi Meymandi S, Bakhshoudeh B. Evaluating the efficacy of Terminalia chebula Retz. 5% cream compared to hydroquinone 2% cream in the treatment of melasma. Avicenna J Phytomed. 2024;14(5):527-536. PMID:40255950
20. Lopez HL, Habowski SM, Sandrock JE, Raub B, Kedia A, Bruno EJ, et al. Effects of dietary supplementation with a standardized aqueous extract of Terminalia chebula fruit (AyuFlex(®)) on joint mobility, comfort, and functional capacity in healthy overweight subjects: a randomized placebo-controlled clinical trial. BMC Complement Altern Med. 2017;17(1):475. doi:10.1186/s12906-017-1977-8. PMID:28969626
21. Pingali U, Sukumaran D, Nutalapati C. Effect of an aqueous extract of Terminalia chebula on endothelial dysfunction, systemic inflammation, and lipid profile in type 2 diabetes mellitus: A randomized double-blind, placebo-controlled clinical study. Phytother Res. 2020;34(12):3226-3235. doi:10.1002/ptr.6771. PMID:32618037
22. Reddy DB, Reddy TC, Jyotsna G, Sharan S, Priya N, Lakshmipathi V, et al. Chebulagic acid, a COX-LOX dual inhibitor isolated from the fruits of Terminalia chebula Retz., induces apoptosis in COLO-205 cell line. J Ethnopharmacol. 2009;124(3):506-12. doi:10.1016/j.jep.2009.05.022. PMID:19481594
23. Peterson CT, Sharma V, Uchitel S, Denniston K, Chopra D, Mills PJ, et al. Prebiotic Potential of Herbal Medicines Used in Digestive Health and Disease. J Altern Complement Med. 2018;24(7):656-665. doi:10.1089/acm.2017.0422. PMID:29565634
24. Olennikov DN, Kashchenko NI, Chirikova NK. In Vitro Bioaccessibility, Human Gut Microbiota Metabolites and Hepatoprotective Potential of Chebulic Ellagitannins: A Case of Padma Hepaten® Formulation. Nutrients. 2015;7(10):8456-77. doi:10.3390/nu7105406. PMID:26473917
25. Pokuri VK, Kumar CU, Pingali U. A randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, cross-over study to evaluate analgesic activity of Terminalia chebula in healthy human volunteers using a mechanical pain model. J Anaesthesiol Clin Pharmacol. 2016;32(3):329-32. doi:10.4103/0970-9185.173365. PMID:27625480
26. Kumar CU, Pokuri VK, Pingali U. Evaluation of the Analgesic Activity of Standardized Aqueous Extract of Terminalia chebula in Healthy Human Participants Using Hot Air Pain Model. J Clin Diagn Res. 2015;9(5):FC01-4. doi:10.7860/JCDR/2015/11369.5916. PMID:26155489
27. Murali YK, Anand P, Tandon V, Singh R, Chandra R, Murthy PS. Long-term effects of Terminalia chebula Retz. on hyperglycemia and associated hyperlipidemia, tissue glycogen content and in vitro release of insulin in streptozotocin induced diabetic rats. Exp Clin Endocrinol Diabetes. 2007;115(10):641-6. doi:10.1055/s-2007-982500. PMID:18058598
28. Jagtap AG, Karkera SG. Potential of the aqueous extract of Terminalia chebula as an anticaries agent. J Ethnopharmacol. 1999;68(1-3):299-306. doi:10.1016/s0378-8741(99)00058-6. PMID:10624892
29. Nayak SS, Kumar BR, Ankola AV, Hebbal M. The efficacy of Terminalia chebula rinse on Streptococcus mutans count in saliva and its effect on salivary pH. Oral Health Prev Dent. 2010;8(1):55-8. PMID:20480055
30. Palit M, Hegde SK, Bhat SS. Effectiveness of Mouthrinse formulated from Aqueous Extract of Terminalia chebula on Salivary Streptococcus mutans Count and pH among 8- to 12-year-old School Children of Karnataka: A Randomized Clinical Trial. Int J Clin Pediatr Dent. 2016;9(4):349-354. doi:10.5005/jp-journals-10005-1390. PMID:28127168
31. Saxena S, Lakshminarayan N, Gudli S, Kumar M. Anti Bacterial Efficacy of Terminalia Chebula, Terminalia Bellirica, Embilica Officinalis and Triphala on Salivary Streptococcus Mutans Count - A Linear Randomized Cross Over Trial. J Clin Diagn Res. 2017;11(2):ZC47-ZC51. doi:10.7860/JCDR/2017/23558.9355. PMID:28384980
32. Axe J. The Spice That Fights Inflammation Better Than Ibuprofen | Dr Shivani Gupta. The Dr. Josh Axe Show. 2026 (triphala for digestive health at 18:56; a constipation formula with a probiotic at 19:53; YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5_wClrC754I&t=1136s).
33. Axe J. 20+ Healing Foods Most People Have Never Heard Of | Jordan Rubin. The Dr. Josh Axe Show. 2026 (triphala's benefits beyond healthy bowel movements at 38:43; triphala as a straight powder at 47:12; YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vUr8wAPp9y8&t=2832s).
34. Axe J, Cole W. Heal Your Cells. Avery; 2026 (Herbs That Support Cellular Detoxification: triphala; Precision Healing Protocols, Reversing Digestive and Metabolic Age, supplement 7, triphala 500-1,000 mg a day, p. 351).
35. Peterson CT, Pourang A, Dhaliwal S, Kohn JN, Uchitel S, Singh H, et al. Modulatory Effects of Triphala and Manjistha Dietary Supplementation on Human Gut Microbiota: A Double-Blind, Randomized, Placebo-Controlled Pilot Study. J Altern Complement Med. 2020;26(11):1015-1024. doi:10.1089/acm.2020.0148. PMID:32955913
36. AlJameel AH, Almalki SA. Effect of triphala mouthrinse on plaque and gingival inflammation: A systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials. Int J Dent Hyg. 2020;18(4):344-351. doi:10.1111/idh.12444. PMID:32383334
37. Axe J. 10 Biblical Superfoods That Can Add Years to Your Life. The Dr. Josh Axe Show, Ep. 393. 2026 (bitter and sour flavors and sweet cravings, working with patients, at 27:52; YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9AnNi1umufc&t=1672s).
38. Phetkate P, Kummalue T, Rinthong PO, Kietinun S, Sriyakul K. Study of the safety of oral Triphala aqueous extract on healthy volunteers. J Integr Med. 2020;18(1):35-40. doi:10.1016/j.joim.2019.10.002. PMID:31680053
39. Ponnusankar S, Pandit S, Babu R, Bandyopadhyay A, Mukherjee PK. Cytochrome P450 inhibitory potential of Triphala--a Rasayana from Ayurveda. J Ethnopharmacol. 2011;133(1):120-5. doi:10.1016/j.jep.2010.09.022. PMID:20883765

Dr. Josh Axe, DC, DNM, CNS

Doctor of Natural Medicine · Founder, DrAxe.com

Dr. Axe is a certified doctor of natural medicine, clinical nutritionist, and multiple New York Times bestselling author. He has spent 20+ years in clinical practice helping people heal at the root cause and founded one of the most-visited natural-health platforms in the world.

Read the full bio →

This article is for educational purposes. See our medical disclaimer.