TRIPHALA GUGGULU

Ingredients

Each 250 mg tablet contains

Method of preparation

All the chu-rn.as are made into fine powder and mixed with suddha guggulu to make a  omogeneous mixture. The mixture is then dried, powdered and made into tablet form (Sa-rn•gadhara Sam. hita – , s´odhana reference: Bha-rat Bhais• ajya Ratna – kara)

ENERGETICS

• Rasa (taste): Bitter, pungent, astringent, sweet
• Vı-rya (energy): Heating
• Vipı – ka (post-digestive effect): Pungent
• Gun.a (quality): Light, dry
• Dos.a effect: VPK=, P+ in excess
• Dha-tu (tissue): Plasma, blood, muscle, fat
• Srotas (channel): Circulatory, digestive, respiratory, excretory

AYURVEDIC ACTION

• Lekhana Scrapes toxins
• S odhana Blood purifier
• Bhagandara Treats anal fistula
• S othaghna Alleviates oedema
• Arsoghna Treats haemorrhoids
• Srotorodhaghna Alleviates obstructions to the channels
• Va-taghna Alleviates vata

BIOMEDICAL ACTION

Reduces cholesterol, laxative, carminative, alterative, anti-inflammatory

INDICATIONS

Heart Cardiac pain from atherosclerosis, angina, chest congestion. Triphala guggulu has many clinical trials attesting to its ability to reduce cholesterol. Also used for oedema of the heart and the whole body.

Gastrointestinal tract Poor digestion with amaand kapha-like symptoms; slow digestion, low metabolism, tiredness, obesity. Helps with deepseated toxins and long-term constipation as it corrects the flow of apana vata downwards in the digestive tract. It has a traditional use for treating haemorrhoids and fistulas via its agni-enkindling effect. It both stimulates digestion and scrapes toxins away. It corrects medas-dhatu-agni to enable lipid tissue to metabolise nutrients efficiently.

Lungs Used in congested lung conditions to clear excess kapha from the plasma and chest; asthma, bronchitis, phlegmy cough. Also for sinus congestion, nasal drip and rhinitis.

Immunity Used as part of a strategy to strengthen the whole system by removing the causes that necessitate a response to accumulated pathogens; combats allergies, repetitive colds, boils and infections in kapha types by strengthening agni and clearing mucus toxins.

Arthritis Triphala guggulu treats rheumatoid and osteoarthritis that have symptoms that are aggravated by cold, wet, damp conditions when vata and ama have accumulated. It has a specific action on s´lesaka kapha and the synovial fluid in the joints.

COMBINATIONS

■ Bitters in pitta aggravations; kai´sor guggulu.

■ Demulcent tonic herbs in vata aggravations; yogara-ja guggulu, bala

■ Diuretics in kapha aggravations; punarnavadi guggulu. Use bitter and pungent flavours.

CONTRAINDICATIONS

Caution in aggravated pitta. Contraindicated in conditions caused by dhatu kasaya when there is weakness of the tissues.

DOSAGE

500mg–1g three times per day.

NOTES

• Triphala cleans the bowels, regulates the flow of apana vata and is an alterative by virtue of its ama-cleansing properties.
• Pippali enkindles agni, burns away ama and relieves vata-type pain.
• Guggulu scrapes the channels and clears ama out of the system, specifically works on medasdhatu and is an anti-inflammatory.
• Low dhatvagni causes the channels to become blocked. This srotorodha creates an obstruction to the flow of vata around the body. When a dhatu becomes blocked vata becomes pratiloma and flows in the wrong direction. Triphala guggulu clears obstructions in the channels. It works so effectively in cases of obesity and congestion because it enkindles medas-dhatu-agn• i. This helps to maintain a balanced fat tissue and clear the ama from the medas-vaha-srotas. This prevents vata from rebelling back to the stomach and fanning the flames of agn• i. This breaks the repetitive cycle of eating and then craving more, not due to real hunger but due to stagnation in the fat tissue. The flow of prana in the body is smoothed. Its ability to encourage elimination points to its use in all forms of congestion.