Haritaki, also known as Terminalia chebula, is a tree native to South Asia and commonly used in Ayurvedic medicine. Its fruit has a complex flavor and is used to treat various ailments, including constipation, digestive issues, and skin problems. It is highly prized for its mildness and few reported side effects.
Haritaki is the Hindi name for a large herbaceous tree that is native to South Asia and common in India. It produces small, hard fruits that have been used for centuries in Ayurvedic medicine as a nutritional supplement. It is considered so useful, in fact, that some call it a panacea. Haritaki is also known by its Latin name, Terminalia chebula, as well as the Myrobalan Chebulic, Harada, and Black myrobalan.
The fruit of the haritaki plant is harvested when it is green. It is said to have a complex flavor that includes sweet, sour, astringent, and bitter aspects. It can be eaten raw, dried, boiled, or divided into parts, with its skin, seed, and meat, each used to treat different ailments. It is commonly sold in markets and health food stores, and can be purchased whole, dried, in powdered or tablet form, or in liquid form.
Haritaki is believed to be capable of extreme rejuvenating rasayana properties through increased function of the digestive tract. It has a laxative effect, which makes it a useful remedy to treat constipation. According to Ayurvedic tradition, haritaki allows the body to better absorb nutrients and fight disease by completely eliminating the digestive system. Haritaki fruit contains a gallic acid that also has antibacterial properties that can help in the treatment or inhibition of common disease-causing bacteria and fungi of the digestive tract, such as E. coli. It can also help increase liver and spleen function.
The extract of the haritaki fruit is used in the preparation of a number of Ayurvedic formulas that treat everything from ulcers to skin problems. Some credit the seed of the fruit with treating common eye problems and improving eyesight. Used as a paste, haritaki is used as an anti-inflammatory and analgesic in the treatment of wounds and skin diseases. In this form, it is also used to treat hemorrhoids, as a gargle for sore throats, and as an astringent to treat sore and bleeding gums. Haritaki can also be used to treat asthma, anemia, hepatitis, urinary stones, and sexually transmitted diseases.
Haritaki is highly prized not only because it is useful in treating so many ailments, but also because it is a very mild fruit with few reported side effects. Some haritaki users complain of a dry feeling. For this reason, its use by dehydrated people is not recommended. No other side effects are known.
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