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Ayurveda

HaritakiTerminalia chebula

An Ayurvedic bowel fruit and one of the three in triphala; its constipation trial is old and reported without figures, and a 2018 review found no clear gut evidence.

Botanical name
Terminalia chebula
Part used
dried fruit
Also called
Sanskrit Haritaki, Abhaya, Pathya; Hindi Harad, Harre, Harda; Chebulic myrobalan, Black myrobalan, Kadukkaya (Tamil)
Used in
Ayurveda
Taken for
Constipation, Indigestion, Gas
Sold as
whole dried fruit, powder (churna), capsules, tablets, extract, as part of triphala

The plant

Haritaki is the dried fruit of Terminalia chebula, a large tree of South and Southeast Asia. The fruit is small, ridged and dark brown to black when dried, and very astringent: it dries the mouth the way strong tea does, because tannins are abundant in it. It is highly regarded in both Ayurvedic and Tibetan medicine; a 2024 review calls it the king of Tibetan medicines and says Ayurvedic materia medica texts name it first.

The unripe, smaller fruits are the laxative form in Ayurvedic description, and the ripe fruit is the astringent form. Haritaki is sold whole, as a powder (churna) stirred into water, as capsules, tablets and extracts, and as one third of the three-fruit formula triphala. It is also an ingredient in many Ayurvedic compound formulas, including some with senna or psyllium for constipation, and in mouth rinses studied in dentistry. This entry covers the gut uses.

How the traditions use it

Ayurveda (about Ayurveda)

In the Bhavaprakasha Nighantu, a classical materia medica, haritaki carries five of the six tastes (all but salty), is described as light and dry, hot in potency (virya) and sweet in its post-digestive effect (vipaka), and is called tridoshahara, meaning it is said to calm all three body types (vata, pitta and kapha). Reviews of the traditional literature say the fruit is used for chronic diarrhea, gastroenteritis, constipation, malabsorption and ulcers; that the unripe fruit is the laxative form and the ripe fruit the astringent one; and that the tradition values it for easing constipated bowel habits and abdominal discomfort. These are claims the tradition makes about the fruit; they are not measurements.

What is in it

Haritaki is rich in tannins. Reviews name chebulic, chebulinic and chebulagic acids, corilagin, gallic acid and ellagic acid, and attribute the fruit’s reported activities to them. In rodent models, extracts reduced stress- and chemical-induced stomach lesions, lowered gastric juice volume, raised gastric pH and mucus output, and chebulinic acid inhibited the stomach acid pump (H+/K+ ATPase) in the lab. These are findings from tubes and rodents, and the human trials below did not measure any of these compounds.

What the human trials show

The human evidence for haritaki alone is small and mostly unpublished in indexed journals. A 2022 review of its pharmacology cites a 1983 clinical trial in the journal Sachittar Ayurveda of haritaki in simple constipation, which it summarizes as showing the fruit helped patients empty the bowel completely. That trial is not indexed in PubMed and the review gives no figures, so we cannot report sample size, dose or effect size. The same review cites a human trial of a T. chebula supplement for hemorrhoids, which reported a larger reduction in hemorrhoid mass and in constipation than control, and notes that Ayurvedic formulas containing T. chebula showed possible effects on constipation in several studies, all with the herb mixed with others.

The 2018 review of triphala in functional gut disorders is more cautious: it found the literature gives no clear evidence of an effect on the human digestive tract, observed that studies suggest triphala or its parts may speed or slow gut motility, and cited a study in which T. chebula eased digestion, severe continuous constipation and cramps. In the open-label study of a psyllium, senna and triphala powder in 34 adults with functional constipation, weekly bowel movements rose from 10.19 to 18.29 over 14 days, but psyllium and senna are laxatives in their own right.

Not found in the sources we read: a placebo-controlled trial of haritaki alone for constipation, any trial for IBS, diarrhea or ulcers, and a defined dose-response.

StudyDoseWhat it found
Review of the pharmacology of Terminalia chebula, citing a 1983 trial of haritaki in simple constipation and a hemorrhoid supplement trial PMID 36051270Not givenSummarizes bowel evacuation in constipation and less hemorrhoid mass; no figures given; the cited trials are not indexed in PubMed
Review of triphala in functional gastrointestinal disorders (2018) PMID 30034512VariousNo clear evidence for the human digestive tract; cites a T. chebula study that eased severe constipation and cramps
Open-label study, 34 adults with functional constipation (formula of psyllium husk, senna extract and triphala extract) PMID 22022157Powder formula, 14 daysWeekly bowel movements 10.19 to 18.29; no placebo; two other laxative ingredients
Comprehensive review of T. chebula fruit: traditional uses, phytochemistry, pharmacology, toxicity PMID 39683707VariousLists constipation, diarrhea, malabsorption and ulcers among traditional uses; mostly lab and animal evidence

How much the studies and the texts used

None of the sources we read gives a trial dose for haritaki alone in constipation. The 1983 trial and the supplement trials cited in the 2022 review are summarized without doses. In Ayurveda the fruit is taken as a powder in water, a decoction, or in triphala, and the Ayurvedic literature on triphala ties the effect to the amount: a tonic at small amounts, a mild laxative at ordinary amounts and a purgative at large amounts. The Mongolian formula Altan Arur 5, built on T. chebula, was tested for toxicity in mice at 12 to 48 g per kilogram for 14 days.

Doses here describe what studies and pharmacopoeias used. They are not a recommendation for any person; a clinician or pharmacist who knows your medicines and conditions is the right person to ask.

Side effects and cautions

The reviews describe haritaki as well tolerated in the human studies they cite, which reported no adverse reactions, though most of those studies were of mixed formulas. A Mongolian formula with T. chebula as its main ingredient produced no toxic changes in mice (14 days) or rats (12 weeks). The Ayurvedic account of large amounts is purgation, which means cramping and loose stools. We could not find studies in pregnancy, breastfeeding or children.

For Ayurvedic products in general, a 2008 study of 193 products sold online found lead, mercury or arsenic in 20.7%, and CDC documented 12 adult lead poisoning cases linked to Ayurvedic remedies in five states between 2000 and 2003. These findings do not single out haritaki, and plain fruit powders are not the metal-based rasa shastra class that drove most of the contamination.

Interactions

We found no human interaction studies for haritaki. Reviews list anti-diabetic activity among its lab and animal findings, so combined effects with diabetes medicines are a question; this has not been tested in people in the sources we read. Used as a laxative, it speeds passage through the bowel, which is the plausible route for any change in how much of another oral medicine is absorbed.

Medicines the quiz checks haritaki against

When a quiz taker names one of these medicines, the rule below fires. Each comes from a published interaction reference; none is a diagnosis:

Haritaki on the shelf: the products that contain it

The products here name haritaki among their actives. How much of it a serving holds, and whether that matches any trial, is on each page.

Organic India Triphala Capsules 4.4 out of 5 from 5,337 ratings from Amazon · $0.76 a day Himalaya Organic Triphala 4.4 out of 5 from 2,434 ratings from Amazon · $0.33 per day at one caplet ($19.99 for 60 at Vitacost and Amazon); $0.39 on the brand site Planetary Herbals Triphala 1,000 mg Tablets 4.5 out of 5 from 2,416 ratings from Amazon · $0.37 per day at two tablets twice a day ($16.45 for 180 at Vitacost and Amazon); $0.18 a serving Banyan Botanicals Triphala Tablets 4.6 out of 5 from 2,123 ratings from Amazon · $0.51 per day at two tablets ($22.99 for 90 on the brand site, $21.99 on Amazon); $0.26 at the one-tablet low end of the label range NOW Foods Triphala 500 mg Tablets 4.6 out of 5 from 302 ratings from Amazon · $0.20 per day at two tablets ($12.24 for 120 at Amazon and Vitacost); $0.18 on Amazon Subscribe & Save Pure Indian Foods Organic Triphala Powder 4.82 out of 5 from 132 ratings from Vitacost · $0.08 per day at one half-teaspoon serving of about 1,300 mg ($14.16 for 8 oz at iHerb, $14.99 on the brand site, about 175 servings)

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Often paired or compared

Ayurvedic Triphala Emblica officinalis + Terminalia bellirica + Terminalia chebula Ayurvedic Amla Emblica officinalis (Phyllanthus emblica) Ayurvedic Bibhitaki Terminalia bellirica (also spelled bellerica) Ayurvedic / Western Senna Senna alexandrina (Cassia senna, Cassia angustifolia)

Common questions

What does haritaki do for the bowels?

Ayurveda describes it as a laxative (unripe fruit) and astringent (ripe fruit), and classes it among the herbs that move the bowels. In indexed human trials we could not find a placebo-controlled test of haritaki alone; the reviews cite an older constipation trial without figures.

Is haritaki the same as triphala?

No. Haritaki is one of the three fruits in triphala, along with amla and bibhitaki. Gut studies of triphala test all three together, so they cannot say what haritaki does alone.

Why is haritaki called the king of Tibetan medicines?

A 2024 review calls the fruit the king of Tibetan medicines and says it is named first in the Ayurvedic materia medica. That is how the traditions rank the fruit, not a clinical result.

Can haritaki cause diarrhea?

The Ayurvedic account of larger amounts is purgation, which means loose stools and cramping. Reviews note that studies point both ways, with some showing faster gut motility and some showing slower motility or an antidiarrheal effect.

Are Ayurvedic supplements tested for lead?

Not as a rule. A 2008 study of 193 Ayurvedic products sold online found lead, mercury or arsenic in 20.7%, a figure that reached 40.6% in rasa shastra products made with metals. The study did not test haritaki by name.

Sources