Triphala

Triphala
Traditional Chinese	三勒漿
Simplified Chinese	三勒浆
Literal meaning	Three Myrobalan Juice
Transcriptions Standard Mandarin Hanyu Pinyin Sānlèjiāng Wade–Giles San-lê-chiang

Triphala (Hindi: त्रिफला; Sanskrit: त्रिफला, triphalā, "three fruits") is a fruit drink^[1] or infusion produced from chebulic myrobalan (Sanskrit: हरीतकी, harītakī; Hindi: हरीतकी, haritaki), beleric myrobalan (Sanskrit: विभीतकी, vibhītakī; Hindi: बिभीतकी, bibhitaki), and emblic myrobalan (Sanskrit: आमलकी, āmalakī; Hindi: आँवला, ā̃vlā). Containing vitamin C, it is considered an Ayurvedic rasayana formula when the dried and powdered fruit are prepared in a 1:1:1^[2] or 1:2:3 ratio.^[3] It is one of the most common Ayurvedic treatments in the world.^[2] Less prominently, as sanlejiang, the drink has a 1200-year history as a kind of fruit wine in China^[4] with the non-alcoholic form now being marketed there as a traditional herbal remedy.^[5]

chebulic myrobalan

beleric myrobalan

amla, emblic myrobalan

History

The earliest record of triphala in China is Li Zhao's c. 820 Supplement to the Book of Tang (Tangguoshi Bu), which lists it in a section on domestic and foreign alcohol available in the Tang capital Chang'an.^[4] It states the Chinese formulation was based on a recipe from Persia.^[4] One such recipe is included in Han E's mid- or late-Tang Summary of the Four Seasons (《四時纂要》, Sì Shí Zuǎnyào), first published in 996: pulverize 3 liang (about 120 grams or 4 ounces) of the pits of each of the 3 fruits to a sesame seed consistency; thoroughly mix 1 dou (about 2 liters or 0.5 U.S. gallons) of clear honey with 2 dou of fresh clear water before adding the pulverized seeds; seal tightly with clean paper; open, stir, remove internal condensation, and reseal to allow fermentation to proceed; and reopen and consume after thirty days.^[6] Han praised the sweet resulting wine as a digestif, deflatulent, and mild laxative.^[7] The Ming-era encyclopedist Gao Lian copied much of this in his Eight Treatises on Nurturing Life (《遵生八笺》, Zūnshēng Bā Jiān) but emended the recipe to use 3 liang total in the mixture.^[7] Commenters varied as to whether preparation in the 8th or 9th lunar month (normally September or October) produced the best results.^[8]

See also

• Ayurveda & Rasayana
• Traditional Chinese medicine & Chinese alcohol
• Herbal medicine

References

Citations

1. Chen (2021), p. 1.
2. O'Mathuna (2011).
3. Parveen & al. (2018).
4. Chen (2021), p. 3.
5. Chen (2021), p. 2.
6. Chen (2021), pp. 4–5.
7. Chen (2021), p. 5.
8. Chen (2021), p. 6.

Bibliography

• Ming Chen (2021), "'Method from Persia': Study of the Origins of the 'Three Myrobalan Decoction'" (PDF), Hualin International Journal of Buddhist Studies, vol. 4, no. 2, pp. 1–78.
• O'Mathuna, Donal (12 April 2011), "Does It Work? Can Triphala Act as an Antimicrobial?", Irish Times
• Parveen, Romana; et al. (March 2018), "Phytochemical Analysis and In-Vitro Biochemical Characterization of Aqueous and Methanolic Extract of Triphala, a Conventional Herbal Remedy", Biotechnology Reports, vol. 17, Elsevier, pp. 126–136, doi:10.1016/j.btre.2018.02.003, PMC 5881245, PMID 29619331.