Botanical Name - Terminalia chebula
Category - Medicinal
Form - Dry
Part Used - Fruit
General Information - Terminalia chebula, commonly known as black- or chebulic myrobalan, is a species of Terminalia, native to South Asia from India and Nepal . Myrobalans are the dried fruits of Terminalia chebula (Combretaceae), a tree common in India. The immature fruits are black, ovoid and about 1 - 3 cm long. The seed of the fruit, which has an elliptical shape, is an abrasive seed enveloped by a fleshy and firm pulp. Seven types of fruit are recognized (vijaya, rohini, putana, amrita, abhaya, jivanti, and chetaki), based on the region where the fruit is harvested, as well as the colour and shape of the fruit. Generally speaking, the vijaya variety is preferred, which is traditionally grown in the Vindhya Range of west-central India, and has a roundish as opposed to a more angular shape. The fruit also provides material for tanning leather and dyeing cloth. Terminalia chebula is a main ingredient in the Ayurvedic formulation Triphala which is used for kidney and liver dysfunctions. The dried fruit is also used in Ayurveda as a purported antitussive, cardiotonic, homeostatic, diuretic, and laxative.
Phytochemicals - They contain about 20 - 40% of tannin, sitosterol, anthraquinones and a fixed oil containing principally esters of palmitic, oleic and linoleic acids. The tannin and anthraquinone constituents make the drug both astringent and cathartic in action. Several antiaging phenolic compounds were extracted from Terminalia chebula. It includes gallic acid, chebulinic acid, chebulagic acid, isoterchebulin, punicalagin, and 1,3,6-tri-O-galloyl--d-glucopyranosehave.
