Triphala

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

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

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