Univ. Prof. Mag. Dr. Florian Überall
It is known as the “light fruit of long life”, as a means of strengthening, rejuvenation, detoxification, and it is affectionately called the “Buddhist jewel from the Himalayas”.
Every Tibetan and Indian doctor knows TRIHPALA, a fruit mixture made from three tree fruits, the myrobalans.
They have a legendary reputation and are real all-rounders with a wide range of effects that are unique to them. Whether for intestinal care, strengthening the gums, improving eye metabolism, treating chronic inflammation, strengthening the immune system or even for use in cancer, the potential is virtually inexhaustible.
But is that even conceivable, and why are these legendary fruits almost unknown in the West?
The answer is given by the different understanding of health that Asian people have. While we wait for a diagnosis that is often "unexpected", Asian people take precautions throughout their lives. They see maintaining their health as a valuable life plan. Prevention as a daily task.
Doctors are needed to keep people healthy, not to treat illnesses. Myrobalans are the heart of this preventive care. “Let’s do what Asian people do.”
Amazing patterns of action.
So what are the main problems that keep us living in the fast lane? Lack of empathy, fatigue, immune deficiency, depression and cell degeneration. Is there a phytotherapeutic solution?
Let us first let Asian doctors speak: “One of the myrobalans, AMLAKI, the Indian gooseberry, brings calm and peace into our lives, vibrates to the rhythm of nature and gives people empathy and compassion,” says Pasang Yonten, a Tibetan doctor in Milan.
Botanically correctly named, it is Phyllantus emblica, the EMBLICA-MYROBALAN. It activates the tired and calcified pineal gland. Amlaki, the people of Sri Lanka call this sour fruit NELLI, so it activates the pineal gland and actively increases the melatonin level.
I found the other two myrobalans in Sri Lanka, Myanmar and with Tibetan doctors in northern India. Here is my personal travel report into the world of myrobalans.
With my head thrown back, I stood in the Royal Botanical Garden of Peradeniya, in Kandy, Sri Lanka, searching high up in the mighty trees for the plum-like fruits of probably the most mysterious medicinal fruits in Asia, the MYROBALANE fruits.
My companion, a well-known Ayurvedic doctor, explained to me: "For preventive and medicinal purposes, we make mixtures in a ratio of 1:1:1 from AMLAKI and the other two myrobalan fruits, HARITAKI and BIBITAKI. Sometimes we give them individually. If they are combined in the above-mentioned mixture, we call it "TRIPHALA". In India, there is a collection of recipes more than four thousand years old and thousands of years of experience for the different mixing ratios.
I received further astonishing information from Tibetan doctors (Drs. Choedrak, Pasang Yonten, Paljor and many others). I worked for many years for an Austrian Tibet NGO in Tibetan monasteries: HARITAKI, the CHEBULIC MYROBALANA (Terminalia chebulae) "cures all illnesses". That may sound presumptuous, but it does indicate a composition of ingredients that is rarely so successful in nature. 
Here are the most important effects summarized:
Chebulic myrobalan (Terminalia chebulae)
Chebulic myroblane has a mild laxative effect and gently regulates bowel movements without irritating the rectum. It reduces over-acidification of the organism.
In combination with other herbal ingredients (pomegranate seeds, black pepper, etc.), a side-effect-free alternative to GASTRIC PROTECTION TABLETS (proton pump inhibitors) is available for the treatment of reflux and heartburn.
Chebulic myrobalan also successfully combats the caries pathogen (Streptococcus mutans), tightens the gums and heals inflamed periodontal pockets. Clinical studies have shown that it improves peripheral circulatory disorders (intermittent claudication) and the associated increase in the length of time one can walk without pain.
Belerian myrobalan (Terminalia belerica)
In addition to its use as an astringent, Bellerian myrobalan strengthens digestion, supports the body in fighting respiratory problems and balances out immune deficiencies. It is also known for treating hoarseness, coughs and sore throats. It is a strong expectorant and alleviates menstrual problems in women. 
My scientific approach:
For almost two decades, I have studied the molecular effects of myrobalan fruits in my research group at the Medical University of Innsbruck, at the Institute of Medical Biochemistry. Since myrobalans have a very broad but largely side-effect-free pattern of action, they can be taken over longer periods of time without any problems, either alone, in combination, or as an addition to other recipes.
They enable profound cell detoxification. They clear the blood and dissolve bruises, promote wound healing, regulate fat and cholesterol metabolism, promote bone formation, and harmonize the steroid hormone balance and the immune system. We have observed excellent wound healing, particularly in cases of periodontitis and after the insertion of implants.
Tibetan doctors have passed on the "energetic" area of effect to us. According to their opinion, myrobalan fruits contain all six flavors and eight potencies. The statement "and cure all diseases" is based on this extraordinary description of the effect pattern.
In my personal experience, the three myrobalan fruits have a pronounced impulse control quality for other recipe ingredients. This is also the basis of our HERBAL IMPULSE CONCEPT (instructions provided by the author). Of particular importance is the important role of the Chebulic myrobalan in initiating apoptosis (programmed cell death) of degenerated cells, as well as in tryptophan metabolism. Encouraging scientific findings on cultured cancer cells and on an inflammation model come from our laboratory (Gostner et al.).
Recent research results show the mutual potentiation of effectiveness through the combination with medicinal mushrooms. Here we have proposed a combination of MYROBALANS with Chaga, Reishi, Tibetan caterpillar mushroom, oyster mushroom and Hericium. Due to the high proportion of polysaccharides, medicinal mushrooms are excellent sources of energy for intestinal bacteria and, together with the ingredients of the myrobalans, have a balancing effect on the intestinal and stomach climate. Read my latest book "Elephants don't get cancer" (Nymphenburger-KOSMOS Verlag).
The MYROBALANS family – a botanical profile
Three fruits are combined in the recipe TRIPHALA.The Chebulic myrobalan (Terminalia chebula), the Belleric myrobalan (Terminalia belerica) and the Amla myrobalan (Emblica officinalis) form what is probably the most important herbal recipe in Asia.
| plant | Phyllantus emblica, Emblica officinalis | Terminalia chebula | Terminalia belerica |
| name in Sanskrit | Amalaki | Haritaki | Bibitaki |
| Commonly Known Name | Emblica myrobalane, amla, amlaki, Indian mulberry, Indian drupe Nelli (Sri Lanka) Skyu ru ra (Tib,) | Chebula myrobalans, Hardad, Haritaki, Harada, A ru ra (Tib.) | Belirica myrobalans, Belerik, Bahera, Boira, Ba ru ra (Tib.) |
| Family | Euphorbiaceae | Combretaceae | Combretaceae |
| Happen | Found throughout Southeast Asia Bangladesh, China, India, Malaysia, Sri Lanka and Pakistan | Found in the sub-Himalayan region of Nepal and northern India, Bangladesh, Myanmar, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Pakistan, Iran, and China | Found throughout India, especially in Bihar, West Bengal, Assam, Central India and South India |
| phytochemicals | Flavonoids, kaempferol, phyllembic acid, corilagin, terchebin, trigalloyl glucose, ellagic acid, indole acid, linoleic acid, lupeol, pyrogallol | Arachidonic acid, behenic acid, tannic acid, betulinic acid, chebulic acid, chebulin, linoleic acid, luteolic acid, oleic acid, palmitic acid, stearic acid, terchebin | Behenic acid, ethyl gallate, chebulic acid, ellagic acid, gallic acid, gallotannin, ellagitanic acid, gallyol glucose, pyllemblin, β-sitosterol |
Selected Literature (20.08.2022 Terminalia chebulae 518 Pubmed entries, 1,868 entries in total for the keyword search Terminala)
Gostner JM, Wrulich OA, Jenny M, Fuchs D, Ueberall F. An update on the strategies in multicomponent activity monitoring within the phytopharmaceutical field. BMC Complement Altern Med. 2012 Mar 14;12:18. doi: 10.1186/1472-6882-12-18. PMID: 22417247; PMCID: PMC3359261.
Gostner JM · Gruber P. · Becker K. · Naschberger M. · Everywhere F. New approaches to elucidating the mode of action of plant-based multi-component mixtures. Forsch Komplementmed 2013;20(suppl 2):41-44.
Klein A, Wrulich OA, Jenny M, Gruber P, Becker K, Fuchs D, Gostner JM, Uberall F. Pathway-focused bioassays and transcriptome analysis contribute to a better activity monitoring of complex herbal remedies. BMC Genomics. 2013 Feb 27;14:133. doi: 10.1186/1471-2164-14-133. PMID: 23445205; PMCID: PMC3598787.
Mathiyazhagan J, Kodiveri Muthukaliannan G. Combined Zingiber officinale and Terminalia chebula Induces Apoptosis and Modulates mTOR and hTERT Gene Expressions in MCF-7 Cell Line. Nutr Cancer. 2021;73(7):1207-1216. doi: 10.1080/01635581.2020.1792518. Epub 2020 Jul 14. PMID: 32664754.
Shendge AK, Sarkar R, Mandal N.Potent anti-inflammatory Terminalia chebula fruit showed in vitro anticancer activity on lung and breast carcinoma cells through the regulation of Bax/Bcl-2 and caspase-cascade pathways. J Food Biochem. 2020 Dec;44(12):e13521. doi: 10.1111/jfbc.13521. Epub 2020 Oct 11. PMID: 33043490.
Kumar N, Gangappa D, Gupta G, Karnati R. Chebulagic acid from Terminalia chebula causes G1 arrest, inhibits NFκB and induces apoptosis in retinoblastoma cells. BMC Complement Altern Med. 2014 Aug 29;14:319. doi: 10.1186/1472-6882-14-319. PMID: 25169718; PMCID: PMC4158129.
Kalra P, Karwasra R, Gupta YK, Ray SB, Singh S. Terminalia chebula supplementation attenuates cisplatin-induced nephrotoxicity in Wistar rats through modulation of apoptotic pathway. Nat Prod Res. 2019 Jun;33(11):1641-1645. doi: 10.1080/14786419.2018.1425843. Epub 2018 Jan 17. PMID: 29343091.
Chhabra S, Mishra T, Kumar Y, Thacker G, Kanojiya S, Chattopadhyay N, Narender T, Trivedi AK. Chebulinic Acid Isolated From the Fruits of Terminalia chebula Specifically Induces Apoptosis in Acute Myeloid Leukemia Cells. Phytother Res. 2017 Dec;31(12):1849-1857. doi: 10.1002/ptr.5927. Epub 2017 Sep 18. PMID: 28921713.
Lee Y, Byun HS, Seok JH, Park KA, Won M, Seo W, Lee SR, Kang K, Sohn KC, Lee IY, Kim HG, Son CG, Shen HM, Hur GM. Terminalia Chebula provides protection against dual modes of
necroptotic and apoptotic cell death upon death receptor ligation. Sci Rep 2016 Apr 27;6:25094. doi: 10.1038/srep25094. PMID: 27117478; PMCID: PMC4846877.
Hochleitner J, Akram M, Ueberall M, Davis RA, Waltenberger B, Stuppner H, Sturm S, Ueberall F, Gostner JM, Schuster D. A combinatorial approach for the discovery of cytochrome P450 2D6 inhibitors from nature. Sci Rep. 2017 Aug 14;7(1):8071. doi: 10.1038/s41598-017-08404-0. PMID: 28808272; PMCID: PMC5556109.
If you want to get to know the author Univ. Prof. Dr. Florian ÜBERALL better, follow his homepage www.natest.at, his webinars, as well as his lecture and retreat program in Austria.
