This particular remedy of Triphala is explained by master Charaka as a way to live for more than 100 years. Triphala – a simple combination of Amla, Baheda and Harad is known to have anti ageing effect since thousands of years. Its references of usage as anti ageing medicine is found in Charaka Samhita and Sushruta Samhita.
Table of Contents
Triphala, Sanskrit verse
Triphala is a combination of
Haritaki – Chebulic myrobalan – Terminalia chebula – fruit rind
Vibheetaki – Beleric Myrobalan – Terminalia bellerica
Amalaki (Indian gooseberry fruit) – Emblica officinalis Gaertn
You get Triphala churna readily in any Ayurveda store.
Take 100 grams of Triphala powder. Make it into a paste with water.
Take a clean iron vessel – tumbler or just an iron plate or an iron pan.
Apply the paste of Triphala powder over the iron vessel.
Leave it to dry for 24 hours.
Scrape out the paste from the iron vessel after 24 hours. Keep it in a clean dry container. Make sure that the Triphala is completely dried, when preserved. If not, it may get spoilt in a week time.
How to consume?
This Triphala powder is administered in a dose of 5 – 10 grams, along with a teaspoon of honey.
It is made into paste with honey and consumed with a cup of water, after food.
If this remedy is taken in the morning, one should take at least 5 grams of ghee or sesame oil (in diet) in the evening.
If this remedy is taken at night, one should consume at least 5 grams of ghee or sesame oil (in diet), in the next breakfast.
Benefits, Actions
Benefits:
Charaka writes –
By using this recipe continually for one year, one can live for one hundred years, free from ageing and diseases.
How it works?
As per Ayurveda, the nature of vessel that we use for cooking or storing any substance adds its own medicinal value to the substance. Even naturally, we can observe the difference in bathing water, which is boiled in a traditional copper vessel and which is heated by a modern day geyser.
In Ayurveda, Iron is used as an anti ageing remedy. Read more related to benefits of Iron – Loha Bhasma.
Few benefits of Iron are –
It is nourishing, sweet, sour and bitter in taste.
It is coolant in nature and heavy to digest. It has scraping quality, hence useful in cardiovascular diseases. It improves strength, immunity, skin texture, complexion, memory, intelligence, digestive power and acts as natural aphrodisiac.
Triphala comes with its own set of benefits. read here.
In short, it is good for eyes, spleen, liver, blood vessels, a very good anti oxidant.
So, overall, this combination makes a perfect anti ageing remedy.
Effect on Tridosha – Balances all the three Doshas.
Precaution
Diabetic people should consult their doctor before using honey. Only if the blood sugar level is under control, 2 – 5 grams of honey per day can be used, otherwise, not.
It is best to avoid this remedy during pregnancy.
So why the advice to take ghee or sesame oil?
Both Triphala and honey have rookshata – dryness as a quality. To counter it, after its digestion, ghee / sesame oil is advised.
Shelf life
Shelf life of the remedy
Once prepared, the Triphala churna can be stored only for 1 – 2 months only. To be on the safer side, it is best to prepare this remedy once every month.
Reference: Charaka Samhita, Chikitsa Sthana, 1st chapter
