Swasthya Premi Pariwar: Potential Dark side of Triphala

Friday, October 16, 2020

Potential Dark side of Triphala

Every effective substances have side efffects in praportion to its efficacy.

Even ayurvedic herbs can harm you if not understood properly.

You should know side effects of evergreen ayurvedic anti-aging tonic triphala which is revered for its positives. 

Recently a very close friend from banglore, Rohit, asked me about very serius problem, that his family members had some weird experience with ayurvedic medication. Hence he and his family memebers advised us to write about some unknown sides of Aayurveda. (Aayurveda in its all knowing sense is nowhere to be found guilty but due to lake of proper knowledge of herbs, improper estimation of ability and vitality of patient leads to series of serious events. So let's dwelve further.) 

Though you may have never heard of Triphala, it has been used as a healing remedy for over thousands of years.

Due to its many purported health benefits, Triphala has become increasingly popular around the globe.

Triphala has been used in traditional Aayurveda for thousands of years. It’s thought to support bowel health and aid digestion. As an antioxidant, it helps to diminish free radicals in the body thus detoxifying the body and being in proposition to better immune system.

Triphala has many benefits for a healthy body but we are giving you a ride to the roller-coaster of some very interesting and intriguing dangerous facts about this ayurvedic Sanjivani (a boon for healthy living). 

Aayurveda being the oldest health compilation helping the tradition of healthy living for about more than 3000 years, but everything in nature including herbs has some loopholes or we can address it as some side effects, if you don't know how it works. 

Indian traditional philosophical work always said a wonderful notion which I like the most, 'ज्ञान के हाथ मे अज्ञान भी श्रेयकर है और अज्ञान के हाथ मे ज्ञान भी नुकसानदेय है।' in elglish 'In the reach of wisdom even not knowing or mistaking also prove to be beneficial whereas ignorance may lead to destruction even with due knowledge.'

So let's check some fact about triphla which you should know before u take it with 'atur drashti' - believing blind folded.

- Triphala may cause problems during pregnancy

Haritaki, being the boon as a mother and revered in traditional knowledge, is one of the ingredients of Triphala which is considered to be the cause of abortions in pregnant women. It has also been associated with many other harmful effects on expecting mothers. However, more human-centric research trials are required to properly understand the link in between to consumption of Triphala and its impact on pregnant women.

So Triphala is not advisable for pregnant women. The reason is that it can increase the risk of miscarriage due to having property of creating a pushing 'downward flow' movement. It is not even recommended for breastfeeding mothers.

- Triphla might react with other medication

Triphala causes problems and hinder the proper functioning of an important liver enzyme called cytochrome P450. This causes mild to serious problems which leads to improper metabolising of the medicines thus Triphala might react with other standard medications that you might be taking as prescribed by your consultant. This is not just limited to allopathic medicines. As per the study published in the National Library of Medicines, one of the components of Triphala interacted with depression drug and caused a relapse along with disruption of sleep pattern, mood swings etc.

- Triphala may lower blood pressure drastically

Triphala is popular for its anti-diabetic qualities. However, if people already on diabetes medication consume excessive Triphala, (as said earlier - blind folded following leads to destruction), their blood pressure can drop drastically to dangerously low levels. The amounts of sorbitol and menthol present in Triphala are the main causes of this effect. People who already suffering low blood pressure levels should try to avoid Triphala as it lowers it even more. More studies focusing on Triphala’s long term effect on the human body are required to understand its effects better.