ANTI-INFLAMMATORY AND ANTI-MICROBIAL ACTION OF TRIPHALA GUGGULU: A REVIEW

Abstract

Triphala Guggulu, an Ayurvedic herbal formulation, consists of dried powder of fruits of three plants commonly known as Triphala: Emblica officinalis Gaertn. (Euphorbiaceae), Terminalia bellerica Roxb. (Combretaceae) and Terminalia chebula Retz. (Combretaceae) along with Piper longum Linn. (Piperaceae), combined with the oleo-gum resin of Commiphora wightii Arnott. Bhandari (Burseraceae). It is mentioned in the Ayurvedic Formulary of India (AFI) taken from Sharngadhar Samhita for several therapeutic uses. This formulation is indicated in the treatment of Bhagandara (fissure-in-ano), Gulma (Benign growths), Shotha (Inflammation) and Arsha (Piles) by Acharya Sharangdhara Mishra in his book. This review article aims to evaluate all the experimental work done on the anti-inflammatory and anti-microbial action of constituents of Triphala Guggulu. A review of all research work was done from the Central Council of Research in Ayurvedic Sciences (CCRAS) database of medicinal plants and online research journals. The outcome of this study shows that all Triphala Guggulu ingredients can work as anti-inflammatory and antibacterial activity against a wide range of microbes. Thus, Triphala Guggulu is an effective formulation to cure infectious wounds and normalize gut motility, beneficial in health conditions such as Piles, Fistula, Inflammation etc.