Harītakī (Terminalia chebula) Properties, Potency, Action and Indication

 

Harītakī is the sanskrit name of Terminalia chebula Retz. English name of this herb is ink nut. It is one among the triphala. Along with āmalakī and vibhitakī, harītakī is commonly used in ayurveda formulation. Here are the details about harītakī, presented in table form.

Sanskrit name	Harītakī
Synonyms of sanskrit name	Abhayā Pathyā Jīvanīyā Kalih Kāyasthā Pūtanā Rohiṇī śivā Śreyasī Sudhā Vayasthā
Botanical name	Terminalia chebula Retz.
Synonym of botanical name	Buceras chebula Lyons Myrobalanus chebula Gaertn. Myrobalanus gangetica Kostel Terminalia acute Walp. Terminalia chebula var. Chebula Terminalia gangetica Roxb. Terminalia parviflora Thwaites Terminalia reticulata Roth. Terminalia zeylanica Van Heurck
Family	Combretaceae
Vernacular name
English	Ink nut
Hindi	Harre, harda
Malayalam	Kaṭukkā
Kannada	Alalekai
Part used	Fruit
Guṇa (properties)	Laghu (light) Rukṣa (dry)
Vīrya (potency)	Uṣṇa (hot)
Vipāka (metabolic effect)	Madhura (sweet)
Karma (action)	Rasāyana (Rejuvenating) Medhya (Improve intelligence) Hṛdya (Cardiac tonic) Dīpana (Appetizing) Cakṣuṣya (Eye tonic) Vātānulamana (Vāta channelizing)
Prabhāva (special action)	Mitigates tridoṣa (humors)
Taste (rasa)	Kaṣāya (Astringent) Madhura (Sweet) Amla (Sour) Kaṭu (Pungent) Tikta (Bitter)
Indication	Aruci (anorexia) Arśas (Hemorrhoids) Aśmari (calculi) Chardi (Vomiting) Gulma (phantom tumor) Hṛdroga (heart diseases) Jīrṇa jvara (chronic fever) Kāsa (cough) Klaibya (impotency) Krimi (worms) Kuṣṭha (skin diseases) Mutra Kṛcchra (dysuria) Netra roga (eye diseases) Pāṇḍu (anemia) Prameha (diabetes) Śiro roga (head diseases) Sopha (oedema) Śvāsa (asthma) Udāvarta (retrograde intestinal movement) Udara roga (stomach disorders) Vātaśoṇita (inflammatory arthritis) Vibandha (constipation) Viṣama jvara (remitten fever) Vraṇa (wound)
Agryauṣadha (prime remedy)	Patya (wholesome) Kṣatakṣaya (Debilitation because of trauma) Anila kaphahara (decrease vāta and kapha)
Formulation	Amṛtādya ghṛta Brahmī ghṛta Caitasa ghṛta Ciribilvādi ghṛta Dārvī balādi ghṛta Daśasvarasa ghṛta Guḍūcyādi ghṛta Haridrādi ghṛta Jīvantyādi ghṛta Kalyāṇa ghṛta Kalyāṇaka ghṛta   Rohiṇyādi ghṛta Sārasvata ghṛta Simhyamṛta ghṛta Śūlārikam ghṛta Trayūṣaṇādi ghṛta Triphalādi ghṛta   Vāśādi ghṛta   Saindhavādi varti Agastya rasāyana Agastya harītakī Gandhaka rasāyana Guḍabhallātaka   Bāhuśāla guḍa Kalyāṇa guḍa Kauṭacādi guḍa     Kalyāṇa kṣāra
Morphology
Types	Tree- 50 to 80 feet height.
Leaves	Ovate, 3-8 inches long, 2-4 inches wide, 5-8 veins.
Fruits	Oval, 1-2 inches long, hard with prominent line, green when unripe, yellow-brown on ripening, have 1 seed.
Flowers	Small. Yellowish-white, grows in a cluster.
Bark	Dark brown and have cuts.
Root
Habitat	India, in lower Himalaya
Chemical content	Anthraquinone glycoside Vitamin C Terchebin Tannic acid Chebulinic acid Oleic acid Palmitic acid Stearic acid (in fruit kernels) Linoleic acid Behenic acid Arachidic acid Chebulin (in flowers)