Drug Review

Drug Review
This section is divided in three subheadings which are
1. Collection of Drug
2. Brief Review of Haritaki
3. Pharmaceutical Study/ Preparation of medicine
1. Collection of Drug:
Sample variation is a very big problem which researchers face when dealing
with herbal materials. Changes in habitat, time of collection, regional variations in
same species influence the quality and quantity of herbs which are very difficult to
avoid. Along with these seasonal variations, methods of collection add up to the vows
which hamper the uniformity of crude drug. These all factors influence the final
product and hence such errors are to be minimized in a research work. Market
samples are often collected from different habitats and mixed together so it is very
difficult to get pure samples of one place and collected in same season.
As the study was intended at finding sthitisthapakatva guna it was necessary
to procure fresh fruits from single habitat and collected in same method and time
period. It has been mentioned in classics that drugs stored for one year in their natural
state lose their potency. Taking all these points into consideration fresh fruits were
collected from Botanical Garden, Sassoi attached to IPGT&RA, Gujarat Ayurved
University Jamnagar.
All the fruits were empirically collected by scholar himself by visiting the
garden two times per week. Ripened fruits which fall naturally from trees were
collected. Unripened, partially ripened fruits, small sized immature fruits also fall
naturally but such fruits were not taken. Mature fruits which suffered small injuries
after fall or which had worm manifestations were also not selected. Collection of
fruits was started in December month of 2010 and was continued up to February
2011. Over the period of these three months total of 42 kg of Haritaki fruits were
collected.
Place of Collection:
Botanical Garden, Sassoi attached to IPGT&RA, Jamnagar.
Village: Sassoi
Tehsil: Jamnagar
District: Jamnagar

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State: Gujarat
Latitude: 22.49686
Longitude: 70.07391
Period of Collection: December 2010- February 2011
Type of Soil: Black soil
Slope: Plain land
Weather Conditions: Temperature range 20 + 10 C ; Humidity: 60 % + 20 %
Prashasta Haritaki Lakshana:
Bhavaprakasha nighantu has explained Prashasta Haritaki lakshanas which are as
follows.
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1. New
2. Snighdha
3. Ghana
4. Vritta
5. Guru
6. Submerging in water
7. Weighing 2 karsha (~20 gm)
Haritaki fruit which posses these qualities are shreshtha and are to be used for
medicinal purpose.
All the collected fruits were subjected to these tests.
1. New - As fresh fruits were collected all fruits passed this criteria.
2. Snighdha - Dry, scaly fruits were separated and not incorporated for further
tests.
3. Ghana - Fruits which were hollow and lacking solidity were removed. This
observation was associated with worm manifestation in fruits.
4. Vritta - Haritaki fruits were of varied shapes ranging from circular to oval and
number of ridges also varied from three to five. Most of the times ridges were
partialy manifested and variation in number of ridges was not only seen from
one plant to another but fruits of same tree showed different number of ridges.
5. Guru Assesement was done with bellow mentioned submerging test.

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6. Submerging in water - All fruits which passed above criteria were soaked in
water. Fruits which sinked in water were taken for study and flaoting fruits
were rejected. Some fruits were suspending in between, which were also not
included in study.
Total of 22 kg fruits were soaked into water out of which 12 kg fruits passed
this test.
7. Weighing 2 karsha (~20 gm) - Regarding weight of fruits it showed large
variation and ranged from 3 gm to 16 gm. Maximum fruits weighed between
8 to 12 gm avoding certain exceptions.
Though texts have mentioned fruits of 2 karsha are shreshtha but in current
study such fruits were not avilable. Fruits having weight less than six grams
were not considerd and rejected. Fruits which passed all tests other than 2
karsha weight and having weight between 6 to 16 gm were taken for
preparation of drug.

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Drug Review
2. Haritaki Gunakarmas
Botanical name: Terminalia chebula Retz. Family: Combrataceae
English Name: Chebulic myrobalans
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Plantae
Division: Magnoliophyta
Class: Magnoliopsida
Order: Myrtales
Family: Combretaceae
Genus: Terminalia
Species: T. chebula
DistributionHaritaki consists of the pericarp of mature fruits of Terminalia chebula Retz.
(Fam. Combretaceae), a moderate sized or large tree found throughout India, chiefly
in deciduous forests and areas of light rainfall, but occasionally also in slightly moist
forests, up to about 1500 m elevation, flowers appear from April to August and fruits
ripen from October-January.
Gana
Charaka- Prajasthapana, Jwaraghna, Kushthaghna, Kasaghna, Arshoghna
Bhavaprakasha- Haritakaydi.
Synonyms: Abhaya, Pathya, Kayastha, Putana, Hemavati, Avyatha, Chetaki, Shiva,
and Vayastha.
Part used: Fruit
Rasa: Pancha Rasa (Alavana ) Virya: Ushna

Vipaka: Madhura

Guna: Laghu, Ruksha

Doshaghnata: Tridosha Shamaka
Karma-

Vedanasthapana,

Krimighna.

Kushthaghna,

Vranashodhana,
Medhya,

Vranaropana,

Chakshushya,

Dipana,

Brimhaniya,

Pachana,

Anulomana,

Rasayana.
RogaghnataIt is useful in Prameha, Shwasa, Kasa, Grahani, Shotha, Kushtha, Udararoga,
Hridroga etc. According to Bhavaprakasha, it is effective in Vibandha, Krimi,
Trishna, Hikka, Kandu, Vedana, Yakritroga, Mutraroga and Santarpanajanya vikara.

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Physical charactersColour-Intact fruit yellowish-brown,
Shape and size- ovoid, 20-35 mm long, 13-25 mm wide, wrinkled and ribbed
longitudinally, pericarp fibrous, 3-4 mm thick, non-adherent to the seed.
Taste- Kashaya pradhana (astringent) five rasas
Chemical constituents: Anthraquinone glycoside, Chebulinic acid, Chebulagic acid,
Tannic acid, Tetrachebulin, Vitamin C (fruits).
Pharmacological actions:
Antimicrobial, Antibacterial, Antistress, Antifungal, Antispasmodic, Hypotensive,
Antihelminthic, Purgative, Anti hepatitis B activity, Hypolipidaemic, Endurance
promoting activity.
Researches Done:
Haritaki is one of largely scanned plants for its pharmacological actions in Ayurveda.
Here review of related works on anulomana, gastric motility and intestinal transit
time are enlisted.
1. The mild laxative property of Terminalia chebula helps to ease bowel
movement. It is widely recommended by traditional healers in India for
treating constipation. The spasmogenic effect of Terminalia chebula on the
gut helps to increase the water content in the faeces and the faecal number. 1
2. Haritaki at the dose of 140mg/kg when studied against cisplatin induced
changes in gastric motility and intestinal transit. Results showed significant
increase of gastric emptying in treated group.2
3. Terminalia chebula helps to inhibit growth of harmful E. coli and C.
perfringens bacteria that are the common causes of food borne illnesses.
However, the antibacterial effect of Terminalia chebula does not affect the
growth of the beneficial bacteria in the intestines. Hence, intake of Haritaki
helps to preserve the normal intestinal flora..3
4. The gastro kinetic effect produced by Haritaki (when consumed) helps the
body to move the contents of the stomach much faster, thereby aiding in easy
and fast digestion. This in turn aids gastric motility and helps to manage and
prevent issues like constipation and abdominal disorders. 4
5. The natural ingredients of Haritaki enable long usage without any
unwarranted side effects. It is a mild laxative that helps to cleanse the colon
effectively without causing any harm to the body in the process. In addition to
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this, the antioxidant properties of Haritaki help to ensure a speedy recovery
from constipation with little or no hassles at all. 5
6. Terminalia chebula is a commonly advocated agent in Ayurveda for
improving gastrointestinal motility. Charles Foster rats (150-200 gm of either
sex) were divided into four groups as follows--Group 1 (n = 15) normal
animals; Group II (n = 6) rats administered metoclopramide (1.35 mg/kg);
Group III (n = 8) rats given atropine (0.45 mg/kg). These agents were injected
intramuscularly, 30 min before the experiment. Rats from Group IV (n = 8)
were administered Terminalia chebula (100 mg/kg/day for 15 days orally).
Metoclopramide and atropine have established prokinetic and antikinetic
activities respectively and are therefore included for comparison. All rats were
then given a test meal of methyl cellulose (1.5%) mixed with phenol red (50
mg/100 ml) orally and gastric emptying was measured 20 min later. Gastric
emptying of normal rats (Group I) was found to be 51.6 +/- 7.79%.
Metoclopramide significantly increased the gastric emptying (76.33 +/12.37%; p < 0.01) and atropine inhibited the motility (% gastric emptying
being 7.26 +/- 19.76%; p < 0.01). Terminalia chebula was found to increase
the percent gastric emptying (86.57 +/- 6.65%; p < 0.01). Thus from this study
it appears that Terminalia chebula can serve as a useful alternative to
prokinetic drugs available today.6
Anulomana Effect of Haritaki :
Haritaki is probably the best anulomana drug and hence has been advocated
as example of Anulomana by Sharangadhara.7 Haritaki by virtue of its ruksha, ushna
properties helps the complete digestion of food and sara kitta vivechana.
Vatanulomana and tridoshaghna karmas help easy movement/passage of malas from
koshtha. Its dipana property helps in improving agni and promotes digestion to avoid
relapse of disease. Laghu guna and rasayana effect are added benefits by
consumption of Haritaki. It has vibandha and mutrakriccha nashana effect. In
rogaghnata of Haritaki shula and anaha are specifically mentioned.8 Because of all
these properties Haritaki was selected as trial drug to assess Anulamana as treatment
modality for Purishaja Anaha.

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3. Preparation of medicine:
Freshly collected fruits of Haritaki which passed test of prashasta lakshnas
were powdered in ball and hammer mill. Total 10 kg of churna was produced from
these fruits. This after passing from 80 no. sieve was reduced to 8 Kg.
Remaining 2 kg churna was used for preparation of kashaya by adding 16 litre
water and boiled on low flame and reduced up to 4 litres. This four litre kashaya was
allowed to cool and then was used for bhavana.
8 kg fine churna was triturated in the end runner with prepared kashaya for
three times adding quantity sufficient to soak it. Kashaya was added (q.s.) as and
when needed. Total time required for trituration was 64 hours after which the material
was again dried in hot air oven at 80 0C for 48 hours so as to get hard balls.
This material was divided in two equal parts each of 4.2 kg approx. First part
of it was powdered and used as churna formulation and other was punched in tablet
form of 500 mg each and used as vati formulation. Material was sticky enough that no
external binder was required. Final product was stored in HDPE air tight containers
and used for experiment to avoid direct exposure from sunlight, moisture and external
contamination. HDPE containers are made from High Density Poly Ethylene plastic
which has several properties which make it ideal as a packaging and manufacturing
product. Its stronger than standard polyethylene, acts as an effective barrier against
moisture and remains solid at room temperature. It resists insects, rot and other
chemicals. It is easily recyclable and can be used again and again. Recycled HDPE
creates no harmful emissions during its production or during its use by the consumer.
Also, HDPE leaks no toxic chemicals into the soil or water.9
After preparation of medicine packaging of it for appropriate dosage
administration was another important task. Dosage of vati was not a problem as it was
easy to administer four vatis at a time but for churna it was a difficult to distribute
two grams for patients.
To avoid dosage variation and maintain equal distribution of medicine,
packets of 2 gram each were weighed by scholar on analytical balance and packed in
zip lock covers. Such 15 covers i.e. dosage of a week was again packed (actual dosage
14) keeping one dosage extra in a bigger lock bag and provided to patient. Packaging
of vatis was done as 60 vatis per pack for one week (actual dosage 56) keeping one
dosage extra.

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References :
1

Mard SA, Veisi A, Naseri MKG, Mikali P. Spasmogenic Activity of the Seed
of Terminalia chebula Retz in Rat Small Intestine: In Vivo and In Vitro
Studies. Malaysian J Med Sci. Jul-Sep 2011;18(3):18-26). (downloaded from
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/ 22135597 last accessed on 30-10-12 )

A perspective study of Haritaki, Yadav Babita et al IJRAP 2011, 2(5) 14661470

(Kim HG, Cho JH, Jeong EY, Lim JH, Lee SH, Lee HS. Growth-inhabiting
activity of active component isolated from Terminalia chebula fruits against
intestinal bacteria. J Food Prot. 2006 Sep;69(9):2205-9).downloaded from
http://www.ayurvediccure.com/terminalia-chebula.htm last accessed on 30-1012 )

Akhtar, H. et. al., Edrs., Dictionary of Indian Medicinal Plants, CIMAP,

Lucknow, 1992, 458. (downloaded from http://www.findherbalremedy.com/
natural-laxatives/ last accessed on 30-10-12 )

(Phytochemical Composition, Antioxidant Activity, and Neuroprotective Effect

of Terminalia chebula Retzius Extracts. Chang CL, Lin CS. Evid Based
Complement Alternat Med. 2012;2012:125247. Epub 2011 Jul 5. PMID:
21754945).

downloaded

from

http://www.findherbalremedy.com/natural-

laxatives/ last accessed on 30-10-12 )

6

Tamhane MD, Thorat SP, Rege NN, Dahanukar SA. Effect of oral
administration of Terminalia chebula on gastric emptying: an experimental
study. J Postgrad Med [serial online] 1997 [cited 2012 Oct 30 ];43:12-3
Available from: http://www.jpgmonline.com/text.asp?1997/43/1/12/423 / last
accessed on 30-10-12 )

Sharangadhara, Sharangadhara Samhita Purvakhanda Dipanapachanadhyaya

4/3-4, with Dipika and Gudhartha Dipika commentary of Adhamalla and
Kashiram Vaidya, Varanasi, Chaukhambha Orientalia, Fourth Edition , 2000.
Pp. No-35.

Bhavamishra,

Bhava

Prakasha,

Haritakyadi,

varga,

19,

including

Bhavaprakasha Nighantu portion, Edited with Vidyotini Hindi Commentary by

Sri Brahmashankara Mishra and Sri Rupalaji Vaishya, Ninth Edition, Vol. 1,
Chaukhamba Sanskrit Sansthan, Varanasi, 1999; pp.
9

Downloaded from http://epsplasticlumber.com/index.cfm/page/b_hdpe/what-ishdpe.cfm last accessed on 1-09-2010

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