Triphala For Weight Loss: How Does It Help?
Discover the strength of this Ayurvedic ingredient and make it a part of your weight loss journey.
By , MSc (Biotechnology), ISSA Certified Fitness Nutritionist
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The use of triphala for weight loss is popular in Ayurveda. As the name suggests, Triphala is a mixture of three (tri) fruits (Phala), namely amla (amalaki or Indian gooseberry or Emblica officinalis), harada (haritaki or Terminalia chebula), and behada (bibhitaki or Terminalia bellirica). These fruits can flush out the toxins, keep your stomach, small intestine, and large intestine healthy, and promote your overall health. This Ayurvedic diet supplement may also reduce cholesterol, boost metabolism, improve immunity, and combat many microbial infections (1). Learn more about its role in weight loss. Read on.
In This Article
Triphala For Weight Loss
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Taking Triphala, in combination with healthy food habits and a proper exercise regimen, helps reduce unwanted fat.
Several studies have demonstrated the beneficial role that Triphala plays in fat loss and subsequent weight loss:
- A study was conducted by Birla Institute of Technology and Science (India) on mice that were fed a high-fat diet. It found that giving the mice Triphala helped reduce body weight as well as body-fat percentage. It also resulted in an improvement in their lipid profile and glucose levels (2).
- Another study conducted on obese individuals in Iran found that supplementation of 5 g Triphala (Itrifal Sagir) powder twice a day helps reduce body weight, waist circumference, and hip circumference (3).
To find out how to add Triphala to your diet to aid weight loss, check out the next section.
How to Use Triphala Churna for Weight Loss
Triphala is available in the form of powder or tablets at pharmacies and Ayurvedic stores. You can also buy it online. Here are a few ways to take Triphala to improve your overall health and aid weight loss.
1. Triphala Powder And Cold Water
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Add two teaspoons of Triphala powder in a glass of water and let it soak overnight. Drink the Triphala water first thing in the morning.
2. Triphala Powder And Warm Water
Add a tablespoon of Triphala powder in a glass of water and let it soak overnight. In the morning, boil this water until its volume reduces to half. Let it cool for some time. Drink it in one go.
3. Triphala Powder, Honey, And Cinnamon
Add a tablespoon of Triphala powder and a small stick of cinnamon to a glass of water. Let it soak overnight. In the morning, add a tablespoon of organic honey to this water and drink it at one go.
4. Triphala Tablet
Have one tablet per day with warm or cold water before you go to bed.
5. Triphala Tea
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Boil a cup of water and add a tablespoon Triphala powder to it. Let it boil for 30 seconds. Pour the water into a cup and let it cool. Add a tablespoon of flaxseed powder and a dash of lime before drinking.
Triphala Dosage for Weight Loss
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Taking 10 g of Triphala powder before breakfast and after dinner aids weight loss (3). Drink a glass of lukewarm water after taking Triphala for better results.
Other Health Benefits Of Triphala
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- Triphala has gastroprotective effects. It reduces constipation and bloating, removes toxins from the body, and helps in the management of hyperacidity (4).
- The phenolic compounds present in Triphala possess antioxidant properties and, thus, help in scavenging free radicals (5).
- A clinical study revealed that taking 5 g of Triphala daily for 45 days helps in the lowering of blood glucose levels (6).
- Triphala has been found to reduce total cholesterol, triglyceride, and LDL cholesterol levels in experimentally-induced hypercholesteremic rats (7).
- Triphala boosts immunity and is effective in reducing stress and anxiety (1).
Triphala Reviews
Customer reviews for Triphala tablets have been positive:
- “Triphala definitely helps my digestion system. The most important thing is that it takes time. Not a quick fix. Noticed improvement after about two weeks of daily usage.” – LC369
- “It works, and I would recommend it to anyone who needs to be relieved without waiting too long.” – Dilnaz
- “I’ll continue to use as it does what’s suppose to do for healthy digestion & elimination.” – mcdm
Triphala Churna has a special place in Ayurveda with regard to weight loss as its benefits are backed by scientific evidence. It may help improve lipid profile, reduce body-fat percentage and waist and hip circumference, and lower glucose levels. Use Triphala for weight loss by mixing the powder with warm or normal water and letting it soak overnight. Then, drink it in the morning. You can also make tea with it or add honey and cinnamon for added benefits. For effective results, drink 10 g of Triphala powder with water before breakfast and after dinner.
Sources
- Therapeutic Uses of Triphala in Ayurvedic Medicine, Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine, U.S. National Library of Medicine, National Institutes of Health.
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5567597/ - Triphala and its constituents ameliorate visceral adiposity from a high-fat diet in mice with diet-induced obesity, Alternative Therapies in Health and Medicine, U.S. National Library of Medicine, National Institutes of Health.
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23251942/ - Efficacy of ‘Itrifal Saghir’, a combination of three medicinal plants in the treatment of obesity; A randomized controlled trial, DARU Journal of Pharmaceutical Sciences, U.S. National Library of Medicine, National Institutes of Health.
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3559014/ - Clinical Study of ‘Triphala’- A Well Known Phytomedicine from India, Iranian Journal of Phamacology and Therapeutics, ACECR Scientific Information Database.
https://www.sid.ir/en/Journal/ViewPaper.aspx?ID=48879 - In vitro antioxidant studies and free radical reactions of triphala, an ayurvedic formulation and its constituents, Phytotherapy Research, Wiley Online Library.
https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1002/ptr.1515 - Hypoglycemic Effect of Triphala on Selected Non Insulin Dependent Diabetes Mellitus Subjects, Ancient Science of Life, U.S. National Library of Medicine, National Institutes of Health.
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3330861/pdf/ASL-27-45.pdf - Hypolipidemic effect of triphala in experimentally induced hypercholesteremic rats, Journal of the Pharmaceutical Society of Japan, U.S. National Library of Medicine, National Institutes of Health.
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17268159/
