Ayurvedic Ingredients: Ashwagandha, Turmeric, Bacopa, Triphala and Where to Find Each Guide

How to use this page

This is the starting map to the Ayurvedic herbs on AlternativeMed.com. Each herb below has its own guide that separates the traditional description (what classical texts and practitioners say) from the research (what trials and reviews measured) and from safety and product quality. Evidence labels: promising but limited, mixed, insufficient evidence, no good evidence of benefit, traditional use only, evidence of harm.

Two things to know first. The US National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health says few well-designed trials and reviews suggest Ayurvedic approaches are effective, so most labels below are cautious. [3] And one Ayurvedic name can point to more than one plant: "brahmi" corresponds to both Bacopa monnieri and Centella asiatica, so check the Latin name on any label. [4]

The six herbs written up in detail

Triphala in brief

Triphala is an Ayurvedic herbal combination. Two systematic reviews give a flavor of the research. A review of seven trials found triphala mouthwash had equal clinical efficacy to chlorhexidine mouthwash for plaque-related gum inflammation, though the trials differed widely from each other. [29] [30] [31] A review of 12 trials (749 patients) reported lower LDL cholesterol, total cholesterol and triglycerides in 6 studies, and lower fasting glucose in people with diabetes but not in people without it. [32] [33] [34] The reviewers asked for large, well-designed trials, and no serious adverse events were reported in the trials they reviewed. [35] [36] That says little about long-term or high-dose use. See the full triphala guide.

Other single-herb guides (A to Z)

Amla (amalaki), bhringraj and other herbs for hair, boswellia (shallaki), fenugreek (methi), giloy (guduchi), ginger and long pepper, guggul, haritaki and bibhitaki, jatamansi, vacha and other calming herbs, kapikacchu (Mucuna pruriens), licorice (mulethi) and arjuna, manjistha, punarnava and kutki, moringa, neem (nimba), safed musli and herbs marketed for vitality, shilajit and tulsi (holy basil). For plants with known safety concerns start with Ayurvedic herbs with known safety concerns.

Formulations and products

Many Ayurvedic products combine several herbs. See Ayurvedic herbal preparations, churna, vati, kwatha, taila and arishta, chyawanprash, trikatu, guggulu formulations and Ayurvedic sleep and stress products. For how Ayurveda classifies herbs, see rasa, virya, vipaka and prabhava. A full list is in the index of Ayurvedic herbs.

Related guides elsewhere on the site

Turmeric, curcumin supplements, ginger, tulsi tea, licorice root tea, shilajit, adaptogen types and botanical and mushroom nootropics.

Before using any herb

• Read medicine interactions, pregnancy and children and heavy metals and product quality.
• In the US, supplements are not approved by the FDA before they are sold. [37]
• Do not use Ayurvedic medicine to delay seeing a doctor about a medical problem. [38]
• Tell all your health professionals what you use. See telling your doctor about Ayurvedic use.