YahGarden

Herb library · Herb · Terminalia bellirica (also spelled T. bellerica, T. belerica)

Bibhitaki

The fruit of a large Indian tree, the beleric myrobalan, and one of the three fruits of triphala. Almost all research is in the laboratory or in animals; one small human trial exists, so there is not enough evidence to know what it does in people.

Traditional use

One of the oldest medicinal trees of South Asia, used in Ayurveda, Unani, Siddha and traditional Chinese medicine. In 19th-century India the fruit pulp was prescribed as astringent and laxative, and with salt and long pepper for throat and chest complaints. Charaka's Samhita, in its chapter on food and drink, describes Vibhitaki as dry and astringent-sour and says it subdues phlegm and bile. Dutt's 1877 compilation from Sanskrit medical works records a remedy for a sore throat: the fruits fried in clarified butter, coated in wheat-flour paste, roasted, and the rind held in the mouth. It is one of the three fruits of triphala, the Ayurvedic formula of amla, haritaki and bibhitaki. Today it is sold mostly within triphala for digestion.

Traditional energetics

What studies show

  • Insufficient

    Bibhitaki alone: a 2020 review found a wide range of effects in lab and animal studies, and says more animal studies and clinical trials are needed. One small 2016 pilot trial in 110 people with high uric acid found lower levels with the extract; it has not been repeated.

  • Limited

    As part of triphala: a 2020 meta-analysis of 7 trials found triphala mouthrinse did about as well as chlorhexidine for gum inflammation, and a 2021 review of 12 trials found triphala might improve cholesterol, blood sugar and weight. Both call for better or larger trials.

Be careful of

Cautions

  • NoteThe 2016 pilot trial reported the extract was well tolerated over 24 weeks. In triphala trials no serious side effects were reported; one study noted loose stools, constipation, changed taste, nausea, skin effects and tiredness in a few people.
  • ConditionStudied for uric acid, blood sugar and cholesterol. If you take medicine for any of these, talk with your clinician before adding it.
  • PregnancyNCCIH advises talking with your clinician before using Ayurvedic products while pregnant or nursing.
  • NoteSome Ayurvedic preparations include metals. The FDA warns that this makes some Ayurvedic products potentially harmful, and a 2015 survey found high lead or mercury levels in some of the supplements tested.
  • Ask a clinicianTalk with a clinician or pharmacist before using this if you take prescription medicines, are pregnant or breastfeeding, or are giving it to a child.

From the old books

What herbals and dispensaries of the past printed. History, in their words.

“Vibhitaki(d) is dry, agreeable in taste, astringent-sour, and highly destructive of phlegm and bile.”
Avinash Chandra Kaviratna (translator), Charaka-Samhita (1890), Sutrasthanam, Lesson XXVII, p. 357. See the page of Charaka-Samhita, Sutrasthanam, Lesson XXVII, p. 357 (opens in a new tab) · Read the full passage from Charaka-Samhita, Sutrasthanam, Lesson XXVII, p. 357
“Belleric myrobalans are fried in clarified butter ; they are then covered with a paste of wheat-flour and slightly roasted on a fire.”
Udoy Chand Dutt, The Materia Medica of the Hindus (1877), p. 163. See the page of The Materia Medica of the Hindus, p. 163 (opens in a new tab) · Read the full passage from The Materia Medica of the Hindus, p. 163
“This tree, in Sanskrit Vibhita and Vibhitaka (fearless), is avoided by the Hindus of Northern India, who will not sit in its shade, as it is supposed to be inhabited by demons.”
William Dymock, C. J. H. Warden and David Hooper, Pharmacographia Indica (1890), vol. 2, p. 5. See the page of Pharmacographia Indica, vol. 2, p. 5 (opens in a new tab) · Read the full passage from Pharmacographia Indica, vol. 2, p. 5

Sources

  1. Terminalia bellirica (Gaertn.) roxb. (Bahera) in health and disease: A systematic and comprehensive review (2020) (opens in a new tab) · NIH · read September 25, 2026
  2. A randomized, double-blind, placebo-, and positive-controlled clinical pilot study to evaluate the efficacy and tolerability of standardized aqueous extracts of Terminalia chebula and Terminalia bellerica in subjects with hyperuricemia (2016) (opens in a new tab) · NIH · read September 25, 2026
  3. Effect of triphala mouthrinse on plaque and gingival inflammation: A systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials (2020) (opens in a new tab) · NIH · read September 25, 2026
  4. Effects of Triphala on Lipid and Glucose Profiles and Anthropometric Parameters: A Systematic Review (2021) (opens in a new tab) · NIH · read September 25, 2026
  5. Ayurvedic Medicine: In Depth (opens in a new tab) · NCCIH · read September 25, 2026

Reviewed September 25, 2026.