Description

Evergreen tree with clusters of oval leaves, spikes of small greenish unpleasant smelling flowers, and hairy brown fruit.

Habitat & Cultivation

Beleric myrobalan is native to India, Malaysia, and the Philippines. It is found in forests and is cultivated for its astringent fruit, which is gathered both immature and ripe.

Part Used

Fruit.

Constituents

The fruit contains tannins and anthraquinones.

Medicinal Actions & Uses

Beleric myrobalan fruit is astringent, tonic, and laxative. It is principally employed as a treatment for digestive and respiratory problems. In Indian herbal medicine, the ripe fruit is taken for diarrhea and indigestion, and the unripe fruit is used as a laxative for chronic constipation. It forms part of the classic Ayurvedic Triphala formula, chiefly used as a bowel tonic. Beleric myrobalan is also often used to treat upper respiratory tract infections that cause symptoms of sore throats, hoarseness, and coughs.

Related Species

Many Terminalia species are used to make astringent remedies, and also for their timber. See chebulic myrobalan (T. chebula).

Caution

Do not take during pregnancy.