The American Herbal Pharmacopoeia (AHP), a CA-based nonprofit research organization, has released a Monograph and Therapeutic Compendium for Belleric Myrobalan Fruit (Terminalia bellirica). The monograph was a joint effort of AHP and researchers at Jadavpur University, Kolkata, India and Savitribai Phule Pune University, Pune, India and included reviews by Ayurvedic experts worldwide. 

Known in Sanskrit as vibhitaka, meaning “eliminating fear of disease” or “fearless,” belleric myrobalan fruits are among the most important botanicals used in Ayurvedic medicine and one of the three fruits in the ancient triphala formula that remains a staple of all Ayurvedic herbal practitioners today. Triphala is arguably Ayurveda’s most important and universally used formula.

According to AHP President and monograph editor Roy Upton, “I surveyed a number of Ayurvedic practitioners many years ago and, to a person, triphala was regarded as their most important formula with virtually every patient at some point in their treatment protocol receiving triphala. So, it is a natural to develop monographs on the individual fruits.  While the benefits of triphala are well known, this often causes the amazing benefits of its individual ingredients to be overlooked. Vibhitaka has been in recorded use since around 1700 BCE. That in itself is amazing and deserving of learning of this important fruit.”

AHP is currently working on monographs for triphala formula, along with the other two triphala fruits, emblic myrobalan (amalaki; Phyllanthus emblica) and myrobalan (haritaki; Terminalia chebula).

Development of the AHP Belleric Myrobalan Fruit Monograph and Therapeutic Compendium was made possible by the generous contributions of: Aveda, Blaine, MN, USA; Banyan Botanicals, Albuquerque, NM, USA; East West School of Planetary Herbology, Ben Lomond, CA, USA; Gaia Herbs, Brevard, NC, USA; Dr. Vikram Naharwar, CEO Amsar Goa Pvt LTD, Goa, India; NuAxon Bioscience, Bloomington, IN, USA; Organic India Charitable Trust, Boulder, CO, USA; Phalada Agro Research Foundations, Bangalore, India; Planetary Herbals, Scotts Valley, CA, USA; Pukka Herbs, Bristol, UK; and The Ayurvedic Institute, Albuquerque, NM, USA.

The Belleric Myrobalan Fruit Monograph and Therapeutic Compendium (PDF) is available by ordering from the AHP website at http://www.herbal-ahp.org/order_online.htm