Diverticulitis is a gastrointestinal disorder in which small, bulging pouches form in weak areas of your large intestine and become inflamed. According to the National Digestive Diseases Information Clearinghouse, about 10 percent of Americans over age 40 have the pouches, and 25 percent of these people develop diverticulitis. Triphala is a traditional Indian remedy that contains three natural products. It might help prevent or relieve some of the symptoms of diverticulitis. Talk to your doctor about triphala to decide if it might be helpful for you.
Causes and Symptoms
Although diverticulitis has an unknown cause, it might relate to constipation from consuming a low-fiber diet containing many processed foods. Increased pressure during a bowel movement might cause pouches to develop, which can become inflamed or infected because bacteria tend to lodge in them. Abdominal pain is a frequent symptom of the disorder, sometimes most intense over the lower left side of the abdomen. Cramping, nausea, vomiting, fever or chills might also occur during an attack, and the pain can appear suddenly or start slowly and worsen over time. Serious complications such as bleeding, infections, intestinal blockage or tears in the wall of the colon might accompany an attack of diverticulitis.
Triphala
Triphala is an herbal preparation that is part of traditional Indian medicine, or ayurveda. It contains equal amounts of powdered fruits from three plants, Emblica officinalis, Terminalia chebula, and Terminalia bellerica. Practitioners of ayurveda recommend triphala for dental problems, anemia, jaundice, constipation, inflammation and other complaints. The preparation contains many natural compounds with biological activity, including several classified as flavonoids and polyphenols. These components might help to prevent diverticulitis or lessen the severity of an attack.
Actions
Triphala increases the motility of your digestive system, helping move food through the tract and lessening the likelihood of constipation, one of the possible causes of diverticulitis. Triphala also has antibacterial activity, interfering with growth of several bacteria that may cause infection in intestinal pouches. The preparation also has antioxidant activity due to its content of several polyphenols, including gallic acid, that help remove potentially damaging free radicals from your body. Triphala also helps boost your immune system, lessening the likelihood that intestinal pouches will become inflamed or infected. In a laboratory study published in 2005 in the "Biological Pharmacology Bulletin," laboratory animals fed triphala showed enhanced function of immune cells, called neutrophils, compared to placebo-fed animals. Although this needs larger clinical studies, these results suggest triphala might help to prevent the occurrence and lessen the symptoms of diverticulitis.
Recommendations
Triphala is available as a powder or in capsules from many health food or Indian grocery stores. Although generally considered safe, it might cause intestinal gas, stomach upset or diarrhea in some people, and it might interact with certain prescription drugs. Consult your doctor to discuss triphala before adding it to your routine.
