Terminalia chebula · PhytoNexus

01 Identity and provenance

Accepted binomial: Terminalia chebula
Common names: Triphala (component)
Family (APG IV): Combretaceae
Part used: Fruit
Verification tier: Tier 2 · Verified Clinical columns reviewed and a source is on record.
Reviewer note (2026 audit): DUPLICATE SPECIES - Terminalia chebula also appears as entry 37. Database holds 97 unique species, not 100.
CORRECTED - Application: T. chebula is a laxative and rejuvenative, not an expectorant. (Expectorant activity in Triphala is attributed to T. bellirica, entry 38.)
Reference not supplied - claim unverified against primary literature.
Duplicate entries: This binomial appears more than once in the source workbook. Entry 37 (verified) Both are retained rather than merged so the original numbering stays traceable.

02 Constituent chemistry

Chemical class	Marker compound	Synthetic analogue in use
Chebulagic acid	Chebulinic acid Fruit	Bisacodyl

The analogue column is what makes the interaction reasoning tractable: where a constituent has a marketed structural counterpart, the counterpart's interaction profile is the starting hypothesis for the plant.

Looking up structures and physicochemical properties from PubChem…

03 Stated application

Reported activity: Mild laxative; rasayana / digestive component of Triphala
Marketed in: Ayurvedic digestive formulation
Reported adverse effects: Abdominal cramps

04 Interaction matrix

Source column, verbatim: Oral medication
Normalised onto 1 canonical drug class below.

Curated from the reviewed source

Drug class	Severity	Mechanism type	Provenance	Expected effect
Laxatives and antidiarrhoeals Gastrointestinal	2Moderate	PD-additive	curated B	Cramping, diarrhoea, electrolyte loss, melanosis coli with chronic anthra…	why ▾
Class mechanism. Anthraquinone and mucilage botanicals add to stimulant and bulk laxative action; tannin-rich astringents oppose it. Expected Cramping, diarrhoea, electrolyte loss, melanosis coli with chronic anthraquinone use; or constipation and obstruction risk with astringents plus inadequate fluid. Management Limit stimulant laxative botanicals to under 2 weeks. Ensure adequate fluid intake with any bulk-forming product. Onset rapid Evidence B - reviewed clinical column, source pending Matched on “oral medication” Find evidence for this pair Map this mechanism

Predicted from constituent chemistry

These edges are not clinical findings. Each one is a rule inference: a constituent class in this plant is known to act on a target that the drug class also acts on. They are shown because a blank cell reads as “safe”, and for a Tier 1 entry a blank cell only means “not yet looked at”. Treat them as a literature-search agenda, not as a warning.

Drug class	Severity	Mechanism type	Provenance	Expected effect
Antacids, PPIs and H2 blockers Gastrointestinal	2Moderate	PK-absorption	predicted D	Reduced or erratic absorption of alkaloids; heartburn and reflux from pre…	why ▾
Chemistry of this pair. Polyphenolic tannins precipitate proteins and chelate di- and trivalent cations in the gut lumen. Class mechanism. Gastric pH elevation alters the dissolution and ionisation of alkaloidal and enteric-coated botanical products; menthol- and peppermint-oil products lose their enteric protection at high pH and can be released prematurely. Expected Reduced or erratic absorption of alkaloids; heartburn and reflux from premature release of volatile-oil preparations. Management Separate administration by 2 hours. Avoid non-enteric peppermint oil in reflux disease. Onset unspecified Evidence D - in silico rule prediction only Find evidence for this pair Map this mechanism
Antibacterials and anthelmintics Infection	2Moderate	PK-chelation + PK-CYP	predicted D	Treatment failure from subtherapeutic antibiotic concentrations, or raise…	why ▾
Chemistry of this pair. Polyphenolic tannins precipitate proteins and chelate di- and trivalent cations in the gut lumen. Class mechanism. Cation- and tannin-rich botanicals chelate tetracyclines and fluoroquinolones; efflux-pump-inhibiting and CYP-modulating constituents alter macrolide, rifamycin and azole exposure. Anthelmintic botanicals add to praziquantel and albendazole effect. Expected Treatment failure from subtherapeutic antibiotic concentrations, or raised toxicity of azoles and macrolides. Management Separate doses by 2-3 hours. Do not rely on botanical antimicrobials in place of an indicated antibiotic. Onset unspecified Evidence D - in silico rule prediction only Find evidence for this pair Map this mechanism
Iron, calcium and mineral supplements Nutrition	2Moderate	PK-chelation	predicted D	Failure of iron-deficiency correction, unexplained non-response to oral i…	why ▾
Chemistry of this pair. Polyphenolic tannins precipitate proteins and chelate di- and trivalent cations in the gut lumen. Class mechanism. Tannins, phytates, oxalates and mucilage form insoluble complexes with divalent and trivalent cations in the gut lumen, reducing absorption of both the mineral and any co-administered chelating drug. Expected Failure of iron-deficiency correction, unexplained non-response to oral iron or calcium. Management Separate mineral doses from tannin- and fibre-rich botanicals by at least 2 hours; take iron with ascorbate instead. Onset unspecified Evidence D - in silico rule prediction only Find evidence for this pair Map this mechanism

05 Hazard register

The audit recorded no hazard beyond the interaction profile. The controlled-vocabulary field reads not assessed, which means the assessment has not been done rather than that it came back clear.

06 Confusable material

These entries could be mistaken for this one in trade, in the herbarium, or in a prescription. Powdered material is often indistinguishable, so the check is macroscopic, microscopic and chromatographic rather than nominal.

Terminalia arjuna Arjuna	Combretaceae	Same genus (Terminalia)
Terminalia bellirica Bibhitaki	Combretaceae	Same genus (Terminalia)
Terminalia chebula Haritaki	Combretaceae	Same genus (Terminalia)

07 Mechanism map

Chemistry sorts to the left, pharmacology to the right. Dashed edges are predicted. Drag nodes, scroll to zoom, export at 3× for a figure.

species

chemical class

marker compound

drug class

expected effect

hazard

08 Open literature

Abstract-scoped query built from this binomial, its common names and its marker compounds, run live against Europe PMC, PubMed and OpenAlex, then ranked locally against an evidence hierarchy.

Checking openFDA spontaneous reports…

09 Isomechanistic neighbours

Species whose interaction profile overlaps this one, ranked by shared severity weight rather than by count — a shared contraindication counts for more than a shared minor signal. Practical use: these are the plants you should not stack with this one, because the mechanisms summate.

Species	Family	Shared classes	Jaccard
Senna alexandrina Senna	Fabaceae	4	0.33
Terminalia chebula Haritaki	Combretaceae	4	1.00
Syzygium cumini Jamun	Myrtaceae	3	0.75
Hamamelis virginiana Witch Hazel	Hamamelidaceae	3	0.75
Quercus infectoria Gall Oak	Fagaceae	3	0.75
Punica granatum Pomegranate	Lythraceae	3	0.75

10 References and notes

No citation is on record for this entry. That is itself the finding: the audit flagged it, and it is why the entry does not carry an A evidence grade.

Curator notes

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