Fructus Chebulae — the dried ripe fruit of Terminalia chebula Retz. (family Combretaceae). Known across South Asia as haritaki, one of the three fruits of the classical Ayurvedic combination triphala.
Nature and flavour. Bitter, sour and astringent, neutral. Lung and Large Intestine systems.
One of the few astringents with a genuinely international footprint: it is used in Chinese, Tibetan, Ayurvedic and Unani practice, and in Tibetan medicine it carries a status close to that of a general remedy. The Chinese sources record it for chronic diarrhoea and dysentery-like patterns, for chronic cough and for loss of voice, and it is the drug classically paired with the throat and with the voice — the well-known throat lozenge combination carries this fruit in its name. Western laboratory work on Terminalia chebula is substantial, but it is overwhelmingly in vitro and in animals; the human evidence for any specific use remains limited and is not established.
性味归经。苦、酸、涩，平。归肺、大肠经。
少数几味真正具有国际足迹的收涩药：中医、藏医、阿育吠陀与尤那尼医学都用，在藏医里它的地位近乎通用药。中医文献记载其用于久泻久痢、久咳与失音，它是古典上与咽喉、声音绑在一起的那味药——知名的润喉含片方名里就带着这味果实。西方对 Terminalia chebula 的实验室研究不少，但绝大多数是体外与动物实验；任何具体用途的人体证据仍然有限，尚未被证实。
鞣质含量高，多数注意事项由此而来。鞣质可引起恶心、胃刺激与便秘；量大或久服时，它可能让肠道问题加重而不是缓解。鞣质还会在肠道内与生物碱、金属离子以及某些药物结合，因此可能降低其它口服药的吸收——正在服用地高辛这类窄治疗窗药物、或任何吸收很关键的药物者，合用前应先问药师。有用含此果的多味复方（多为阿育吠陀或藏药复方）出现肝损伤的个案报告，因果关系尚未确立，但这些报告正是不要随意合用的理由。儿童腹泻首要问题是补液，绝不该用涩肠药去掩盖它。孕期与哺乳期证据缺如；古典文献载孕期慎用的提示。名称是实在的风险：藏青果以及若干地方名指向同一物或近缘物，只标中文名的包装不能作为可靠的鉴定依据。