Chebulic myrobalan
Terminalia chebula, family Combretaceae
A tall deciduous tree with ribbed fruit used in Ayurveda and tanning
Chebulic myrobalan is a medium to large deciduous tree that can reach 30 metres in height. It bears dull white to yellow flowers with a strong, unpleasant smell and produces blackish, ridged, drupe-like fruit valued in traditional medicine and dyeing.
- Flowers have a strong, unpleasant odour
- Fruit has five distinct longitudinal ridges
- Key ingredient in Ayurvedic triphala
- Used historically in earthquake-resistant foundations
- Seven regional fruit types are traditionally recognised
What does Chebulic myrobalan look like?
Chebulic myrobalan grows as a medium to large deciduous tree, reaching up to 30 metres tall with a trunk a metre wide. Its oval leaves are smooth on top and slightly fuzzy underneath. The flowers are dull white or yellow, grow in spikes at branch tips, and give off a strong, unpleasant odour. The fruit is smooth, ellipsoid, blackish when ripe, and marked with five ridges.
Where does Chebulic myrobalan come from?
This species occurs naturally across a broad stretch of southern and southeastern Asia. It ranges from the Indian subcontinent through parts of mainland Southeast Asia and into southwest China. In China, it is native to western Yunnan and also cultivated in provinces like Fujian, Guangdong, Guangxi and Taiwan.
When and how Chebulic myrobalan blooms
The tree thrives on dry slopes up to 900 metres elevation and is found wild in forests across northern, central and eastern India. It grows in the sub-Himalayan belt up to 1,500 metres. Seven fruit types are recognised based on harvest region and fruit shape, with the roundish vijaya variety from India’s Vindhya Range considered best.
How Chebulic myrobalan is used
Its green fruits are pickled, preserved in syrup, or boiled with sugar. The fruit pulp surrounds a hard seed and is used in leather tanning and cloth dyeing. Known as Haritaki, it is a key component of the Ayurvedic remedy triphala. Historically, the fruit was also mixed into foundation pits for earthquake-resistant buildings in Kakatiya-era India.
Kinds of Chebulic myrobalan
Two botanical varieties are noted: var. chebula, which is mostly hairless, and var. tomentella, whose leaves and young shoots are covered in silvery to orange hairs. Fruit forms also vary by region, with seven traditional types distinguished by colour, shape and origin.
What Chebulic myrobalan means
In Hindu tradition, especially within Ayurveda, the fruit, called Haritaki, is highly valued for its medicinal properties. It appears in classical formulations like triphala. The tree’s chemical makeup includes tannins, phenolic acids and glycosides, and extracts from its fruit show antibacterial effects.
Where Chebulic myrobalan is used and seen
Questions people ask about Chebulic myrobalan
Where does Chebulic myrobalan come from?
It is native across South Asia from India and Pakistan east to southwest China, and south through Sri Lanka, Malaysia and Vietnam.
What is the fruit used for?
The fruit is used in Ayurvedic medicine, especially in triphala, and also for tanning leather, dyeing cloth, and making preserves.
Does it have a scent?
Yes, its dull white to yellow flowers emit a strong, unpleasant odour.
Is it grown outside its native range?
In China, it is native to western Yunnan but also cultivated in Fujian, Guangdong, Guangxi and Taiwan.
What does the fruit look like?
The fruit is smooth, ellipsoid to ovoid, 2–4.5 cm long, blackish when ripe, with five ridges and an orange-brown to yellow colour before full ripening.
Good reading and sources
- USDA Plants DatabaseUS Department of Agriculture, Article
- IUCN Red List of Threatened SpeciesIUCN Red List, Article
- Terminalia chebulaRoyal Horticultural Society, Article
- Plants of the World OnlineRoyal Botanic Gardens, Kew, Plant database
- Where it has been recordedGBIF, Plant database
- Sightings and photos by naturalistsiNaturalist, Plant database
- Terminalia chebula on WikipediaEncyclopedia
- More photos on Wikimedia CommonsPhotos
- Wikidata recordOpen data
The facts on this page come from the Wikipedia article "Terminalia chebula", written by its contributors and used under the CC BY-SA 4.0 licence, and from its Wikidata record (CC0). EveryPhool rewrote the text in its own words, with AI assistance, and compares every page with the article to make sure no passage is copied. It may be reused under the same CC BY-SA 4.0 licence with a link back.
It may contain mistakes. It is not medical or foraging advice: many flowers are poisonous, and traditional uses are reported, not recommended. If something is wrong, tell us. Last refreshed 2026-10-04.
Others in the family Combretaceae
The whole family
Combretum
A large group of tropical trees and shrubs called bushwillows
🇿🇦 South Africa and 5 more · Flowering tree
Rangoon creeperCombretum indicum
A tropical vine with flowers that shift from white to red over three days
🇨🇳 China and 7 more · Climber
Indian almondTerminalia catappa
A spreading tropical coastal tree with tiered boughs and edible seeds
🇲🇲 Myanmar and 7 more · Flowering tree
More from India
All the flowers of India
PeachPrunus persica
A flowering fruit tree from China, grown for its pink blossoms and sweet fruit
🇨🇳 China and 7 more · Flowering tree
FennelFoeniculum vulgare
A tall, aromatic herb with feathery leaves and yellow umbels, used for food and spice
🇨🇳 China and 7 more · Herb or useful flower
TulipTulipa
Spring-blooming bulbs with showy, cup-shaped flowers in many colours
🇳🇱 Netherlands and 7 more · Wildflower
Common flaxLinum usitatissimum
The slender blue-flowered plant grown for linen and linseed
🇨🇳 China and 7 more · Wildflower