humm looks like i should do a web search...since no one is responding.......

This seems to explain it very well:

TRIPHALA: HEALTH BENEFITS AND USES


Triphala is a botanical preparation comprised of equal parts of three herbal fruits: Harada (Haritaki) (Terminalia chebula, black myrobalan, The Buddha’s Chosen Herb), amla (Emblica officinalis or Indian gooseberry), and baheda (Bibhitask) (Terminalia bellerica). These three fruits help in smooth functioning of bowel and relieve the condition of constipation.
Harada (Terminalia chebula)

Terminalia Chebula, the Tibetan "king of medicine", a classic heart-brain-longevity tonic, is often depicted in the extended palm of the Buddha. Balances Vata.

Amla (Emblica officinalis)

Amla (Emblica officinalis) is the edible fruit from a small tree native to India. As with Terminalia chebula, EO has been shown to increase gastric emptying and to possess a broad spectrum of antimicrobial activity against a number of test bacteria.

Baheda (Terminalia bellerica)

Baheda is astringent, tonic, digestive and anti-spasmodic. (Terminalia bellerica) rich in protein (40 percent) and oils (35 percent), and is particularly high in the omega 3 essential fatty acid--linoleic acid.
Benefits of Triphala

Clinical studies confirm the efficacy of Triphala as rasayana (imparting longevity, immunity and body resistance)

* Useful for treating chronic constipation
* Regulating digestion
* Bowel regulation
* Rejuvenator
* Antioxidant actions
* Adapotogenic
* Immunomodulator
* As an eye wash to relieve eye diseases.

Triphala (“three fruits”) is a highly esteemed and widely utilized Ayurvedic formula for gastrointestinal health. Triphala is traditionally used to maintain a healthy colon, improve digestion and rejuvenate and strengthen tissues. Many of the benefits you see from Triphala come from its cleansing quality. Triphala helps the body get rid of accumulated ama (digestive toxins), and if taken regularly for maintenance, helps prevent ama from building up in the body

The digestive benefits of Triphala (Terminalia bellerica, Terminalia chebula and Phyllanthus emblica) may be due to:

• Binding to a digestive hormone linked with gastrointestinal upset (CCK or cholecystokinin)
• Increasing bile acid excretion, raising levels of healthy cholesterol (HDL) and lowering levels of bad cholesterol (LDL and triglycerides)
• Scavenging free radicals (antioxidant activity)

Because of its high nutritional content, Ayurvedic (Traditional Indian) doctors generally do not regard Triphala as a mere laxative. Some of the scientific research and practical experience of people using it down through the ages has demonstrated that Triphala is an effective blood purifier that stimulates bile secretion as it detoxifi es the liver, helps digestion and assimilation, and significantly reduces serum cholesterol and lipid levels throughout body. As a result, it is regarded as a kind of universal panacea.

Each of the three herbal fruits in Triphala, Harada, Amla and Bihara take care of the body by gently promoting internal cleansing while at the same time improving digestion and assimilation. These three fruits have been scientifi cally studied and confirm some of Triphala's known traditional benefits. These include the lowering of cholesterol, reducing high blood pressure, benefiting circulation, improving digestion and regulating elimination without causing any laxative dependency.
The Result:

Feel pure, light and revitalized. Remove toxins, accumulations, gas and distention. Nourish your nervous system, blood and muscle. Increase digestion, assimilation and reduce fat. Detoxify every system in the body. Regulate and vitalize your metabolism
Article
Triphala: an age-old ayurvedic medicine

No other herb, or group of herbs, finds such repeated mention in the Ayurvedic system of medicine as triphala. It has become a household name in our country. As the name suggests, triphala is a combination of three important herbal fruits — amla (emblica officinalis), harad (terminalia chebula), and baheda (terminalia bellirica). The popularly known Triphala Churna is the powder of dried fruits of these herbs without their seed part. Usually, these herbs are mixed in equal quantity but references are found when their ratio has been modified as harad one part, beheda two parts and amla three parts.

The first of these fruits, amla, is the richest source of Vitamin C. According to an old Indian saying, what gold is to the minerals, amla is to the herbs. It also contains tannic acid, resinous matter, glucose, protein, cellulose and calcium. Amla is useful as stomachic, antipyretic, hair tonic, alterative and nerve-brain tonic. Anaemia, hyperacidity, urine anomalies, haemorrhages, epistaxis and gynaecological disorders are among the indications where amla is prescribed as medicine and also as a preventive, restorative and curative.

The next among this traid, baheda or vibhitaka, is a pungent, acrid and bitter fruit. It is rich in Vitamin A and has astringent, digestive, laxative, anti-allergic, anthelminitic(killer of intestinal worms) and expectorant properties. Baheda, in fruit form, is used in a number of ailments like cough, bronchitis, billiousness, inflammatory conditions of the small intestines, problems of the eye, dropsy and in the enlargement of liver and spleen.

Finally, harad or haritaki which is also known as pathya in Sanskrit is also a very prestigious herb of Ayurveda. It is a carminative, a killer of intestinal worms, a laxative, and is not only a general tonic but also a protector of the lungs. Harad contains tannin up to 30 per cent, chebulinic acid and a sufficient amount of Vitamin B complex. The use of harad is beneficial in a number of diseases like asthma, constipation, piles and sinus allergies.

When these three fruits are mixed together, an excellent combination is achieved which can cure all the three vitiated doshas like, vata, pitta and kapha. Triphala is used as a medicine as well as a rejuvenating agent. Its use removes toxins and various other undesirable accumulations from the body. Triphala is known to nourish the tissues by increasing digestion and assimilation and, while regulating the metabolism, it strengthens all physiological systems. It also acts as a very good antioxidant.

Triphala helps one to recover from anaemia, indigestion, bowel toxicity and constipation. Its use is also beneficial in chronic lung disease, skin disorders, eye problems, hypertension and conditions where cholesterol is raised. Ayurvedic texts are replete with references where distinction is made according to disease and the use of triphala is prescribed with different anupaan or modes. However, if it is to be taken in the morning, one should mix it in honey. During daytime it should be taken with warm water and at bedtime with warm milk. Its average daily dose varies from two to five gms.

By Dr R. Vatsyayan