The efficacy of Terminalia chebula is indeed powerful, but it is not a tonic that can be used casually. Like all medicines, it should be used with caution. So, can Terminalia chebula be soaked and consumed as a drink?
Can Terminalia chebula be soaked and consumed as a drink?
It is not recommended to directly soak and consume Terminalia chebula as a drink.
Soaking Terminalia chebula in water does not have much medicinal effect because the active substance in Terminalia chebula is tannic acid, which is not easily soluble in water. Drinking Terminalia chebula directly soaked in water will not manifest its medicinal effect.
How to consume Terminalia chebula as a drink
The medicinal components of Terminalia chebula are not easily dissolved in water, but it can be ground into powder and taken with water to be directly digested through the gastrointestinal tract, which will have a better effect.
Usage: Terminalia chebula is powdered and taken with water, one spoonful twice a day.
Efficacy: Mainly used for treating thirst and lack of body fluids.
The main effects of Terminalia chebula
The main effects of Terminalia chebula are: tonifying the lungs, stopping sweating, astringing the intestines, consolidating essence, stopping bleeding, detoxification, and producing body fluids.
Terminalia chebula is used to treat diseases such as long-term cough due to lung deficiency, spontaneous sweating, long-term diarrhea, prolapse of the anus, nocturnal emission, various types of bleeding, abscesses, hemorrhoids with bleeding, and damp skin conditions.
Other uses of Terminalia chebula
Treating persistent diarrhea
Take one ounce of Terminalia chebula, half raw and half roasted, grind it into powder, and make it into pills the size of a wutong seed. Take thirty pills per dose. For bloody diarrhea, take it with hot liquor; for watery diarrhea, take it with rice soup. (From "Compendium of Materia Medica")
Treating night sweats during sleep
Take equal amounts of Terminalia chebula powder and buckwheat flour. Mix them with water and cook until done. When sleeping at night and feeling hungry, eat two to three of them dry, without drinking tea or water. (From "Compendium of Materia Medica")
Treating nosebleeds
Blow Terminalia chebula powder into the nose and then take two qian (Chinese unit of weight, equal to 3.75 grams) of Terminalia chebula powder mixed with fresh cotton ashes. Drink it with rice.
Treating spontaneous sweating
Grind Terminalia chebula into powder and apply it to the navel to adjust body fluids, then bind it firmly.
Precautions when soaking and consuming Terminalia chebula as a drink
1. As the saying goes, "All medicines have three parts of poison." Terminalia chebula has the effect of drying dampness and healing wounds, as well as inhibiting pathogenic bacteria. However, it also has negative effects on normal body tissues. It can stimulate the respiratory center, increase the frequency and depth of breathing, increase gastric acid secretion, and lower blood pressure. Therefore, Terminalia chebula should not be consumed as a tea on a long-term basis.
2. If there is a burning sensation in the stomach, drowsiness, belching, or acid reflux after consuming Terminalia chebula, it is advisable to seek medical attention and receive appropriate treatment.
3. The methods mentioned above for using Terminalia chebula should be used under the guidance of a doctor and should not be used indiscriminately.
4. Terminalia chebula should not be used during the early stages of wind-cold infections. It is also not suitable for patients with liver or gallbladder diseases or those with heat in the lungs.
