8. Conclusion and future perspective
Triphala, a traditional Ayurvedic formulation, consists
of the dried fruits of three plants, Phyllanthus emblica Linn.,
Terminalia chebula Retz. and Terminalia bellerica (Gaertn.)
Roxb. Frequently used in many folk medicines, the herbal
formulation possesses several pharmacological activities including
anticancer. The cytotoxic effects of Triphala against
many cancer cells likely involve ROS-induced apoptosis,
suggesting the possible role of the extract as a prooxidant
despite the high content of antioxidants. Based on several
studies of the individual plants, several components such as
gallic acid have been identified as active agents, yet the
underlying mechanism is not fully elucidated. In contrast, due
to its potent antioxidant properties, Triphala is capable of
protecting normal cells against ROS-induced damages under
several conditions such as radiation, stress, chemical, etc.
Therefore, these results evidently show the promise of
Triphala as a potential chemopreventive and/or anticancer
drug. However, more than a few studies such as the cytotoxic
effects of Triphala at different formulations; pitta, vata, and
kapha on both in vitro and in vivo, etc. need to be done to
gain more insights into the physiologically relevant mechanism(s)
prior to any clinical applications.