Thanrikkai

Thanrikkai is Terminalia bellirica, the belleric myrobalan — the second fruit of triphala, beside kadukkai and amla. The dried fruit is usually rounder and less sharply five-ridged than haritaki.

Botanical name

Terminalia bellirica (Gaertn.) Roxb.

Family

Combretaceae

Tamil

Thanrikkai

Hindi

Bahera

Sanskrit

Bibhītaka

Parts used

Fruit

Habit

Large deciduous tree of South and Southeast Asia

Last updated

2026-10-30

How to recognise Thanrikkai

Roxburgh published the combination Terminalia bellirica. Older spelling is Terminalia belerica. The family is Combretaceae. It is a tall tree; the trade object is the nearly globose drupe.

Tamil thanrikkai, Hindi bahera and Sanskrit bibhītaka are the names to ask for. If a mill writes only “myrobalan,” you do not yet know which Terminalia you have.

Beside T. chebula the fruit is the useful contrast: chebula more oblong and ribbed, bellirica more spherical. Stones and kernels differ. A child can learn the two from a handful of honest dried fruit.

The kernel of some Terminalia fruits has been treated as a separate, more cautionary article in traditional lists. Whole-fruit powder and kernel are not the same preparation.

Spelling on packets (bellirica / belerica) is not a different tree.

The tree is often taller and more spreading than T. chebula in the same forest. Field marks on the living tree help; they vanish once the fruit is in a sack with its cousin.

Kernel oil and whole-fruit powder have different traditional cautions. A label that says only “bahera” has not told you which preparation you bought.

Insect holes and a rattling stone are ordinary in village lots. A perfectly smooth export pellet can be the more suspicious object if no one will say the district.

Traditional use of Thanrikkai

Ayurveda

Bibhītaka is the second fruit of triphala. Traditional qualities in that system should stay attributed. They are not a modern claim about lungs or hair.

Ayurvedic pharmacopoeial trio

Siddha and Tamil practice

Thanrikkai is used as a dried fruit in South Indian practice, often in the same breath as kadukkai. The pair is a teaching tool as much as a recipe.

Tamil vernacular

Modern notes on Thanrikkai

Most English-language papers say “triphala” and do not isolate this fruit. Do not give T. bellirica credit for a mixture study.

The practical modern issue is the same as for kadukkai: identity, insects, and immature lots.

Because English “myrobalan” is a colonial bin for several fruits, a European recipe that says only that word is not a species determination.

Thanrikkai safety

Dried fruit is astringent. Kernel preparations are not casual food.

Do not put children or pregnant people on triphala because a packet looks Ayurvedic.

If a product lists only “myrobalan,” write to the seller or do not swallow it as if it were a named species.

Ecology and sourcing

A large tree of deciduous forest and roadsides. Fruit falls and is collected; the tree should remain.

A good lot names the species and says how and when it was dried.

Fruit collection from standing trees can last. Clearing a tree for timber ends the harvest. The botanist’s job is the name; the farmer’s job is the tree.

Related plants

Also in Combretaceae

Questions about Thanrikkai

What is the botanical name of bibhitaki?

Terminalia bellirica (Gaertn.) Roxb., family Combretaceae.

How do I tell Thanrikkai from kadukkai?

Thanrikkai fruit is usually rounder. Kadukkai (T. chebula) is more oblong and ribbed. The Latin names are the reliable pair.

Sources

• Terminalia bellirica (Gaertn.) Roxb. — Plants of the World Online, Kew (search) (accessed 2026)

Educational page about a plant. It is not medical advice, not a diagnosis, and not an offer to sell. Traditional use is historical. If you need care, ask a licensed clinician. Questions: hello@meevamed.com.