Trikatu is an Ayurvedic classic formula that can be used to treat cold, wet cough, asthma, bronchitis and edema. It is also used to treat dysentery and insomnia.
Effects of Trikatu
Trikatu means “three peppers” or “three pungents”. It is a combination of three warming and pungent herbs. Thus Trikatu is a strong warming and drying remedy – a rejuvenative for warming the lungs and remove the mucus in the respiratory system. It is easy to understand that, we use warming (hot) and drying air to dry up moisture and dry our clothes and hair after washed with water. This is the same, we can also use warming and drying herbs to expel phlem out of lungs, and dry up mucus in our body. That is whay Trikatu can be used to treat the cold-related ailments or the mucus-related ailments, such as cold, wet cough, asthma, bronchitis and edema.
Trikatu also have effects to treat chronic dysentery and insomnia if they are caused by internal coldness and weakness.
Formula of Trikatu
Trikatu contains the following three hot spices:
– Black pepper (piper nigrum);
– Long pepper (piper longum);
– Ginger (Zingiber officinalis).
To make Trikatu, use equal parts of the above three spices, ground to fine powder, mix them well. That’s it.
How to Use Trikatu
When using Trikatu to treat an ailment, take Trikatu powder with ghee and sugar. Here is the recipe:
– Trikatu powder 1/2 teaspoon
– Ghee 1/2 teaspoon
– Jaggery (or brown sugar) 1/2 teaspoon
– Take the powder, ghee and jaggery with a cup of warm water or milk
– Twice a day after food
The above dosage is for an adult. For a child, you can reduce the dosage of Trikatu powder to 1/4 or 1/2 of the adult dosage.
Why using ghee and sugar with Trikatu? Because Trikatu is very strong and hot. To moderate its side effects, soothe throat and prevent irritation, it is recommended to use it with ghee and sugar.
Why taking it “after food”? This is also for moderating the side effects. Trikatu is very hot. If you take it before food when your stomach is empty, it could hurt your stomach.
Why using milk? Compared to plain water, milk has more soothing properties to moderate the side effects brought by the hot spices.
Also, ghee, jaggery and milk contain a lot of valuable nutrients, which add energy to the body of the patient, and can help fight the disease, especially for the one in a poor and developing country (or area), where people do not consume ghee, jaggery and milk as much (or as often) as those who eat too much in the developed countries.
Depending on the condition and age, you can adjust the amount of ghee and jaggery. For example, for a child, you can double ghee and jaggery.
Please note, if you have heartburn, acid reflux, lung fever, liver disease, inflammation, excessive internal heat, dryness, you are not recommended to take Trikatu as it would be like adding fuel to the fire. In other words, Trikatu should not be used for treating ailments with “hot” and “dry” symptoms.
