In this episode of “5 Minutes,” Dr. Robert Svoboda explores the qualities that make Ayurvedic herbs effective and explains why versatility and proper preparation are so important.

It is said that medicinal herbs should possess many different qualities. It is certainly good if an herb has one useful quality, but it is even better when it has several. An herb with many qualities can serve many different purposes and can be combined into a wide variety of formulations.

If an herb can only be used in one way, that is valuable. If it can be used in many different ways, that is even more valuable.

A medicinal preparation should always be prepared as expertly as possible. The herb must also be appropriate for the condition it is being used to treat. This is the ideal of Ayurvedic medicine. The same principle applies to minerals and other medicinal substances, but herbs are among the most commonly used medicines in Ayurveda.

The other day I asked myself, if I were stranded somewhere and could only have a very small number of medicines, what would I choose?

I decided I would not choose only one. I would choose two. Those two would be ginger on the one hand and Triphala on the other.

I admit that Triphala is made from three different herbs, but they are almost always used together, so I count them as one.

I bring these two together because their qualities complement one another so well. They possess a wide range of actions and can be used in many different situations.

I was taught that ginger is the Vishva Bheshaja, the universal medicine. Even so, it is not suitable for every situation. For someone with severely aggravated Pitta, ginger, especially dry ginger, may increase the imbalance.

Triphala is also regarded as something close to a universal medicine, but it too has its limitations. It is somewhat more bitter and astringent, while ginger is more pungent.

When ginger and Triphala are combined thoughtfully and in the proper proportions, however, they complement one another remarkably well. They can be prepared in many different forms and adapted to many different conditions.

Ideally, you would also have other herbs available for more specific purposes. But if you had only ginger and Triphala, together with appropriate food, you could go a long way towards addressing many of the conditions that affect human beings.

I would encourage everyone who is interested in Ayurvedic herbal medicine to become familiar with Triphala and to experiment with the proper use of ginger.