An Analytical and in-vivo Study to Evaluate the Effect of Triphala Kaṣāya Vāsita Godhūma (Triticum aestivum grains soaked in Triphala Kaṣāya) on its Glycemic Index compared to Raw Godhūma (Raw Triticum aestivum grains)

Diabetes is generally referred to as a Metabolic Disorder or a Lifestyle Disorder, that is mainly characterized by the symptom of Hyperglycemia caused by the defective insulin secretion, congenital or acquired. Diabetes requires management of diet and lifestyle with or without medications to keep the blood sugar under control. Foods with medium Glycemic Index (GI) is best preferred for Diabetics, because high GI foods will rapidly increase the blood sugar level, and low GI will cause grave health issues. In practice, wheat is the highly recommended diet for diabetics as the GI is medium in comparison to rice that belongs to a high GI group. But wheat causes digestive problems, and flatulence in addition to the Gluten allergy that many people suffer from. However in Āyurveda, the Classical Text Aṣṭāṅga Hṛdaya (AH) mentions in Prameha Cikitsa Adhyāya (Chapter on Treatment of Diabetes) that Godhūma (grains of Wheat - Triticum aestivum L) has to be kept soaked in Triphala Kaṣāya (Decoction prepared with the fruits of Terminalia chebula, T. bellerica and Phyllanthus emblica) and then dried and powdered before being used as a diet for a diabetic. The grains of Godhūma were kept soaked in Triphala Kaṣāya and then dried and powdered. A comparative analytical study was done for the two samples- treated wheat grains (Triphala Kaṣāya Vāsita Godhūma) and untreated/raw wheat grains. An In vivo study was also done to assess the GI value of both the samples of wheat. The analytical and In vivo study results prove that while the GI is still maintained within medium range, the allergen gluten is completely eliminated, total fat and total protein have reduced while still maintaining the nutritive value, in the treated sample when compared to the raw sample. Based on the results obtained from the analytical and in-vivo study, it can be concluded that Triphala Kaṣāya Vāsita Godhūma becomes even more compatible and healthy for a diabetic, in gluten allergy and discomforts caused by wheat consumption, in comparison to the untreated wheat grains.