Churna (medicinal powder)

A fine powder of one or more herbs. The simplest Ayurvedic dosage form.

Standard mesh size for cosmetic Churnas: #80 to #120 sieve (180 to 125 μm). Finer powders feel smooth on skin; coarser ones are scratchy.

For most cosmetic uses, Churnas are not used dry — they are mixed with a vehicle (milk, water, oil, honey) just before application to form a Lepa. The dry powder is the storage form, which has a long shelf life (6-12 months) compared to the pre-mixed paste (1-7 days).

Famous cosmetic Churnas:

• Triphaladi Churna — face pack base
• Kolakulathadi Churna — Kapha-reducing udvartana powder
• Nalpamaradi Churna — Kerala four-Ficus-bark brightening powder
• Eladi Churna — direct application of the Eladi-gana