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Charaka Samhita

Caraka Saṃhitā चरकसंहिता

brihat-trayi Tier 1 sanskrit-english cosmetic-relevance 5/5
Author / compilerAgnivesha (compiler)
RedactorCharaka; later Dridhabala (last 41 chapters)
Composedc. 600–200 BCE (compilation); c. 100 CE (Charaka's redaction); c. 400 CE (Dridhabala's completion)

Significance for cosmetology

Charaka is foundational for the theoretical scaffolding of every Ayurvedic cosmetic claim. Its Sutra Sthana defines:

  • The doshas (Vata-Pitta-Kapha) and their effect on skin/hair
  • The seven dhātus (tissues) and how nutrition reaches the skin (rasa-rakta-mamsa-medas-asthi-majja-shukra chain)
  • The 50 Mahākashāyas — the canonical herb-classification system. Of these, the Varnya (complexion), Kandughna (anti-itch), Kushthahara (anti-skin-disease), and Vayasthapana (anti-aging) groups are the structural backbone of every cosmetic formulation.
  • The Anu Taila recipe — Charaka’s daily nasya / hair-conditioning oil, defined exactly in Sutra Ch.5.63–67.
  • Dinacharya (daily routine) in Sutra Ch.5 — the protocol of tooth-cleansing, eye-care, oil-gargles, abhyanga, udvartana, snana, that every traditional regimen still follows.

Cikitsa Ch.7 (Kushtha-cikitsa) — at 36,000 words — is the largest dermatology text in the classical corpus. It establishes the Mahatikta Ghrita, Maha-Khadira Ghrita, and dozens of medicated oil and lepa preparations that are still manufactured today by Kerala companies.

Manuscript and translation history

The text was compiled by the school of Agnivesha (a disciple of Atreya Punarvasu) around 600 BCE, then redacted by Charaka c. 100 CE; the last 41 chapters of Cikitsa Sthana, all of Kalpa Sthana, and all of Siddhi Sthana were lost and rewritten by Dridhabala of Kashmir around 400 CE — a fact Dridhabala himself acknowledges in the colophon.

The 1949 Shree Gulabkunverba Ayurvedic Society English translation (published from Jamnagar) is the canonical reference used throughout this formulary. It is public-domain in India and in most countries (pre-1949 Indian publications are not subject to URAA restoration in the US).

Extraction notes

In this formulary we have extracted 7 of Charaka’s most beauty-relevant chapters in full, plus partial coverage of 8 more. The cited verses are quoted verbatim from the Wisdomlib English transcription, which is internally consistent with the printed 1949 edition.

Structure

SthanaNameChaptersNotes
Sutra Sutra Sthana (General Principles) 30 Foundations: doshas, dravyaguna, rasa-panchaka, Dinacharya, Ritucharya, 50 Mahakashayas, 600 purgative preparations, the Aragvadhiya chapter.
Nidana Nidana Sthana (Pathology) 8
Vimana Vimana Sthana (Measure) 8
Sharira Sharira Sthana (Anatomy & Embryology) 8
Indriya Indriya Sthana (Sensorial Prognosis) 12
Cikitsa Cikitsa Sthana (Therapeutics) 30 Ch.1 Rasayana (rejuvenation); Ch.7 Kushtha (the master skin-disease chapter with Mahatikta, Maha-Khadira ghritas); Ch.26 Trimarmiya (head/face).
Kalpa Kalpa Sthana (Pharmaceutics) 12 Includes Table of Measures (Mana) in Ch.12c.
Siddhi Siddhi Sthana (Successful Treatment) 12

Beauty-relevant chapters

  • Sutra Ch.3 — Aragvadhiya (32 lepas for skin diseases)
  • Sutra Ch.4 — Shadvirechana-shatashritiya (the 50 Mahakashayas including Varnya, Kandughna, Kushthahara, Vayasthapana)
  • Sutra Ch.5 — Matrashitiya (Dinacharya: Anu Taila, oil-gargle, abhyanga, head-oil benefits)
  • Sutra Ch.6 — Tasyashitiya (Ritucharya: seasonal regimen)
  • Sutra Ch.13 — Snehadhyaya (Oleation foundations; the 24 oleous preparations)
  • Sutra Ch.27 — Annapana-vidhi (Diet and digestion in 12 sub-chapters)
  • Cikitsa Ch.1 — Rasayana (multiple sub-chapters on anti-aging)
  • Cikitsa Ch.7 — Kushtha-cikitsa (the master skin-disease chapter)
  • Cikitsa Ch.26 — Trimarmiya (head/heart/bladder)
  • Indriya Sthana Ch.1 — Varna-svara (Prognosis from complexion)

Translations & editions

TranslatorYearPublisherLicense
Shree Gulabkunverba Ayurvedic Society 1949 Shree Gulabkunverba Ayurvedic Society, Jamnagar public-domain
P.V. Sharma post-1981 Chaukhamba Orientalia copyright
Priyavrat Sharma (English+Sanskrit) 1981 Chaukhamba Orientalia copyright

Recipes citing this source (11)

Classical groups defined here (4)

  • Kandughna Mahakashaya · mahakashaya · Anti-pruritic — the 10 herbs that arrest itching, urticarial reactions, and skin sensitivity.
  • Kushthahara Mahakashaya · mahakashaya · Anti-Kushtha — the 10 herbs curative of dermatosis / skin disease in all its forms.
  • Varnya Mahakashaya · mahakashaya · Complexion-promoters — the canonical 10 herbs for skin brightness, evenness, and lustre.
  • Vayasthapana Mahakashaya · mahakashaya · Rejuvenators / anti-aging — the canonical 10 herbs for arresting the visible signs of aging.

Ingredients citing this source (23)