The short answer
Sitopaladi Churna is a sweet cough powder: rock sugar, bamboo manna (vamsharochana), pippali (long pepper), cardamom and cinnamon, in halving amounts of 16, 8, 4, 2 and 1 parts. The formulary lists it for cough, fever, breathlessness, poor appetite and burning palms and soles. We found no trial of it in people. In a rat study, extracts protected mast cells, the cells that release histamine in allergy, about as well as the anti-allergy drug ketotifen.
About half the powder by weight is sugar (192 of 372 g), which matters if you have diabetes. It also contains pippali. In a small study of people with epilepsy, a single dose of piperine raised phenytoin levels; the powder itself has not been tested. If you take phenytoin, tell your prescribing doctor before starting any product that contains pippali.
What is in it
The official recipe is in the Ayurvedic Formulary of India, Part I, formulation 7:34 (printed page 116).[1]
| Ingredient | Botanical name | Part used | Proportion |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sitopala (rock sugar, mishri) | - | - | 192 g |
| Vamsharochana (bamboo manna, banslochan) | Bambusa bambos | Siliceous deposit in the stem | 96 g |
| Pippali (long pepper) | Piper longum | Fruit | 48 g |
| Ela (small cardamom) | Elettaria cardamomum | Seed | 24 g |
| Tvak (dalchini, cinnamon) | Cinnamomum zeylanicum | Stem bark | 12 g |
Amounts from the 2003 printed edition. The 2023 amendment does not change this entry. Products made with other proportions exist, so read the label.[1]
Classical source
The formulary takes the recipe from the Sharngadhara Samhita, Madhyama Khanda 6.134-135½ in the 2003 print (the e-book copy gives 134-137). The verse sets out the halving series in karsha, a classical weight: sixteen of rock sugar, eight of bamboo manna, four of pippali, two of cardamom and one of cinnamon, all ground together. The formulary counts a karsha as 12 g.[1]
What it is used for
- The formulary lists it for kasa (cough), jvara (fever), pittaja shvasa (a pitta type of breathlessness), kshaya (wasting) and parshva shula (pain in the side of the chest).[1]
- It also lists arocaka (loss of taste for food), agnimandya (weak digestion), hasta pada daha (burning palms and soles), suptajihvatva (numb tongue) and urdhvaga raktapitta (bleeding from the nose or mouth).[1]
What the evidence says
AnimalRats in eight groups of six were given water or methanol extracts of the powder by mouth, and their mast cells were then challenged in the lab. The extracts kept 65 to 74% of mast cells intact, close to the 79% seen with ketotifen. This supports a possible anti-allergy action. It used lab extracts in rats, so it is not evidence that the powder helps cough or asthma in people.[3]
In vitroResearchers set quality standards for the powder by comparing a batch they made with two marketed brands, using microscopy and chemical fingerprinting. This is a test of identity and quality only, with no test of any effect on the body.[4]
Safety notes
- About half of the powder by weight is sugar (192 g of 372 g). This matters if you have diabetes.[1]
- Contains pippali. In 20 people with epilepsy, a single dose of piperine, the main compound in pippali and black pepper, raised blood levels of phenytoin. That study used isolated piperine, not this powder. See Pippali and phenytoin.[5]
- In the quality study, the authors' own lab batch, not a brand, had lead above the limit they cited. That batch used herbs from a local market in Udupi and equal parts of each ingredient, not the formulary's 16:8:4:2:1.[4]
Who makes it
Sold in India by makers including Dabur, Patanjali (Divya), Baidyanath. We list names so you can match your bottle to this page. We do not recommend or sell any brand.
Withheld until review
Questions people ask
What is the difference between Sitopaladi and Talisadi Churna?
Both are sweet cough powders from the Sharngadhara Samhita, and both contain bamboo manna, pippali, cardamom and cinnamon. Talisadi adds talisa leaf, black pepper and dry ginger, and is about two-thirds sugar by weight against Sitopaladi's half. Which one suits a particular cough is a question for a vaidya.[1][2]
Related
Pippali, black pepper and phenytoin
Piperine, the compound in pippali and black pepper, raised phenytoin blood levels in two small Indian studies. Phenytoin has a narrow safe range.
FormulationTalisadi Churna
A classical cough and digestion powder, two-thirds sugar by weight, with pippali and black pepper. We have not found a study of it in people.
FormulationVasavaleha
A vasaka leaf jam for cough and breathlessness, mostly sugar and honey. One small trial compared it only with its own granules.
ConditionType 2 diabetes (sugar): what Ayurveda offers
Some herbs, such as methi and karela, lowered HbA1c a little in trials. Taken with diabetes medicines, they can add to the risk of low sugar.
Sources
- Ayurvedic Formulary of India, Part I, 2nd revised English edition, 2003. Sitopaladi Curna, 7:34, printed page 116.
- Ayurvedic Formulary of India, Part I, 2nd revised English edition, 2003. Talisadya Curna, 7:13, printed pages 109-110.
- Makhija IK, Shreedhara CS, Ram HN. Mast cell stabilization potential of Sitopaladi churna: an ayurvedic formulation. Pharmacognosy Res. 2013;5(4):306-308. PMID 24174826.
- Makhija IK, Shreedhara CS, Ram HN. Physico-chemical standardization of Sitopaladi churna. Anc Sci Life. 2012;31(3):107-116. PMID 23284216.
- Pattanaik S, Hota D, Prabhakar S, Kharbanda P, Pandhi P. Effect of piperine on the steady-state pharmacokinetics of phenytoin in patients with epilepsy. Phytother Res. 2006;20(8):683-686. PMID 16767797.
Awaiting review by The Good Vaidya Medical Board. Prepared from the sources below and checked against each one.
Published 4 November 2026 · Last updated 4 November 2026
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