What is Ushna (Charila)?

Ushna, also called Charila, is a dried lichen. A lichen is a plant-like growth made of a fungus and an alga living as one body. It grows on rocks and tree bark, and the grey, curly pieces are dried for use.

In Unani medicine it is used on its own as a single drug. Healers have given it for fever, cough, headache and urine problems. Cooks also use it as a spice called stone flower, which adds a warm, earthy smell.

Here is the plain verdict. It has a long record of use in Unani and Ayurveda, but no human trials show that it treats any illness. A long history of use is not proof of effect, and that point is made here once and not repeated below.

How does Ushna (Charila) work?

No one has shown how Ushna acts in the human body. What follows is an idea, not a proven fact.

The lichen holds acids, mainly usnic acid. In lab dishes, usnic acid can slow the growth of some germs. It can also damage liver cells in lab tests and in animals.

Lab and animal work does not tell you what happens in a person who takes a spoon of the powder. The dose, the way the body takes it in, and the effect on real illness are all unknown.

What forms does Ushna (Charila) come in?

Dried whole pieces are the most common form. They look like grey or brown curly flakes.

Ground powder is used in Unani mixes and in spice blends. Ushna also turns up inside ready-made Unani compound medicines.

Cooks use the whole flakes in masala blends such as goda masala and some Chettinad blends. A water decoction, made by boiling the pieces, is a traditional home form.

Where it comes from:

Ushna has a long standing in Persian and Unani medicine, where it is listed as a single drug with a warm, drying nature.

Ayurvedic texts describe the same lichen as Shaileyam, a fragrant drug used in incense and in medicines. Trade in stone flower across South Asia goes back centuries.

It reached kitchens as much as clinics. Spice markets still sell it by the handful for meat and lentil dishes.

What does Ushna (Charila) help with?

• Fever (traditional use only): Unani texts list Ushna for fever, often boiled in water and taken warm. No human trial has tested it for fever. If a fever lasts more than three days, or goes above 39C (102F), see a doctor rather than treating it at home.
• Cough and chest congestion (traditional use only): Traditional use includes coughs and a tight chest. This rests on old texts and on healers' habit, not on trials. Lab work showing that lichen acids slow germ growth in a dish does not show that the powder helps a cough.
• Headache (traditional use only): Persian and Unani sources list Ushna for headache, sometimes as a paste applied to the forehead. There is no trial evidence for this use. A sudden, very bad headache is never a case for home care.
• Painful or scanty urine (traditional use only): Old texts describe it as helping the flow of urine. No study has measured this in people. Burning urine with fever or back pain needs a doctor, as it may be a kidney infection.
• Minor wounds and skin sores (traditional use only): Powder was dusted on small sores in folk practice. Usnic acid can slow some germs in lab dishes, but that has not been tested on human wounds. Some people get a rash from lichens on the skin.
• Use as a cooking spice: This is the one use that is not in doubt. Stone flower is a normal spice in several Indian blends, used in small pinches for smell and taste. Food amounts are much smaller than medicine amounts.

Which foods are rich in Ushna (Charila)?

1. Goda masala: a Maharashtrian spice blend that often holds stone flower
2. Chettinad masala blends: used in South Indian meat and lentil dishes
3. Some biryani and korma spice mixes: a pinch is added for its earthy smell

Practical Tips:

The spice in these blends is the same lichen, but the amount per serving is tiny.

What are the side effects of Ushna (Charila)?

• Upset stomach, nausea or loose stools
• Skin rash or itching, mainly from handling or applying it
• Mouth or throat irritation from the raw powder
• Headache
• Signs of liver harm: yellow skin or eyes, dark urine, pale stools, pain under the right ribs, deep tiredness
• Allergic reaction with swelling of the face, lips or throat, or trouble breathing (rare)

Good to know:

In food amounts, problems are rare. Most reports are of mild stomach upset or a skin rash.

The serious concern is the liver. Usnic acid, the main acid in this lichen, has been linked to liver injury in people who took strong usnic acid fat-burner supplements, including cases needing hospital care. Whether ordinary Ushna powder carries the same risk is not known, but the link is why this page is not marked routine.

Stop taking it and see a doctor if you notice yellow skin or eyes, dark urine, or lasting belly pain.

How much Ushna (Charila) should you take?

• Recommended daily: No safe or tested dose has been set for people. No trial has compared doses, so any number is tradition, not proof. Unani practice has used roughly 1 to 3 grams of the dried powder a day, or a decoction made by boiling a few pieces in water. Cooking uses far less, a pinch or two in a whole pot. Because of the liver risk, do not take medicine-sized doses on your own. Ask a doctor or a trained Unani practitioner first.
• Best time of day: Traditional practice splits the daily amount into two doses, morning and evening. No study has compared timings.
• With or without food: Usually taken with or just after food, which may ease stomach upset. As a spice it is cooked into the dish.
• Time to effect: Unknown. No trial has measured how fast, or whether, anything changes. Treat any claim of a set timeline with doubt.
• How long to take it: Keep any use short. Traditional courses ran a few days to about two weeks. Do not take it for weeks on end. Long or repeat use is where liver harm from lichen acids has been reported. Stop and check with a doctor if nothing has changed after a week.