The Materia Medica of the Hindus, compiled from Sanskrit Medical Works c4.s3.16

c4.s3.16

भावना *Bhāvanā* or maceration of powders in fluids. Powders, and especially mineral substances, are often soaked in various fluids, such as expressed juice of herbs, decoctions, etc., and then dried. For this process the quantity of fluid added to the powder should be sufficient to cover it. The mixture is then allowed to dry in the sun. A single operation of this sort is completed in twenty-four hours, but the process is generally repeated from three to seven times, and often with a variety of fluids, so that the resulting mass combines in it the active principles of various drugs.