A classic prank tried out by most of us or tried on most of us is the itching powder prank. A bit of itching powder sprinkle down the back, shirt, neck, socks, etc. of the 'itch' victim. And then, watch the fun as the person frantically tries to itch themselves and find relief of the total irritation. This prickly sensation maybe full of gags, but have you ever thought of the science behind the itch? Just sprinkling some powder causes a person to itch and scratch insanely. If you want to understand the principle behind this funny gag, you have to understand the types of itching powders available. What Makes Itching Powder Itch? I have already mentioned above, that there are more than one type of itching powders available. The way these itching powder recipes affect the skin, leads to irritation and itching. Maple Tree Slivers itching powder When you use the natural itching powder made from seed pods of maple tree, one suffers from irritation like a prickly pear rubbed against the skin. The maple tree itching powder is the least severe of all itching powders. All one needs to do is take the dried seed pods of the maple tree and rub them against each other and collect the little slivers. These slivers can be dried and converted into powder form. Mix them with a bit of corn flour and your itching powder is ready. When the slivers rub against the skin they cause irritation and the person begins to itch. Rose Flower itching powder Another natural itching powder can be made from dried roses. You need to take a red rose and dry it completely. After it has dried, you will find a small, green, round fruit formation in the middle. Remove this fruit-like formation and gently cut it into half using a knife. You will find white cotton like fibers inside the fruit. This white fiber like stuff is called the cythilicus. With the help of the toothpick, place the cythilicus in a small cup. This small cup should be placed over a cup of boiling water. Make sure water does not touch the cythilicus. After it absorbs the steam, it turns fluffy. Place this fluffy stuff in the sun to dry. After drying, it will become as good as powder that you can use as an itching powder. So, how does this itching powder work? It acts on the basis of mechanical irritation. The physical make up of the powder made from the cythilicus causes irritation when rubbed against the skin. With vigorous rubbing, the powder further irritates the skin and the person feels more and more itchy. If you avoid itching, you will find the irritation goes away completely within a few minutes. Mucuna Pruriens itching powder Mucuna pruriens is a tropical bean. It has an orange-colored hair growth on the outer side of its pod. When the orange-colored hair are scrapped, dried and used as itching powder, they cause a reaction called contact dermatitis. It causes a lot of itching and irritation along with inflammation of the skin. This makes the itching powder made from mucuna pruriens one of the strongest irritants. It has long-lasting effects and in some cases, it may lead to scarring due to excessive scratching. On the same basis, other itching powders made from rosehips and the enzyme found in okra pod cause severe irritation. Most of the itching powders are made from natural ingredients. As they are natural, they do not cause long-term effects and are completely harmless. Washing off the irritated part or a bath will help give relief to the constant itching. When using an itching powder for a prank, make sure you use very little of it. You never know when one develops a severe reaction to the powder and your fun turns into a nightmare for the victim. What are you waiting for? Go ahead have some fun with itching powder, but make sure you behave in a responsible manner.