Indian Ayurvedic Firms To Tap $120b Global Herbal Market
November 19th, 2006 by ram
Publication: The India Times
Author: T K DEVASIA
13 November 2006
TRIVANDRUM — Traditional Indian ayurveda houses, accounting for small share of the global herbal market of $120 billion, have started ‘deviating’ from classical texts to take ayurveda to the Middle East and other export markets.
The trend has been set by Coimbatore-based Arya Vaidya Pharmacy (AVP) by launching chyawanaprash, a popular health tonic used for boosting energy, immunity and memory, in biscuit form.
The decoction traditionally produced in a paste form from 25 to 80 herbs is found by foreigners and the new generation unpalatable and inconvenient to take. In fact, the suggestion to produce chyavana biscuits came from an American.
AVP Managing Director P. R. Krishna Kumar said the new product was produced by keeping the tastes of both the old and new generation in mind. “We have retained all the ingredients of Chyavanaprash in the biscuit to ensure better health, energy and immunity to the consumer”, he added.
The biscuit, will hit the export market soon. The company is planning to start the exports by taking the biscuits to the Gulf market, where the tonic is already very popular among the Indian expatriates.
Krishna Kumar said the new product was part of the effort by AVP to promote the goodness of ayurveda to the modern world in the form acceptable to them. In fact several traditional ayurveda houses have been trying to change their product lines following growing interest in traditional systems of medicines.
The AVP has drawn up plans to develop its over-the-counter (OTC) portfolio by introducing a new range of healthy food products like jams and herbal ketchup in addition to biscuits.
Another Coimbatore-based ayurveda company Punarnava Ayurveda has also planned to introduce ayurvedic biscuits containing all the essential ayurvedic ingredients.
The Kottakkal Aryavaidyasala, one of the leading Ayurvedic treatment centres in Kerala, is trying to manufacture medicinal powders in capsule form to suit the convenience of the modern man. The company has already developed technology for the process. The new technology would make the distribution of medicines to distant places easier. The institution would initially manufacture at least 30 medicinal powders in capsule form.
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