Annual Ayurvedic Medicine Production in India

Ayurvedic medicine, also known as Ayurveda, is a 4000 year old holistic medical system, making it the oldest continuous healing system in the world. It began in India and
spread from there. Ayurvdic medicine evolved into a modern industry a century
ago. India’s sales of Ayurvedic medical products are estimated to amount to over $1 billion in United States currency.  

Ayuredic is a literal translation of ancient Indian Sanskrit meaning the “science or knowledge of life and longevity”. Ayus means life and Veda means knowledge. It is an
Indian practice of maintaining health using diet, natural therapies and herbal medicines to improve lifestyles.

 Ayuredic is based on the belief that a balanced body is a healthy one. Its primary aim is to restore harmony in the patient by healing mind and spirit along with the body, not to just treat the disease. The medicine and therapies used depend on body type. There are three major types, called Doshas, that are recognized by Ayurvedic medicine physicians. They are
Vata, which means wind; Pitta, meaning fire, and Kapha, which is Sanskrit for earth. Treatment varies from patient to patient.

The knowledge and practice of Ayuredic medicine was handed down for generations. Families had their secret herbal recipes for removing toxic imbalances from the body. Today there are thousands of small pharmacies making their own formulas to sell to the Indian public. The medicine is derived from plants, herbs, oils and even some minerals.

Currently three companies in India dominate the production and sales of Ayurvedic medicine. Dbur, Baidyanath and Zandu are the leaders in domestic sales, with the three of them together producing over 85% of the products in the Indian home market. Thirty other companies and family enterprises compete and take in roughly $1 million US annually.