A Greener Revolution

Companies are jumping on the bandwagon and exploiting the craze for a huge range of herbal products

It is a massage parlour with a difference in Chennai. Opened in the last week of May, the Ayush Therapy Centre offers a range of services from body massages to hair care advice and weight loss programmes.

But the Ayush Therapy Centre was a precursor of bigger things to come. On June 3, the Rs 10,000 crore foods, detergents and toiletries giant Hindustan Lever announced its foray into the herbal care market under the Ayush umbrella. Its five products included cough syrups, balms, hair oils, shampoos, and soaps. It wants Ayush to be a Rs 300 crore brand by 2005.

 

Come September, and Delhi-based Ranbaxy will unleash a new range of herbal and ayurvedic drugs. And Morepen is negotiating tie-ups with ayurvedic colleges for seminars and developing courses in herbal medicine.

In Mumbai, pharma consultant R K Srivastava is juggling back-to-back appointments helping herbal companies to market their products better. Dabur