After experiencing the ebbs and flows of ayurveda market in the Middle East, Heritage Herbals, the export-oriented ayurvedic drug manufacturing unit of the Krishnendu Ayurveda Specialty Hospital at Chingoli near Alappuzha in Kerala is all set to diversify its exports more to internal medicines to the UAE market.
The company, which has its 90 percent operations in exports focusing the Middle East market, will trigger its new thrust in internal medicines market within three to six months. Plans are afoot to introduce two products, Mother tone, a nutritive supplement for lactating mothers and Balamadhu, a pediatric health supplement, within three months. The company will introduce a total number of ten OTC internal medicine products, entirely prepared under the conventional preparation methods, within the next six months in the Saudi market, according to Dr C K Mohan Babu of Heritage Herbals.
He said that the company is conducting studies and carrying tests to pass through the heavy metal content mandates of the Middle East countries. The company has conducted preliminary feasibility studies in the UAE market, and expects a strategic procedure in establishing the new products in the market.
The Heritage herbals, which has a marketing tie-up with Selcon Remedies at Dubai, currently enjoys a deal of exports on OTC products, mainly massage oils, pain relieving oils and anti-hair falling oils. The export oriented OTC products of the company include specialty oils like Rosana baby massage oil, Alo Win anti-dandruff oil, Softlax herbal laxative, Win Up hair growth stimulator, Winterlint anti-stress oil, Heritage massage oil for smoothening the skin, Arthro pain relieving oil, Rumafree pain relieving oil, Winterlint Junior oil for stress management and for improving memory and learning, Gynolint oil to remove stretch marks and scars, Shamla hair shampoo, Lanzer oil for erectile dysfunctions, Al Manjeza and Al Mohenned, two unique anti-hair falling oils.
In the recent years, more number of ayurveda drug manufacturers are moving for exports in the Middle East countries, eyeing the promising market of the area. "At least 50 companies from Kerala alone have their operations in the Middle East countries, and you can expect the total number of herbal drug manufacturers from all over the country engaged in the game. Most of these companies are engaged in marketing OTC products, especially external medicines like massage oils catering the needs of the massage parlours in these markets," maintained Mohan Babu.
He added that the massage clinics, consisting about 90 percent of the ayurveda clinics, is the target of the majority of the exporters in India. The Heritage Herbal's thrust into internal medicine market would be through the super markets, around 30 to 50 in numbers in the initial stage, under the label of health supplements. The company is also engaged in exporting some of its customized traditional prescription medicines in small quantities to the Middle East countries, mainly for the use of the Ayurvedic practitioners in those countries. The lacuna of ayurveda practitioners is one of the major reason restricting the exports of prescription medicines in the system, commented the company officials.
Krishnendu, the mother concern of the six year old Heritage Herbal, also provides training to the doctors and paramedics attached to the treatment centres and Ayurvedic parlors of leading hotel chains in that region. Dr Mohan Babu claimed Krishnendu is a pioneer from Kerala Ayurveda drug manufacturers in setting up direct marketing tie ups in Kingdom of Saudi Arabia with Saudi Arabia Standards Organization (SASO) certification for the last few years.
The company currently exports around 9000 to 15000 bottles of external oils to the ME market, while 10 percent of its production caters its mother concern, Krishnendu Ayurveda Speciality Hospital. The ME market meets around Rs 25 lakh sales in one consignment and the sales is expected to go up to Rs One crore in the intial stage of marketing internal medicines, added the sources. The company has also marked its presence in Malaysia and Mal dives along with ME.
The Krishnendu Ayurveda Speciality Hospital, is set up in accordance to international standards, also hosts patients from USA, Germany and the Middle East, according to Mohan. Established in 1908 as Parpa Raja Vaidyasala by the late M C Kunjiraman Vaidyan, the treatment centre is popularly known as the Chingoli hospital. Kunjiraman Vaidyan's son late Vaidyakalanidhi Krishnan Vaidyan expanded the hospital and started another hospital by name Sree Ramakrishna Pharmacy. Both the hospitals, besides the Krishnendu Ayurveda Specialty Hospital and Heritage Herbals are run by the fourth generation, headed by a team of doctors under Dr Suresh Babu and Dr Mohan Babu.