The Himalaya Drug Company has succeeded in stopping the ban on Neem seed and products obtained therefrom, proposed by certain ASEAN countries.

The meeting of the ASEAN Product Working Group (PWG), an expert committee for Traditional Medicine and Health Supplement (TMHS), was held in Bangkok from September 3 to 7, 2012.

As a member of ASEAN Alliance of Health Supplements Association (AAHSA), an industry representative body which is also a member of the ASEAN TMHS PWG, The Himalaya Drug Company, made a formal and detailed presentation to the ASEAN countries on the safety of Neem seed.

The Association of Manufacturers of Ayurvedic Medicine (AMAM) actively reached out to the department of Ayush and other government bodies, said the company.

Himalaya presented a monograph of Neem seed from the Ayurveda Pharmacopoeia Of India (API), an official text from the Government of India where the dosage of Neem seed is clearly mentioned. The API also lists the therapeutic actions of Neem seed. Himalaya also presented copies of Ayurveda Formulary of India where Neem Seed is a part of the composition. Furthermore, Singapore and Malaysia came out in support of Neem seed, reinforcing the safety of this plant, and this also helped build confidence amongst other members.

Taking note of the inclusion of Neem seed in the official text of India, the committee decided to move it from the banned/ negative ingredient list to the restricted ingredient list. Essentially, this will allow the use of Neem seed in traditional medicine products within the prescribed dose as mentioned in API, stated the company release.

“Our objective was to tackle the immediate issue of ban on Neem seed and products derived from it and at the same time ensure that the whole Neem plant is deemed safe to avoid similar concerns being raised in future,” stated the company.

The committee will further discuss the list of restricted ingredients in the next meeting scheduled for November 2012. Here, individual countries of the ASEAN will evaluate whether or not Neem should remain in the restricted ingredient list in their respective countries.