This document provides an overview of the herbal industries in India. It discusses the growing demand for herbal medicines and products due to their lower costs and side effects compared to Western pharmaceuticals. India has a long history of using herbs in Ayurvedic medicine and is a major supplier of herbs globally. The document outlines the various sectors of the herbal industry in India including traditional Ayurvedic medicines, essential oils, cosmetics, and health supplements. It provides examples of some of the major companies in the herbal industry in India such as Dabur, Baidyanath, Himalaya Drug Company, and Vicco Laboratories.

1. INTRODUCTION TO HERBAL
INDUSTRIES
Mohini Upadhye
Department of Pharmacognosy
PES Modern College of Pharmacy (For Ladies),
Moshi, Pune

2. INTRODUCTION
 Demand for the development of plant based
medicines, health care products, cosmetics,
 food supplements and pharmaceuticals is
increasing day by day.
The causes behind this are:
- Natural products are non-toxic.
- have less side effects
- easily available at affordable prices
 About 80% of world population cant afford
products of western p’ceutical industries,thus
 WHO currently encourages, recommends and
promotes inclusion of herbal drug in national
healthcare programme.

3.  Leading companies of herbal drugs are
located in- Germany,
France,Italy,Switzerland,China and India.
 India is one of the top twelve mega –
biodiversity centers of world and since from
5 thousands year supplying medicinal and
fragrant material to western civilization in
Greece and Rome.
 India is major supplier of sandal wood oil
and lemon grass oil.

4. CLASSIFICATION OF HERBAL INDUSTRIES
Plant drugs for Indian Essential Natural
oil industries health products
system Of medicine
Cosmeceutical
OTC products
- plant material s
- extracts and galenicals

5. Industries of plant drugs for indian system of medicine
 Traditional systems – Ayurveda,Unani and Tibbi
 Herbal industry utilises about 8000 medicinal
plants. Some examples are as follows:-
1. Aloe-vera –Aloes-leaf
2. Bacopa monneiri- Brahmi-whole part
3. Cedrus deodara- Deodar-heart wood
4. Crocus sativus- Kesar-stigma
5. Eclipta alba- Bhringraj-aerial parts
6. Tinospora cordifolia miers-Guduchi- stem
7. Phyllanthus emblica- Amla-fruit

6.  Some other frequently used plants are:-
Amla-Emblica officinalis, Pipali-Terminalia
chebula,Vasaka-Adathoda vasica,
Ashwagandha- Withania somnifera
Herbal medicines-finished,labelled ,medicinal
Products they contain active ingredient as
plant material in crude state or as plant
preparation.
plant material – juices, gums,fatty oils,
essential oils.

7. Non prescription products (OTC)
 Direct utilization of plant material.
 Herbal formulations on health shops like –
Decoctions, tincture, galenicals and extracts.
 The current trend of industries is to procure
standardized extract of plant as raw materials
for which they are trying to establish their
own research and development unit as per
guidelines issued by WHO.

8. Essential oil industry
 Essential oils from plants being produced in
india are more than 500 tones and accounts for
90%of world production.
 Medicinal plants from which essential oils are
produced on large scale are:- Celery
oil,citronella,cedarwood,eucalyptus,mentha
species,rose oil,jasmine,sandalwood.
 Well established oil industries –turpentine oil
and resin from pines,mentha oil from Mentha
arvensis ,eucalyptus oil from E.globulus, lemon oil
from orange,limonene from lemon pill.

9. Phytopharmaceuticals
 Examples:-
Morphine,codeine,papaverine,thebaine,
emetine,reserpine,quinine,caffeine,vincristine,
vinblastine,brucine,strychnine.
 large scale production- ajmaline and ajmalicine
from Rauwolfia serpentina and Catharanthus
roseus, 18 B- glycyrrhetic acid from Glycyrrhiza
glabra.
 National chemical lab(pune)-vincristine and
vinblastine.
 CIPLA- VCR and VLB

10. Natural health products
 Health food-food products supplemented
with vitamines, minerals,nutrients or
ingredients isolated from plants.
 Neutraceuticals- health food that have
medical and health benefit for prevention and
treatment of diseases.
 Main constituents are herbal and related
extracts,vit, minerals and nutrients,
antioxidants like vit.A, C, E , carotenoids.
 Glaxo,Dabur,Himalayan,Zandu,Allen
laboratories.

11. Herbal cosmetics
 Contains phytoconstituents in extracts form or
purified form such as-
 vitamins,antioxidants,emollient oils rich in vit.A
and E.
 More demand- aloe extract, plant acid
essential oils.
 Botanical extracts are- Chamomile-Matricaria
chamomalia-dry extract,Marigold(Calendula
officinalis)-dry extract,Pumpkin seed(Cuccurbita
pepo)-lipophilic extract,Gingko( Gingko biloba)

12.  Indian medicinal plant industries faces
problems,
the causes are:-
- Absence of well defined guidelines
- strategies for promotion of cultivation and
post harvest marketing
- standardization and marketing.

13. Medicinal plants to which special
attention is required for research:-
I. Acorus calamns-Tranquillizer
II. Albizia leback-Immunomodulator
III. Boswellia serrata-Antihepatotoxicity
IV. Phyllanthus amarus
V. Withania somnifera-adaptogen
VI. Centella asiatica-Brain tonic

14. Technology sources of some medicinal
plants in india
• RRL-Jmu: Regional Research Laboratory,council of
Scientific and Industrial Research,Jammu
- Dioscorea composita: Diosgenin
- Claviceps purpurea: Ergot alkaloids
• CIAMP-Lkw- Central Institute of medicinal and
aromatic plants,CSIR,Lucknow
- Catharanthus roseus: Vinca alkaloid,
- Atropa acuminata: Atropine
• NBRI-Lkw- National Botanical Research Institute,CSIR,
Lucknow.
-Matricaria recutita:Chamomile oil

15. Indian herbal Industries
Dabur India Ltd. is India's largest Ayurvedic medicine supplier
and the fourth largest producer of FMCG. It was established in
1884.Last year, about 15% of sales volume was
pharmaceuticals, the remaining 85% were mostly non-
medicine items such as foods and cosmetics. Dabur's
Ayurvedic Specialities Division has over 260 medicines for
treating a range of ailments and body conditions-from common
cold to chronic paralysis. Dabur Chyawanprash (herbal honey)
has a market share of 70% and chewable Hajmola Digestive
Tablets has an 88% share. Other major products are Dabur
Amla Hair Oil, Vatika (Shampoo), and Lal Dant Manjan (Tooth
Powder).

16. Sri Baidyanath Ayurvedic Bhawan Ltd. (Baidyanath for
short) was founded in 1917 in Calcutta, and specializes
in Ayurvedic medicines, though it has recently
expanded into the FMCG sector with cosmetic and hair
care products; one of its international products is
Shikakai (soap pod) Shampoo.The company reports
having over 700 Ayurvedic products, made at 10
manufacturing centers, with 1,600 employees. Included
items are herbal teas, patent medicines, massage oils,
and chyawanprash.

17. The Himalaya Drug Company was established
in 1934 in Bangalore. It has a U.S. distribution
division (Himalaya USA). It is known in the U.S.
for the product Liv-52, marketed as a liver
protector and therapy for liver diseases like viral
hepatitis; the product was first marketed in India
in 1955.
Vicco Laboratories was established in
1958. It mainly produces topical therapies
based on Ayurveda and is best known
internationally for its toothpaste product,
Vajradanti, which has been marketed in the
U.S. for more than 25 years.