Innovation

Amsarveda ensures that their customers, as members of the human race, have the opportunity to access natural compounds in their nearby environment. Amsarveda is among the first companies in India to embrace minimalizing their impact on nature.

An example would be Turmeric (Haldi), which is grown in specific regions of Maharashtra. There is high demand for Curcuma Longa, a particular phenotype that has medicinal value. Maharashtra is not capable of catering to the full global demand of Turmeric. Therefore, it is grown in various other geographic areas including China, America, and other regions of India. However, those harvests don’t have the same medicinal value as those possessed by the plants grown in Maharashtra.

Amsarveda uses plants and herbs which grow in their natural geography. Their products are derived from herbs which are obtained directly from local forests. As a result, Amsarveda delivers high-potency products directly to their customers with all of nature’s inherent qualities.

Inspiration

Sri Ram Naharwar earned a degree in chemistry from the University of Cambridge and returned to India to find a newly emerging nation stymied by a significant deficit in healthcare. He began his journey by working in multi-national corporations like Pfizer that brought India its first generation of antibiotics. While addressing major health problems, these companies also pressurized the government to discredit Ayurveda and other forms of traditional medicine - destroying a 5,000-year heritage embraced by over 90% of the native population.

Naharwar decided that to protect and preserve this heritage, India needed to integrate a basis of science into traditional practices, introduce standardization, and develop new methods of innovation. Emboldened by his background in chemistry, he took the first scientific steps to make Ayurveda relevant, founding Amsarveda in 1963. His grandson, Dr. Vikram Naharwar joined the company in 1989.

Dr. Naharwar succinctly explains the market need for 100% natural products:

"The way we have developed this business and the way we create things all have a specific reason. Synthetic medicines or chemicals are dangerous to humans, because they do not have DNA. Nature has intelligence and wisdom which we humans will never decipher. The problems we now face are due to humans desire to change nature, whether on purpose, by design, or on accident."

This realization of an alarming environmental situation led to a significant expansion of Amsarveda's organic and natural products.

Overall impact

Amsarveda is involved in making herbal products, and it significantly affects the lives of its customers. It strives to improve health and well-being by removing synthetic products often consumed in day-to-day activities and replacing them with locally-sourced natural products. They claim to increase life expectancy and also reduce the cost of conventional medical treatments.

The vastness of the herbal product market provides an opportunity to develop new and innovative products sustainably without negatively impacting the local community. Amsarveda benefits society by encouraging customers to remain fit and healthy, providing both a foundation for organic growth and springboard for continuous innovation.

Business benefit

Amsarveda competes in the herbal products business, and it has developed some unique ways to differentiate its business from others in the industry.

The herbs used as raw materials for their products require growth and development in specific climatic conditions. If those conditions are not present, the resulting harvests won’t have the same medicinal value as those grown in their natural geography. Amsarveda only sources plants and herbs which grow in under native conditions. This factor is a unique selling point for the company, which builds trust with its customers and maintains a high-quality position in the marketplace.

Amsarveda has also developed proprietary innovations, including a product to treat kidney stones. Typically, patients require laser treatments and other therapies -- including surgical procedures. Surgery doesn’t guarantee against the recurrence of kidney stones. Amsarveda's innovative product flushes the kidney stone from the body through natural processes. Without painful, costly, and time-consuming therapies, a patient can quickly reclaim their health and well-being.

Social and environmental benefit

Amsarveda promotes the consumption of natural products as a way of life -- and they've been thriving in the market for over 50 years. They have replaced synthetic products with herbal alternatives to ensure that their customers have the opportunity to experience the medicinal and holistic benefits of the same natural compounds that exists in nature. Approximately 13,000 companies in India compete to make herbal products, but Amsarveda is the first company to ensure optimal sourcing of ingredients to maximize potency.

They also promote the principle of gender equality. Believing that every human has the same potential, their factories and facilities maintain an equal ratio of women and men. Dr. Naharwar has initiated a program in which every worker receives 1 liter of milk each day to promote proper nutrition consumption. He also founded the C.U. Shah College of Pharmacy and Research in Mumbai and sponsors several female students to pursue advanced science degrees.

Interview

Dr. Vikram Naharwar, CEO