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From Humble Beginnings
While riding through the forests surrounding Dehradun, India, our founder, Mr. M. Manal, saw a villager pacify a restless elephant by feeding it the root of the plant Rauwolfia serpentina.
Fascinated by the plant’s effect on the elephant, he returned home to India to seek scientific evidence for why this particular plant would have such a beneficial, calming effect. Young Manal’s mother gave him her bangles to sell so he could pursue his work, and Himalaya was born.
Once he fully understood the science behind this special botanical, Mr. Manal bought a hand-operated, tablet-compressing machine and began his work. At night, his shoulders would ache from producing a few hundred tablets, one small tablet at a time. But his hard work paid off. This remarkable plant would later become Serpina, the world’s first anti-hypertensive drug in 1934.
We remain in awe of the man who began our company, and the grandfather of our current CEO, Nabeel Manal. Himalaya’s legacy has always been one of researching nature and using the tools of modern science to develop and produce Ayurveda-based, pharmaceutical-grade herbal medicine products. And today, that legacy continues.
Mr. Manal had a vision of helping people be well. Today, Himalaya Herbal Healthcare has turned a time-honored herbal tradition into a complete range of contemporary, proprietary formulas and single herbs products.
Our Roots
The herbs used in Himalaya Herbal Healthcare’s scientific product line are also used in the world’s oldest traditional system of medicine, Ayurveda, which dates back over 4,000 years.
The word Ayurveda comes from the Sanskrit root words ayur, meaning “life” and veda, meaning “to know.” Ayurveda literally means “to know life,” or in the language of today, “the science of life.”
Ayurveda had a profound, far-reaching influence on Traditional Chinese Medicine and the healthcare systems of many other countries and cultures that followed. Today, thanks to the dedicated efforts of Himalaya’s doctors and scientists, it’s been proven effective through scientific validation.
Ayurveda acknowledges there are five elements that make up the universe and the human body; earth, water fire, air and space. It seeks to bring the constellation and characteristics of the three body types defined by those elements – the vata, pitta and kapha – back into balance through proper diet, herbal treatment, and emotional well-being.
We’re proud of the ancient roots and our modern branches that allow us to continue unlocking the powerful healing benefits of Ayurveda, but our formulas are science-based and appropriate for all body types. They require no Ayurvedic knowledge to be used successfully.