The good pharmacy's legacy lives on

Note: The title alludes to Sadvaidyasala roughly translated to good pharmacy. There are many ayurvedic pharmacies in India by that name. I refer here to Sadvaidyasala of Nanjangud, Karnataka known in the state for its tooth powder, its first product and now for a range of ayurvedic remedies.

At my higher secondary school (11th and 12th grades) the Kendriya Vidyalaya Malleshwaram (KVM), Bengaluru, Rajesh Sreenivasan and me were classmates. Rajesh happens to be grandson of the famous Shri B.V. Pundit of Nanjangud, founder of well-known Sadvaidyasala Limited (SVL) started in 1913 by him. Among things that Rajesh shared with us those days was how Chyavanaprash (an immunity builder and general health tonic) could not be made and sold in bulk. Ayurveda was not a buzz word then but there was sufficient interest in Indian system of medicine for a prominent FMCG company to make and sell branded Chyavanaprash after advertising heavily. Rajesh's contention was that if that all manufacturers actually used amla or gooseberries in their products that were supposed to contain them, they likely would be short of raw material or may have been using substitutes like sweet potato or pumpkin as filler to keep costs and pricing low. Baba Ramdev was not even someone known to Indian society then, so ayurvedic products were made and sold mostly by Indian companies like SVL and others that had been started in the early 19th century.

I left KVM in 1985 and thereafter studied in India and the US at a time when interest in Ayurveda was kindled in the West by Maharishi Mahesh Yogi and his disciple Dr. Deepak Chopra, an allopath who turned to ayurveda under Maharishi's tutelage. Among books I read of Chopra and that influenced me were Perfect Health and Ageless Body Timeless Mind which lay out the principles of ayurveda in simple language easily understood by lay persons. Returning to India in 1995 from the US, I relocated to Aluva (in the state of Kerala) for work and while there had opportunity to seek and use ayurvedic remedies of Kerala Ayurveda Pharmacy Limited (KAPL) as also Kottakal Arya Vaidya Sala (KAVS). Using local ayurvedic pharmacies at Kerala for consultation and their formulations increased my knowledge of ayurveda as also the faith in efficacy of this ancient system of medicine.

Moving to Bangalore from Kerala in 2000, I started buying SVL' s products from their store at 8th Crossroad, Malleshwaram. As we lived in Yelahanka we would buy those products during visits to my parents who lived in 7th Crossroad Malleshwaram. The initial SVL products I used were Kasturi and Srikara Amodini pills and Sitophaladi and Talisadi Churna, all used for throat disorders primarily cold and cough. These products were simple, inexpensive and efficacious. In fact I continue to use them even today having used these products and benefited from their efficacy. In fact these products always remain in stock with me and I hand them out to people I know when they need help with a sore throat or cough or cold. One of the rituals I practice every time I visit my mother at Malleshwaram, Bangalore is to head to the SVL store at 10th cross and buy in bulk above products mostly to give them to people apart from retaining a small quantity for personal use by our family.

With the third generation running the Company now and three of Shri B.V. Pundit's grandsons at the helm of affairs, SVL successfully completed its centenary in 2013 and continues its march in helping people have improved health. The latest products are in attractive packaging including colourful graphics and made using modern methods at a GMP certified facility. The products continue to be very reasonably priced and SVL has been a socially conscious company in that respect since inception. Their range at more than 200 is vast and there is very little among ailments for which there is no SVL remedy. I have used many of their products and benefited from all of those.

The famed Nanangud Hallu Pudi or Nanjangud tooth powder that started it all for SVL is actually still available and if I may add as efficacious as it was a century ago. Many people know SVL by this product alone. I received samples of it along with the invitation to SVL's centenary and realized how amazingly simple this product is. Made of ash from rice husk that imparts it abrasive qualities it has fillers that make it either sweet or salty. It is available in brown paper packs that are easily biodegradable. I was contemplating stopping use of tooth brushes recently after learning that they are the second largest plastic waste on earth. Among tooth brush alternatives are neem twigs used in India as also one's finger used with tooth paste or powder. SVL tooth powder is thus an alternative to tooth brushes and tooth paste. By using it, apart from cleaning our teeth we help to keep earth clean too as paper sachet packaging of the tooth powder generates no non biodegradable waste and no tooth brush need be used with it. Even the PVC container that the tooth powder comes in is recyclable unlike the flexible pouches in which tooth paste is now sold in India. It is interesting that an age old product is new age as it is simple, environment friendly, efficacious and made by a family owned company more than a century old in a small town providing employment to hundreds of people. 

The cold and cough products of SVL are among ones I have most used. The simple looking Kasturi pills are crushed in honey and taken and effectively cure cold and cough. I am yet to come across any product that is anywhere close to the Kasturi pills in simplicity and efficacy. And as inexpensive. The Srikara Amodini pills are among my favorite ones. Coming in a flat container size of a small match box they are a good throat lozenge for those in professions that use their throat a lot and need to protect it from infection. At the onset of a cold characterized by a hoarse throat, I start chewing on Srikara Amodini pills and generally am able to stanch the cold before it aggravates or ensure its decline if it is already full blown. The menthol in Srikara Amodini gives a soothing feeling to the throat. I have also used and benefitted from the two variants - Sitophaladi and Talisadi Churnas. These are amongst products made by many ayurvedic companies. I remember Rajesh telling me how the Talisadi Churna has in it a thin layer of salts taken from inside a bamboo culm. That is the extent of effort taken by SVL to ensure authenticity of their products.

Their non-therapeutic products are also very interesting. Real rose petals go into making of gulkan, a sweet paste that is a digestive aid but also can be taken as a sweet dish. We saw it being made on a visit to SVL's factory at Nanjangud in 2007 getting a glimpse into how Rajesh and the third generation of the founding family were keeping up with the times in terms of technology to manufacture ayurvedic products as per traditional recipes but meeting modern GMP requirements. Also, dried ginger flakes salted lightly are sold as Bhavana Shunti and a good digestive and anti-emetic. On travel journeys, this product relieves motion sickness and giddiness. So too Sarasparilla Syrup. We call the plant Sogade in Kannada and its roots are pickled and eaten. This fragrant plant also is used to make syrup in sugar base and is good for hyperacidity. It makes a good refreshing drink in water or milk. SVL of course has a good therapeutic product Drakshamlakadi Lehya which when taken before meals helps deal with hyperacidity. It comes in different sizes packs of which the jumbo one helps economize on the cost. So too the pack size of other products like Srikara Amodini which can be bought in bulk and then dispensed into the smaller pack (emptied) for use. 

The third and fourth generations are now active at SVL with the former having put the enterprise on rails after turbulent times in the 70's and 80's when sustenance of SVL was a question. Most credit for this progress of SVL in past three plus decades goes to Jayant, the MD and grandson of Shri Pundit and his uncle, the Chairman. The team of Jayant, Ramagopal and Rajesh - the founder's grandchildren all have steadied the ship and made it sail smoothly through to the 21st century, a period of heightened interest in ayurveda and increasing demand for SVL type products. The new tagline - Traditional and Herbal healthcare encapsulates the philosophy of the company and its current management. The third generation with guidance from the Chairman has launched several herbal products that though not strictly ayurvedic still rely on popular ayurvedic herbs. Amla syrup is one such with the increasing popularity of the fruit being a draw for making and selling a sweet concentrate. Ashwagandha sometimes called Indian ginseng for its amazing healing abilities is being sold encapsulated by SVL and is a good nervine tonic. I have recommended it to professionals affected by anxiety and sleeplessness and found them benefit from its calming abilities. I have myself used this product and vouch for its benefits. Then there is Giloi-T which is made from the herb Amrit. An amazing anti-viral product though very bitter, this tea bag type formulation helps combat flu and other viral ailments. It is effective against Bird and Swine Flu and at a fraction of the cost of over-priced MNC products like Tamiflu. The online store of SVL is a convenient mode to purchase their products. It lists their catalog and one can buy products shipped quickly to the buyer.

Ten years ago I had organised a one day ayurvedic health camp at an apartment at Bangalore where we then stayed. At the event was Dr. Ranjini, great granddaughter of Shri B.V. Pundit and keeping the family tradition alive by being a healer. She is an ayurvedic physician and is involved with the company for diagnosis and prescription. One can now consult doctor at SVL branded clinics and buy their products for use as recommended by the physician. The bright colors of the products, the attractive packaging and the easy to use formulations now available make SVL products contemporary and appealing to the modern generation. The branded clinics make it easier for consumers to use SVL stores as a one stop shop for all matters relating to health.

SVL's range is vast and one never knows which of their products can help. I was recommended and used their Ashwagandha Bala Lakshadi taila (oil) for recovery after running marathons and found it giving relief when applied, left for a while on the legs and then washed off during the shower. So too their hair oil. Though very thick (showing it is vegetable oil unlike other brands' light oil which are of petroleum origin) and not very appealing to the nose, the Jyotishmati Taila (oil) is good for having shining black hair like on the picture shown on the pack. SVL has Badhanjana or a pain balm which too is useful and that has been introduced as a roll on and a more easy to apply and use product. Such product modifications show how the company stays current in its products. Thus even the famed tooth powder now has a companion - a tooth paste to cater to the modern generation. 

SVL has been a social enterprise long before it became fashionable to be so. They run Dhanvantari Arogyashram, a nonprofit entity that provides inpatient care with stay facilities amidst sylvan surroundings. The consulting charge there at INR 20 is very low and so too stay cost of INR 300 per day for the general ward. They also have clean cottage for those who can afford a little luxury. Many people stressed by city life head to this healing center located at Nanjangud not far from the production center. What I like most about SVL is their quiet service to humanity through simple, affordable, easy to use and effective products. It is their products efficacy alone that has stood the test of time and sustained the company over more than a hundred years. It is very difficult to find enterprises such as SVL anywhere. Their longevity is testimony to passion, commitment and honesty in their dealings and their excellent products. As a user of their products, I have benefited much over two decades and thus on my own accord recommend and even give away SVL products to people I know. Companies like SVL thus don't need advertising as their consumers do all the talking and selling, like happens with all great companies with amazing products. I wish the SVL management the very best in their endeavor to keep up their service to humanity for centuries more to come.