From Humble Beginnings
While riding through the forests of Burma, 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 dedicated to making the world well one person at a time.
The Himalaya Legacy Now Spans Over 85 Years
Founded in 1930, the Himalaya legacy now spans over 85 years, stretching from one man, to his son, to his grandson. From our humble beginnings in India, our products are now offered in over 90 countries, yet we’re still family owned.
Himalaya offers a full line of clinically-studied herbal formulations, certified USDA organic Single herbs, and a full line of body care products. Integrating the principles of traditional medicine with modern science, Himalaya is a worldwide pioneer in the field of scientifically validated herbal healthcare.
Himalaya's North American LEED® Gold-Certified eco-friendly corporate office and warehouse facility are located in Sugar Land, Texas, a community neighboring Houston.
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.
Purity and Efficacy
The complexity and timing of the entire seed-to-shelf process for Himalaya and for the plants themselves, is highlighted by three important mandates: purity, efficacy, and batch-to-batch consistency.
We know the success of traditional plant medicine is based on several integral parts that extend from the most advanced agricultural research and practices, to extraction methodologies, to formulating approaches and dosage strategies.
To accomplish all of this, Himalaya maintains total control over the farming, harvesting, research, manufacturing, and distribution of all our products.
Our Farms
Himalaya's herbs are grown on over 1,000 acres of farmland through fair trade, farming partnerships. Herbs are also sustainably wildcrafted on over 5,000 acres.
Farms are located in regions most suitable to the individual herb so that the best possible quality and potency are achieved in the harvest. Just as one wine grape has more character and flavor when grown in a very specific region, the plants used in healthcare often perform best when they’re grown and harvested in their own unique native soil.
Himalaya chooses farm lands based on soil fertility, suitability and quality, visiting the selected land first to ensure the land is free from soil and water erosion, free from pollution and away from industrial zones, free from municipal waste and the flow of rain water from neighboring fields.
Farmers are trained in preparing the land, through to post-harvest management of the herbs, and even in proper drying, packaging, storing and labeling.
Himalaya’s farmers use only authenticated starting materials; viable seeds with a good germination percentage. A respective Package of Practices (POP) assures adherence to quality, sustainability and careful environmental stewardship at all times.
Farmers are trained on earth-friendly organic practices, soil bed preparation, proper irrigation, fertilization and sustainable harvesting, crop rotation, cover crop cultivation and organic soil enrichment. No pesticides are allowed to be used.
Careful safety measures are put in place for handling threatened plant populations, and farmers are continually trained on the Good Cultivation Practices specific to each herb. In addition, farmers are trained on Good Agriculture Collection Practices as well.
In addition to initial training, two residential workshops are conducted per year, and supervisors visit the farmer’s field regularly to check for compliance in areas such as proper crop management, no chemical usage, no child labor, and appropriate labor hours for adults. Violations do not occur.
Himalaya’s agricultural supervisory teams visit farms quarterly, but the frequency of visits may increase depending on the individual needs of the farmer. Himalaya’s inspectors and trainers include our own people with Masters Degrees in botany, MBAs in agri-business management, along with agricultural scientists from reputed universities.
Our Manufacturing
In March 2001, Himalaya was granted a Good Manufacturing Practices (GMP) certificate, issued by the Licensing Authority, Directorate of Indian Systems of Medicine, Bangalore, India. Himalaya is the first Ayurvedic facility in India to receive GMP certification.
We have also been granted Good Laboratory Practice (GLP) certification. A GLP certification is granted to manufacturing companies that adhere to the toxicity guidelines in nonclinical safety studies. The certification is granted by the National Good Laboratory Practice (GLP) Compliance Monitoring Authority, Department of Science and Technology, Government of India.
Only 14 institutions in India have been granted this certificate, and Himalaya is the first herbal company to join their ranks.
Our Science
Himalaya's core interest has always been to ensure the health benefits of our herbal formulas and standalone solo herbs with product-specific, double-blind, placebo-controlled human clinical trials on all of our products.
Our commitment to Ayurvedic principles, and research to produce natural, safe, and effective health products is driven by our soul mission, which is to help individual people maintain a healthy, long, and high-quality of life. We like to think of ourselves as providing solutions for you, which helps make our world well, one person at a time.
We take pride in the fact that our formulas undergo years of primary research before we offer them to you. Our commitment to ensure we have product-specific science on hand before we launch a product into the marketplace is exceptional within the natural products industry.
Himalaya has conducted over 1,200 clinical studies, many of which have been published in numerous, highly-regarded medical journals including The European Journal of Pharmacology, Phytotherapy Research, The Indian Journal of Clinical Practice, Australian Journal of Medical Herbalism, and JAMA, India.
Our Distribution
After being grown, manufactured and packaged in India, finished Himalaya products are shipped to our North American corporate office, warehouse and distribution center located in Sugar Land, Texas.
Here we maintain state-of-the-art storage and shipping processes in climate-controlled environments until our products make their way to our retailers, and then to your home.