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Eastern Mind
17 January 2011, 08:00 AM
Vannakkam: Beware the western stealing and profit of ayurvedic products. I selected one product (Triphala bottle of 60 capsules) for price comparison.

at a local pharmacy in India R15 or US 0.15
at an ayurvedic clinic catering to westerners in India R45 US 1.00
at an Indian import store in Canada R135 US 3.00
at a Canadian health food supplement store R 810 US $18.00
on line from Banyan Botanicals US 8.50 + shipping and handling

Moral of the story ... In India shop local, In the west, head for an Indian store, not a health food place.

Besides the stealing of Indian culture as with yoga which is an intellectual copyright debate, there is also a very real economic stealing going on as well.

Aum Namasivaya

yajvan
17 January 2011, 11:05 AM
hariḥ oṁ
~~~~~~

namasté EM



Vannakkam: Beware the western stealing and profit of ayurvedic products. I selected one product (Triphala bottle of 60 capsules) for price comparison.

at a local pharmacy in India R15 or US 0.15
at an ayurvedic clinic catering to westerners in India R45 US 1.00
at an Indian import store in Canada R135 US 3.00
at a Canadian health food supplement store R 810 US $18.00
on line from Banyan Botanicals US 8.50 + shipping and handling


I see this day-in and day-out. That was one point of grief I talked about regarding books. I just purchased a book. The Indian price 250Rs, USA price $24.00, yet it came from India.


Regarding triphala¹ which I usedaily. I now buy a 1/2 pound bag and cap them myself. I have a small capping fixture that works well.

Now all that said , no matter what the price, quality of the prodcut is key. I have viewed some sorry looking triphala on a grocery shelve that must have been there for many months. No matter what the cost, the quality was questionable.

praṇām

triphala - having 3 fruits. This is a detoxifying and gentle elimination supplement made of amalaki, bibhitaki and haritaki fruits. Triphala contains 5 of the 6 tastes ( no salty taste). It is therefore a balancer of the system for vata, pitta or kapha types and helps keep balance of all the doshas. For the 6 tastes see: http://www.hindudharmaforums.com/sho...0&postcount=25 (http://www.hindudharmaforums.com/showpost.php?p=16270&postcount=25)

Eastern Mind
17 January 2011, 12:26 PM
hariḥ oṁ
~~~~~~

namasté EM




I see this day-in and day-out. That was one point of greif I talked about regarding books. I just purchased a book. The Indian price 250Rs, USA price $24.00, yet it came from India.


Regarding triphala¹ which I usedaily. I now buy a 1/2 pound bag and cap them myself. I have a small capping fixture that works well.

Now all that said , no matter what the price, quality of the prodcut is key. I have viewed some sorry looking triphala on a grocery shelve that must have been there for many months. No matter what the cost, the quality was questionable.

praṇām

triphala - having 3 fruits. This is a detoxifying and gentle elimination supplement made of amalaki, bibhitaki and haritaki fruits. Triphala contains 5 of the 6 tastes ( no salty taste). It is therefore a balancer of the system for vata, pitta or kapha types and helps keep balance of all the doshas. For the 6 tastes see: http://www.hindudharmaforums.com/sho...0&postcount=25 (http://www.hindudharmaforums.com/showpost.php?p=16270&postcount=25)

Vannakkam: So where do you get the half pound bags and the non-gelatin caps? I am also a daily user... almost at least .. occasionally I may forget. Do you know anything about the shelf-life. How fast does it deteriorate? My current bottle bought from an Indian store here was manufactured (put together) in 2006.

Aum Namasivaya

Sahasranama
17 January 2011, 02:20 PM
What do you think of organic India:
http://www.organicindia.com/organic-india-videos.php (http://www.organicindia.com/about-organic-india-vision.php)

yajvan
17 January 2011, 05:09 PM
hariḥ oṁ
~~~~~~

namasté EM


Vannakkam: So where do you get the half pound bags and the non-gelatin caps? I am also a daily user... almost at least .. occasionally I may forget. Do you know anything about the shelf-life. How fast does it deteriorate? My current bottle bought from an Indian store here was manufactured (put together) in 2006.

Aum Namasivaya

With a shelve life of 5 years, I would not bother using it ( that again is me). 'Aging' is not a welcomed feature in āyurved as I understand it.

So, let me offer the location for bulk āyurved products: Banyan Botanicals has tripala in 1/2 pound bags.
http://www.banyanbotanicals.com/products.asp?dept=1044


Gel caps (vegetarian) and the pill assembly fixture: http://www.cap-m-quik.com/store/index.html

That should get you started if you wish to pursue your own filling and capping.

praṇām

Eastern Mind
17 January 2011, 05:31 PM
Vannakkam Yajvan: Thanks. Useful info. Aum Namasivaya

Arjuni
01 March 2011, 09:27 PM
Sahasranama,

My local health food store - which stocks an odd mish-mash of seemingly random products from various companies - happens to carry Organic India tea, so I'm writing you a wee review based on my purchase and their website.

While I'm not sure how a company can count "No Compromise on Being Who We Are" among their corporate values - and am hoping they do not employ serial killers - I do think that supporting "sustainable Organic Agriculture practices" and "the livelihood and well-being of farmers and tribal wild crafters in rural India" are worthy goals indeed. I also like that "Respect and Devotion to Mother Nature" (italics mine) are counted among their values.

This tea is a vanilla creme tulsi and is quite a lovely and relaxing blend. The box tells me that it's made of "100% recycled paperboard, with a minimum of 30% post-consumer content" and the tea bags from "unbleached, biodegradable fiber"; the box also carries a bit of wisdom imprinted on the side:
"Unless the mind is firmly established in the Heart, reality will become veiled by the falsehood that is the mind."
-Sri Ramana Maharshi

A good purchase, I think, and the box was $5.99 CAD - reasonable considering that a) the health food store is small and usually has higher prices, b) tea here generally is an expensive purchase.

(As an example, Numi brand, which runs $4.99 in the States, retails for $9.99 a box here, even for the simple blends like "dry desert lime" - a.k.a. kaffir lime leaves, which I can buy at my local market for $2.99 a bag. While not an Ayurvedic product per se, it's another example of Eastern Mind's original warning about over-inflated prices...)

Indraneela
===
Oṁ Indrāya Namaḥ.
Oṁ Namaḥ Śivāya.

c.smith
01 March 2011, 11:38 PM
Hari Om!

Any debate over Swami Ramdev? His Divya products are now being sold in the US at reasonable (although still more than Indian) prices. www.divyaproducts.com (http://www.divyaproducts.com) I use a couple of the preparations and can attest to their benefit. But I've heard controversy from time to time over him and his ayurvedic products. Anyone tried them? Any insights on his dealings?

Om Namah Shivaya!

Sahasranama
02 March 2011, 12:43 AM
Thank you Indraneela for sharing your thoughts about organic India. I have also some tulasi tea at home from organic India. Not only is tulasi very sacred and purifying, but according ayurveda it also helps with kapha dosha.

C.smith, I do not trust Swami Ramdev's medicine, examinations have found toxins in them. I have also seen swami Ramdev's yoga videos and he claims he can cure any disease known to mankind.

c.smith
02 March 2011, 12:56 AM
Good to know about the toxins - who wants those? I had heard that heavy metals were found in some of the compounds as well as ground up animal bone but of course it was denied. I don't want to slander him however - many people swear by him and even if its all in the mind, if it works, it works.

In terms of pranayama, I'm a big advocate of it. I do believe that it can cure many ills. I don't know how far I'd go with that however. Life force is a powerful thing.

Sahasranama
02 March 2011, 01:05 AM
Ground up bones is also part of Ayurveda. In Tibetan Ayurveda even human bones are used. Ayurveda is not always necessarily pure and vegetarian. Ayurvedic doctors also claim they can treat mercury to make it non-toxic. I believe this might be possible in some way, but I would rather be safe than sorry and avoid ingesting such medicine.

Prana is indeed a very powerful force, but I think Swami Rama gives people false hope. It's good to have hope when you are not healthy, but making people believe that they can be cured from AIDS and cancer with a few breathing exercises is criminal.

sm78
02 March 2011, 03:11 AM
Prana is indeed a very powerful force, but I think Swami Rama gives people false hope. It's good to have hope when you are not healthy, but making people believe that they can be cured from AIDS and cancer with a few breathing exercises is criminal.

I agree somewhat. But whenever I see Ramadev in tele he somehow comes as honest - seems like he believes it can be done. But it is perilious to judge people.

But I like his bharat swabhiman yatra - he seemed to have completely switched gears to politics and is openly challanging Congress now and very much fuels patriotism among common Indians which is much needed. It now almost seems, all this yoga pranayama was a means to gain sizable audience before he started to talk his main agenda. No other popular saint has shown the guts he has shown as of now.

But yes, he is still taking the easier way, attacking mainly corruption, cow slaughter and such issues. Never a word agains Islamofascism or Xianity conversions.

So I am not really sure about him. But generally comes out as man with good intentions.

flabber
02 March 2011, 03:25 AM
Yogi cleared of animal parts row
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/4786114.stm

I never claimed I can cure AIDS: Ramdev
http://www.dnaindia.com/india/report_i-never-claimed-i-can-cure-aids-ramdev_1071141

Eastern Mind
02 March 2011, 08:04 AM
Vannakkam: Regarding toxins, a lot of substances are beneficial in small quantities, but toxic in large qualities. Most prescription meds would fit into this idea. That's partly why they are prescription meds. Even nutmeg and water are toxic if done in large quantities. So a more detailed approach needs to be had. Ayurveda attempts to do that, I believe. Always follow the doctor's orders.:)

Aum Namasivaya

c.smith
02 March 2011, 09:32 AM
Hari Om!

This may sound somewhat ignorant, and it may just be, but I'd rather have the toxins of Ayurveda than those of the big chemical companies that prey on individuals in the name of health. Don't get me wrong - modern med has helped and continues to help many, but where did it gets it roots? Did I hear ... yes... Auyrveda?

I do take a couple of Ayurvedic preparations and can swear by them. As in an earlier post, triphala is one I treasure, as is tulasi.

Sahasranama
02 March 2011, 09:53 AM
Yogi cleared of animal parts row
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/4786114.stm

I never claimed I can cure AIDS: Ramdev
http://www.dnaindia.com/india/report_i-never-claimed-i-can-cure-aids-ramdev_1071141

Thanks for posting these links.

I also had no idea of his political involvement.
(http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vcUkhz71Uso)

Sahasranama
02 March 2011, 10:02 AM
Vannakkam: Regarding toxins, a lot of substances are beneficial in small quantities, but toxic in large qualities. Most prescription meds would fit into this idea. That's partly why they are prescription meds. Even nutmeg and water are toxic if done in large quantities. So a more detailed approach needs to be had. Ayurveda attempts to do that, I believe. Always follow the doctor's orders.:)

Aum Namasivaya

Yes, just like Paracelsus said:
Alle Ding' sind Gift, und nichts ohn' Gift; allein die Dosis macht, daß ein Ding kein Gift ist.

("All things are poison, and nothing is without poison; only the dose permits something not to be poisonous.")