Himalaya

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.