ORIGIN AND GROWTH OF A HERBAL PRODUCTS COMPANY- DABUR INDIA LIMITED During the closing decades of the last

century young Dr. S.K Burman was facing certain problems with his patients in Kolkata. The allopathic drugs were out of reach of many who came to him for treatment. They were simply too poor. His search for affordable drugs led to a radical realization. He discovered that the quickest, surest solution to the problem lay in Ayurveda, its pharmacopeia built over 5000 years and its remedies prepared out of natural substances available within the country. Working at night in his dispensary, Dr. Burman prepared Ayurvedic prescriptions. To the preparation of traditional pishti , churna, awaleha. He applied the standards of hygiene and quantitative precision of allopathic pharmacy. His patients used his products, which were cheap and effective and what more, they were benign. Further, they suited they patient s lifestyles and food habits. In 1884, Dr. Burman launched his own manufacturing companied. Dabur(Dr. S.K Burman) Private limited. His brand name DABUR combined DA as in Daktar, the Bengali word for doctor, with BUR from his own name. Dr. S.K Burman was a pioneer in more ways than one. Not only did he rediscover Ayurveda for modern India, as his products gained in popularity .he began to receive enquires and orders by mail, and soon built up a sizeable mail order following from all over the subcontinent. He was that way order following from all over the subcontinent. He was that way probably the first Indian countrywide direct marketer. He also promoted his antidotes vigorously through huge painted DABUR signs on village walls- perhaps the first rural marketing effort. When Dr. Burman died in 1907, his company was making 42 products. Today it has over 450 products in its products mix, covering 14 different Ayurvedic categories. The product range includes tonics and tooth powders, hair oils, specific drugs and heart remedies. Dabur sales now exceed Rs. 250 crores. It has 11 factories and 2100 distributors selling 35000 tonnes of natural prepartions every year. As the worlds largest herbal products company, it has its commitment to R&D. the Dabur Research Foundation supports research projects at seats of learning, major labs and clinics. It sets the standards in organized sourcing of ingredients, collecting and testing herbs, minerals and animal extracts, decoding the cryptic directions