By Devi Ragesh
With our traditional roots in this ancient form of medicine and its many benefits, Ayurveda is undoubtedly a sought-after form of treatment globally. With the transformation that modern India has gone through; there’s one thing we still prefer to keep unchanged: Ayurveda. Many foreigners from all over the world places tremendous demand for Ayurvedic treatments which in turn has boosted the tourism sector of the country. For the past few decades we have seen an increase in the production and usage of ‘Ayurvedic’, ‘herbal’ and ‘natural’ products all over the country.
A ‘green’ packaging with ‘Ayurvedic’, ‘natural’ or ‘herbal’ captioned on it, is tempting enough for an Indian customer, to be one step closer to purchasing the product. This is something that the Indian cosmetic and toiletries market has misused widely by now. Are these so called ‘natural’ products really natural? Many Multinational Companies to spiritual gurus have set out on their irretraceable journeys on selling ‘natural’ and ‘herbal’ products to their Indian consumers.
Skin care, body care and hair care industries are blooming on a daily basis selling off their natural products to the ‘beauty’ conscious customers. Do the manufacturers really include these ingredients listed or are they just labelled on the package for marketing the products? It is something of serious concern. Although the packages claim to include all these natural ingredients, some of them may not be suitable for your body.
‘Unpredictable Adverse Reactions To Herbal Products’ from the Journal of Drug Metabolism and Toxicology, discusses “Herbal products can also cause rare and unpredictable adverse dose-independent reactions that can severely compromise a person’s health. The reactions triggered by herbal products are thus difficult to diagnose and identify, partly because it is counterintuitive to consider a product that is “natural” and therefore “safe” as capable of causing reactions of this type.”
Ram A Vishwakarma, director of the Indian Institute of Integrative Medicine, Jammu, working on pharmaceutical and cosmetic research, was covered in The Economic Times article regarding natural products. He felt that “There is practically no governance”, “In the US, if a company claims its products as herbal, then they show scientific data. And the companies are highly regulated. But India is like the Wild Wild West.”
This sums up the whole situation of how consumers are being misled into buying such products. The Parliament of India, on 1940, passed an Act, which gave regulations for the sale of cosmetic drugs in the country. Although the act had amendments later, there are loopholes in the regulation of rules for natural products and the lack of scientific research of products before they are registered as ‘Ayurvedic’ in India is evident.
Twenty eight year old female, reported that most of the herbal cosmetics, have ingredient lists which shows 2-13% of natural ingredient components. She says, “I doubt if the product actually claims to be as safe as it is made out to be”. There are even products with the percentage of each ingredient included, not mentioned in the packaging.
The common population is not aware of the fact that a lot of products and cosmetics are fortified by added adulterated substances, addition of synthetic substances and drugs are common too. The attraction of buyers towards anything ‘natural’ is real and enticing.
A 21 year old quoted that, “Well all these products are a sham, Ayurvedic products are labelled so, and have little to do with Ayurveda. All these shampoos and oils have traces of mineral oils and chemicals which are not apparently Ayurvedic. And fruit juices in Tetra packs have trace quantities of fruit and more of enhancing fruit flavours contained in them. They’re mostly sugar, water and chemicals in right proportions waiting on the shelves to lure customers. People buy them because they have the ‘natural’ tag on them.”
Greenwashing is also something that can be identified with the issue. Many are not aware of this marketing technique that is used widely by companies. The colour green denotes nature, environment, youthfulness, relaxing, freshness, safety and so on. This aspect is widely adopted by companies that promote their products as nature friendly. This is a psychological manipulation that happens very naturally to the observers and users.
This can be proven from the first image and the second. If one had to guess which out of the two were herbal at one look, it is most natural that the green one would have been chosen as the herbal one. In fact, both are herbal products. This is greenwashing. Such deceiving techniques are used by companies to promote their products as healthier and natural.
What is even worse is, this Greenwashing strategy, is applied mostly by corporates and companies that manufacture products that are more destructive to the environment than other products that are not natural. The base that is used in products to add thickness to the products and prevent them from decomposition leads to problems. The base could be water to oil depending upon the product.
Sometimes for the prolonged quality of the product this base will include mandated preservatives. The inclusion of these mandated preservatives makes them less herbal or not herbal at all. However there are arguments that a concentrated amount of herbal ingredients can cause reactions on skin, thus a base that does not cancel the effectiveness of the natural ingredient should be used.
Many companies also do not disclose the base that they use, as it would mean to reveal their ‘trade-secret’. This does not seem that advantageous to consumers of a product who would want to check the credibility of the product. One other reason why many opt for natural products is because of how they are affordable and reasonable to the common population than non-natural ones.
These herbal and natural products and cosmetics come at a lower price than all these artificial products. This increases the consumption of such products. Many of us take herbal supplements for dietary and other requirements as they seem very appealing and ‘naturally’ fortifying.
The testimonials of how many have easily cured or alleviated the symptoms of the diseases using ‘safe’ and ‘natural’ methods attracts many buyers. However, these are not safe for consumption for others with prior illnesses, health problems or under certain medication. Some supplements can cause blood thinning and lead to other dangerous health hazards if consumed without medical supervision. Herbal supplements in the form of capsules, tea bags, powders, liquids and so on are available widely in the market. What is alarming about these products and what the common users are unaware about, is that these supplements are not regulated by the Food and Drug Administration.
Also these dietary supplements are intended to only lessen the symptoms and not to cure or treat any disease or illness. Many products claim to cure these illnesses on their labels, or the common population assumes it to do the same. Also these regulations assure that these products meet the manufacturing requirements but are not necessarily safe or effective to use.
What we must do, is to be aware about what products we use on a daily basis and to purchase smartly. The Ayurvedic medicines and products our grandparents or ancestors used and what we receive now are very different. The real Ayurvedic medicines and treatments that we avail with medical assistance are different to the cosmetic products and dietary supplements that are produced by many multinational companies tagged herbal or natural.
Choosing a natural product over a synthetic one, does not always mean it is safe and healthier for you or the environment. With a growing interest in natural therapy, increase in herbal cosmetic products and supplements has led to a wider marketing of products branded as natural. It is important to know that many are not as trustworthy as they are portrayed to be. Self- treatment and being one’s own doctor with the help of internet is a recent style which is dangerous. It is always safer to consult a doctor before taking random herbal or natural supplements.
One must be aware of what these products do and how they work on your body. Sometimes, they may give immediate desirable results, but might be at the cost of causing irreparable damage to one’s body. Believing “it worked amazingly for my friend or relative” might not always end up giving the outcome as one expects. It also does not mean that all herbal products are unsafe. Herbal products which are promoted through diverse media can be a part of our daily lives imparting health and longevity if a choice is made wisely and discreetly.
