WATCH out Maybelline, Revlon, Oriflame, Coke, Pepsi! It’s not just Vitamin E, moisturised lippers or Coke and Pepsi that sell. These are the times of herbal solutions.

India apart, the rage has gripped the world. So what lies ahead? A sizeable market, and cashing in on it is the Lucknow-based National Botanical Research Institute. The institute is working overtime on some new herb-based products like lipsticks, beer and soft drink.

The effort seems to be paying off. NBRI, in technical collaboration with HLL, is toying with the idea of herbal lipsticks. In fact, the duo is all set for a global launch by the fiscal end.

NBRI director P Pushpangadan, confirmed this: "Besides changing the entire setup of the state-run scientific and research units in the country, development of new products and marketing tie-ups with large companies will help institutions like ours to be financially independent."

Similarly, NBRI is on the lookout for a marketing alliance with an Indian liquor house of repute which would help sell herbal beer brewed in the institute lab in the international market.

"We are negotiating with multinationals to market yet another product," says Mr Pushpangadan."A herbal soft drink concocted inhouse which is expected to give a tough fight to the two international soft drink giants," he claimed.

Pushpagadan added that the institute’s new initiative had the potential of becoming a major medium of aroma therapy to cure several diseases. In fact, it’s the growing popularity of aroma therapy in Europe which had attracted HLL to this project. The 15 different shades of lipsticks are designed to signify four different moods anti-depressant, meditative, elation, and sensuous.

The institute, he said, will soon sign up an agreement with HLL this month. NBRI will hold the patent for the product and will get a one-time licence fee and a certain share of the sales figure as royalty.

Talking about herbal beer, Pushpagadan said it would have the ability to cleanse pollutants in the body system, protect the liver and enhance immunity with powerful anti-oxidant. It would taste like beer with an alcohol content of three per cent which can, however, be regulated.

The base material of herbal beer would be raw mango. Since they are available in plenty in Uttar Pradesh, the beer would be readily available at a much cheaper cost. "With its herbal and medicinal qualities, our beer could take on even German Lager beer in international market," he claimed.

"Our soft drink would have 10 medicinal plants as ingredients and the base material would be jaggery. The institution is developing a pilot plant within its premises to demonstrate its production capabilities. Negotiations are on with multinationals to market it as a soft drink next summer,: he said.

The institute claims that it is also developing food supplements for children. It is premature to reveal all as the project is at a pharmacological study level and the preparation of scientific data is still in progress, he said.

The Indian share of the $52-billion global herbal drugs market is at a meagre 5.5 per cent. Compare this with Chinese, Japanese and Russian shares at 60 per cent, 20 per cent and 16 per cent, respectively.

(From the Economic Times)