Our Story

Our Acharya Panchakarma is a small family run traditional Ayurveda clinic based in Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala. Our Vaidya family has been practicing Ayurveda for several generations now.

Our history goes long long back. I was not even born when it all began and I am 68 years old now 😅

The Legend 😱

There is an interesting story I heard growing up. "Once, 100s of years back, in South Kerala, there was a fierce King. He was ruthless and was feared by everyone. Once in a battle, he fell from his horse and got gravely injured. His legs got paralyzed and he could no longer walk. A Vaidya tried to revive the King. The Vaidya tried everything he could for a long time. But nothing worked. The King was getting angry and impatient and the poor Vaidya started fearing for his dear life.    

The legend says that, one night, 'Dhanwanthari' - The God of medicine , came in the Vaidya's dream and gifted him the recipe of a magical oil to cure the King. The oil helped the King walk again and Vaidya got his life back."

The Vaidya in this story is my great great grandfather, Gangadharan Ashan Vaidyar and the oil is Kanaka Prabha. I know that the story is a myth. But it has stayed with me ever since. I have told this story to my son as well when he was growing up.

 

Standing on tall shoulders 🙏

Thinking about it, I don't think my great great grandfather has formulated Kanaka Prabha oil by himself. One man's life-time is simply not enough for such a magical oil. It's next to impossible.  Kanaka Prabha has 52 ingredients and its preparation is complicated.  Generations of passionate vaidyas must have worked on the formula. Its product development phase must have spanned 1000s of years. May god bless their souls 🙏🙏

 

You made this happen 😘 🙌

Our civilization has lost so many things. First to Britishers and then to rapid Westernization. Yet we have managed to preserve and revive the ancient Kanaka Prabha and Nisha Varnyam oils. We did this together. It's more because of You than me. Without your trust and support these precious oils wouldn't even stand a chance.

You guys are really awesome. Seriously!  I mean, why would you buy from us!  Just look at us:  We are small. We are nothing compared to multi-national brands. Our packaging is ok-ish at best. We don't even have a proper sticker on our bottle. The only thing we have is a world class product.  But to see the potential of the product, you have to overlook many other aspects. And you see us!! You guys are the best! I am so proud and have plenty of hope in your generation. God bless! 🙏

The name: Acharya Panchakarma 😊

The Vaidya tradition runs long in my family but the name Acharya Panchakarma is fairly new. Our old clinic is re-named after my late husband Sri. Adinadhan Nair whom people lovingly called as their Acharya. He is a famous Vaidya himself and came from a family of eminent Vaidyas. Out of 52 ingredients in Kanaka Prabha, 3 are his contribution. It's his face that you see in our logo.

One of the vivid memories I have of my husband is his monthly trip to some remote villages near Kovilpatti in Tamilnadu. I can still remember him leaving for the train station at 5 am in the morning with bags full of medicines in both hands. His free medical camp was a blessing for many people there who were senior citizens mostly and could not afford any healthcare. At Acharya, we still stand by his values "High quality health care should be available for everyone" I am pretty sure he is happy watching us from the heavens.

 

A huge responsibility  😅

In a way, I feel lucky and pressured at the same time. Most of my customers are daughters. They buy our products to help their parents, grandparents, in-laws and even elderly neighbors. I am Lucky to be a part of that love. Pressured coz We have to keep up with the standards set by my late husband and forefathers.

 

Highest Quality 

What is quality ? There might be many ways to look at it. Metrics, certifications, standards, packaging and so on. We do respect and follow all of these and more to give the best quality possible. But for me "Real Quality" comes when you make products for your children, parents, siblings or any of your close ones. There is zero compromise and It has that special ingredient called Love which beats any other ingredient any day. I am so confident about my products that I let my 82 year old sister pick up any bottle from any batch for her daily use.

Now my family is getting bigger everyday. You all have been so kind to share your happiness after using the products.  I see so many happy stories and thank you messages every day and it inspires me to do better. When i begin my daily routine, I see all those new faces who are going to benefit from the oils. The joy I get is immeasurable.

All our products are handmade in the traditional way. We make them in small batches of 200 liters once a week. Herbs are all hand picked and most are from our own herb garden. On the plus side, all this exercise is keeping me healthy 😊. On the downside, we are not able to keep up with requests. But I believe this is the right thing to do. I make oils as a hobby and I pour my heart and soul into it. I want it to remain the same way at Acharya.

 

The Heritage 😍

Both Kanaka Prabha pain oil and Nisha Varnyam hair oil were passed on through generations in my family. They are just awesome!

Suvarna glow oil and face pack are miraculous potions from the ancient Ayurveda text called Chakradutta Samhita. And thats it! No more products !!

I am not bragging but I am rather good at making these 😊

 

This Is It! - Why we wont make new products 😇

We just won't be making any new products like shampoo or face wash, for one simple reason. We simply can't guarantee that it will be as good as Kanaka Prabha or Nisha Varnyam or Suvarna. I mean, these products have gone through millions of trials and product testing over 1000s of years. How can I ever aspire to attain such quality if I develop a product myself.

Thanks for reading. Hope you will not mind my haphazard style of writing. I hope I was able to convey my thoughts. Have a great day ahead 🙏