Commodification and Commercialization
Commodification of indigenous medicine across Asia through a process of commercialization is not new. Burmese Chinese herbalist Aw Chu Kin whose father was a herbalist in Xiamen city of modern China developed Tiger Balm-a secret herbal formulation commonl
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Commodification and Commercialization
4.1
Introduction
Commodification of indigenous medicine across Asia through a process of commercialization is not new. Burmese Chinese herbalist Aw Chu Kin whose father was a herbalist in Xiamen city of modern China developed Tiger Balm-a secret herbal formulation commonly used as tropical cream to treat inflammation and muscle aches in 1870s in Rangoon, Burma.1 By 1920s Tiger Balm became a well established brand of Chinese herbal medicine and marketed commercially all over South and Southeast Asia including British India, Singapore, Malaysia, etc. Founded in 1669, Beijing Tongrentang is another prime example of commercializing Chinese medicine across China and beyond. Since its inception during the reign of emperor Yongzheng in Qing Dynasty, Tongrentang has supplied Chinese medicines not only to Chinese imperials family but also peoples around the globe.2 In India the commodification of ayurvedic drugs and health products started when the large ayurvedic drug manufacturers started to link commercially-prepared ayurveda to, and as a symbol of, Indian civilization, with a revivalist inspiration (Nichter and Nichter 1996: 292). With this process, drug manufactures have promoted traditional ayurvedic drugs with a modern sophisticated outlook. The establishment of Dabur India Limited, popularly known as Dabur in 1884 by Dr. S.K. Burman in Kolkata and the establishment of Shree Baidyanath Ayurved Bhawan (p) Ltd. in Kolkata, popularly known as Baidyanath in 19173 are the frontrunner of commercially viable produce of ayurveda in India. Both of these ayurvedic companies were founded when India was under the British colonial rule and at the time when nationalist movement for independence was in height.
1
Retrieved from the https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tiger_Balm and accessed on October 26, 2015. Retrieved from http://www.lookchem.com/Company/120/ and accessed on January 26, 2015. 3 Retrieved from the http://www.baidyanath.com/about_baidyanath.php and accessed on October 26, 2015. 2
© Springer Nature Singapore Pte Ltd. 2017 M.N. Islam, Chinese and Indian Medicine Today, DOI 10.1007/978-981-10-3962-1_4
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4 Commodification and Commercialization
In recent years, there have been intense debates on whether Chinese herbal medicine and ayurveda related products should be regarded as a medicine or a commodity for public consumption. This chapter explores how indigenous medicine in China and India, Chinese herbal medicine and ayurveda in particular, have shifted from a home-based medicine and or small scale manufactured health product to become a health commodity for domestic and global consumption. Not only patients but also the mass people who may not have any symptom of disease or illness become the ready consumers. The chapter also explores how large pharmaceutical companies have appreciated both the Chinese herbal medicine and ayurveda and have commodified them for profit maximization. In this process of commodification, these drug manufacturers redefine the nature of Chinese herbal
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