Shortage of Key Medicinal Plants Hits Sri Lanka’s Ayurvedic Drug Production

Sri Lanka Ayurvedic Pharmaceuticals Corporation faces a production crisis as essential medicinal plants become increasingly scarce, threatening the manufacture of local Ayurvedic medicines.

Chairperson Geethamani Karunaratne stated that registered suppliers are struggling to source many traditional herbs due to nationwide shortages. To sustain production, the corporation has decided to procure medicinal plants from alternative sources, including outside its usual supplier network.

Herbs in critical shortage include aloe vera, kiratha, ranawara bark, napothu, raw hathawariya yam, dried daththa yam, and raw welakola. Aloe vera, a vital ingredient for several key Ayurvedic medicines, has been unavailable for nearly three months, severely impacting production.

The corporation also highlighted a shortage of imported Ayurvedic plants, both raw and dried, further exacerbating the situation. Ms. Karunaratne warned that continued supply constraints could cause significant disruption to the production of Ayurvedic medicines and related products.

The public has been urged to assist by supplying any available medicinal plants to the corporation. For further information, citizens can contact 011 2850229.