Indian herbal blend bags Belgian botanical claim
The herbal digestive aid has been granted approval from the Belgian government to market the product for overall wellness in the country, effectively paving the way for acceptance throughout the EU.
“The recognition by Belgium Food & Safety authorities means acceptance throughout the EU”, Benny Antony, joint managing director of Arjuna Natural Extracts, the maker of Herbagut, told NutraIngredients.
“It’s also a natural step in our strategy to lead the market in Indian herbal ingredients—not only regionally but also in the EU market.”
The blend is made up of 14 herbal extracts. Key ingredients include curcumin, ginger and pepper, along with alternative Indian Ayurvedic ingredients which date back thousands of years.
Herbagut, which has been available in Europe for over 10 years, claims to offer a range of health benefits including improving gut microflora, reducing the impact of constipation and relieving heartburn.
A clinical study also suggested it could also improve bowel movement.
European push
Antony explained to us that Arjuna is now looking to make a big push in Europe supporting Herbagut, after opening an office in Brussels last year to be closer to its customers.
“We have a comprehensive understanding of the complex European food regulation. This places us in an excellent position to offer our European customers complete commercial, technical, and regulatory support,” he said.
“Of course, we target the food supplement market in Europe. Most interesting countries are the Benelux, Germany, France, Spain and Italy. We also intend to target the sport nutrition market with Herbagut in the future.”
Indian herb popularity
Explaining the popularity of Indian herbal treatment, Antony said: “Most of the Indian botanicals have been vital components of Ayurvedic medicine for thousands of years.
“They are long-trusted and scientifically validated. Science, evidence and safety are currently the mayor keys for launching food supplements successfully.”
As well as being sold as a supplement, Arjuna has also developed a water dispersible version of Herbagut, which can be used in drinks, such as shots.
