In the 1930s, the late Mr. M. Manal, founder of Himalaya, traveled to Burma, where he saw locals feeding some plant roots to restless elephants to calm them. When he returned to India, he had the plant, Rauwolfia serpentina, clinically tested and discovered it had anti-hypertensive properties. Reserpine in the herb works by controlling nerve impulses along certain nerve pathways. As a result, it acts on the heart and blood vessels to lower blood pressure. After extensive research and testing, Serpina, the world's first natural anti-hypertensive medicine was launched in 1934.
Serpina was well received and the success of this experiment laid the foundation for the organization's research progress.
