Holistic Wellness: How to Improve Mindfulness, Physical Fitness
Avid trekkers and college friends Rohit Kamath and Loreena Sirohi ensure they spend at least two or three months a year under the shadow of the Himalayas. The duo has been following this routine since 2016, and it was during their first trip that they realized that the local population of Uttarakhand relied a lot on hemp and cannabis for not only treating various diseases and ailments but also utilizing it for making several sustainable products.
This instilled in Rohit a curiosity to conduct research to comprehensively understand the plant from its roots. The duo began their research and undertook many trips to the Himalayas.
In the process, Rohit and Lorena sat with farmers and understood the plant’s benefits, realizing that hemp can be used as a source to create more than 25,000 different sustainable products.
Making of the medical cannabis company
Rohit and Lorena found an ample opportunity in the market. However, before laying the first brick, Rohit initiated his research on the laws surrounding businesses that use hemp in their products. He read up on the Drugs and Cosmetics Act of 1940 and the NDPS Act of 1985 to understand the legality of an industry that is so widely misunderstood and still coming to fruition.
Rohit realized that the NDPS Act prohibits the sale and production of cannabis resin and flowers. However, it does not prohibit using seeds and leaves from the same plant.
That was one of our many eureka moments, and we realized that cannabis is not entirely illegal in our country as it is often mistakenly interpreted,” Rohit tells SMB Story.
But while the research was underway, Loreena met with a life-threatening road accident in 2017. During this time, she says she administered Cannabidiol (CBD) oil for her chronic pain, which she said led to faster relief.
This accident incentivized them even more to research medical cannabis, its interaction with human physiology, and how it can help alleviate several symptoms like chronic pain, anxiety, decreased appetite, inflammation, and more.
“We realized through thorough research that there is a system inherently present within every mammal’s human biology, called the Endocannabinoid System (ECS), that works with a primary objective of restoring balance in our body, or biological terms, ‘homeostasis’. This system essentially governs the functioning of all the other systems in one’s body and was named after the cannabis plant itself because of the interaction of the plant with the ECS’ receptors,” the duo told SMB Story.
According to research by NCBI, CBD oil has considerable potential and can be used as a treatment for multiple anxiety disorders.
With this knowledge, Rohit and Lorena started India Hemp Organics in Bengaluru in 2020. The brand operates in medicine, health, personal care, and food and nutrition.
India Hemp Organics’ product range ‘Legal cannabis has a huge market potential in India,’ Rohit Sharma, Founder IIHA
The product
The duo launched the food and nutrition range in February 2020 after procuring hemp from Uttarakhand farmers. They then set up a manufacturing unit on a contractual basis in Madhya Pradesh.
“We were just two of us when we started, but gradually, we onboarded an R&D team that worked on the formulations for the factory to get the final product,” Rohit says.
Eight months later, in October 2020, the company launched its medicinal range, CannaBliss, which comprises oral and OTC medical cannabis oils. As of now, India Hemp Organics has a total of 26 SKUs, 10 of which belong to hemp nutrition and 16 others to the medical cannabis range.
With companies like Hemp Horizons, BOHECO, India Hemp and Co, and others leading the market, Rohit says Indian consumers have matured and understand the benefits of using hemp-based personal care and medicinal products.
Though they haven’t shared the revenue details, Rohit mentions that within a year of inception, India Hemp Organics has catered to over 20,000 customers across India and has recently expanded into international markets.
India Hemp Organics sells its products online through its website, social media channels, and eCommerce portals. It also has a presence in various offline stores in Bengaluru.
India Hemp Organics’ Hemp Nutrition Combo How India Hemp & Co is helping cement the country’s budding hemp industry
Regulation is a Major Challenge
The global hemp and cannabis market is expected to reach $42.71 billion in 2025. Within India, Rohit estimates the domestic market worth $700-$900 million. Still, with a population of approximately 1.4 billion and a growing middle class, the potential market for cannabis products is substantial.
Hemp-based products are gaining acceptance in the market, however, even though it is legal to use hemp seeds and leaves for medicinal purposes, the regulation on its cultivation poses a challenge.
Rohit says that cannabis is grown majorly as a wild and feral crop, and optimum quality seeds are vital to ensure standardized output in India. However, as per the commercial cultivation policy in Uttarakhand, only seeds that are below 0.3 percent THC (one of at least 113 cannabinoids identified in cannabis) are permitted, which our country lacks.
This law was adopted by the European Union and followed suit in our country without conducting any domestic research on our indigenous species. The main challenge the company faces is being able to cultivate hemp at a large scale due to the lack of regulation of the seeds below 0.3 percent THC.
The way ahead
The brand aims to continuously expand into various health, wellness, and personal care products using hemp. The company’s next target will be to develop ‘classical Ayurvedic formulations’ using the Vijaya (Cannabis sativa extract) and other adaptogens. The company is also looking to launch a premium and natural skincare line with hemp as its core ingredient.
Apart from its line of products, India Hemp Organics will also be deeply invested in two kinds of research: the first will be rooted in medicinal cannabis, conducting clinical trials on cannabis and its potential for pain management, combating the side effects of cancer, neurological ailments, arthritis, etc. This will be done in collaboration with some of the country’s top hospitals and research institutes.
The second type of research would be on studying the Indian cannabis phenotype, genotype, and chemotype to attain standardized hemp seeds that are below 0.3 per cent THC and establish a seed bank.
Disclaimer: This article is originally published on https://www.timesnownews.com/health/article/tips-for-holistic-wellness-how-to-improve-mindfulness-physical-fitness-and-overall-health/694250
