{"id":98297,"date":"2021-07-20T15:00:38","date_gmt":"2021-07-20T09:30:38","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.altnews.in\/english-clone-2026\/?p=98297"},"modified":"2022-04-02T16:19:49","modified_gmt":"2022-04-02T10:49:49","slug":"fact-check-does-himalayas-neem-tulasi-lasuna-supplements-contain-bovine-extract","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.altnews.in\/english-clone-2026\/fact-check-does-himalayas-neem-tulasi-lasuna-supplements-contain-bovine-extract\/","title":{"rendered":"Fact-Check: Does Himalaya’s neem, tulasi, lasuna supplements contain bovine extract?"},"content":{"rendered":"

In the second week of July, several social media users shared a claim suggesting that the Himalaya Drug Company’s neem, tulasi, and lasuna supplements contain halal-certified meat. This claim has been supported with an image of a photocopy of a 2015 e-mail exchange between Avtar Singh (hari@ramgauarakshadal.com) and Himalaya’s customer service manager<\/span> Ms Tara Sharad Charun (customerservice@himalayawellness.com).<\/span><\/p>\n

The email reads, “Dear Mr Singh Thank you for contacting us once again. Presently, our Pure Herb capsule shells (including Neem, Tulasi & Lasuna) available in Indian market are hard Gelatin. The gelatin capsules contain Pharmaceutical grade gelatin which is of Bovine bone origin and Halal certified. Our best wishes towards your well-being. Regards”<\/p>\n

Several Twitter users have targeted the company including BJP supporters Sanjeev Newar<\/a> and Arun Pudur<\/a>. Newar is followed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Their tweets gained over 3,000 retweets.<\/p>\n

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Several Facebook accounts<\/a> have also shared this claim.<\/p>\n

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Screenshot from CrowdTangle, a social media monitoring tool<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

FACT-CHECK<\/h4>\n

As per the company’s website, neem<\/a>, tulsi<\/a>, and lasuna<\/a> supplements are 100% vegetarian tablets and not capsules<\/span>.<\/strong><\/p>\n

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Types of capsules<\/strong><\/p>\n

Capsules can be broadly categorised into vegetarian and non-vegetarian. The former are typically gelatin-based while the latter is based on starch or hydroxypropyl methylcellulose (HPMC). According to a 2018 report<\/a>, 98% of the Indian pharmaceutical industry uses animal parts-based capsules.<\/p>\n

What is gelatin?\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

As per PETA, “Gelatin is a protein obtained by boiling skin, tendons, ligaments, and\/or bones with water. It is usually obtained from cows or pigs. Gelatin is used in shampoos, face masks, and other cosmetics; as a thickener for fruit gelatins and puddings (such as Jell-O); in candies, marshmallows, cakes, ice cream, and yogurts; on photographic film; and in vitamins as a coating and as capsules.” A National Center for Biotechnology Information study<\/a> mentions that gelatin is a very popular pharmaceutical and food ingredient and the most studied ingredient in Halal researches.<\/p>\n

Himalaya’s response\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

In order to address the social media controversy, the company shared an official social media statement, “Himalaya Wellness does not use gelatin capsules in any product for human consumption in India. All our products are in tablet form or in vegetable capsules. We wish to clarify that the information mentioned in the social media posts is factually incorrect, and our single herb products like Neem, Tulasi, and Lasuna available in India are in tablet form and not as capsules.”<\/p>\n

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pic.twitter.com\/6GFOVQCEh1<\/a><\/p>\n

\u2014 Himalaya Wellness Company (@HimalayaIndia) July 13, 2021<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

While a Himalaya spokesperson did not clarify if the 2015 e-mail is authentic or not, as per our sources the email is genuine.<\/strong> It is noteworthy that ehe Himalaya Drug Company is routinely subjected to communal misinformation<\/a>, one of the reason being that was founded by Bengaluru-based Mohammed Manal in 1930.<\/p>\n

Type of capsule used for neem, tusali, and lasuna\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

We found a 2013 study<\/a> by the National Center for Biotechnology Information (NCBI) that mentions lasuna capsules by Himalaya Drug Company. The study has listed the product page of the lasuna capsule. This page is no longer active. However, an archive is accessible on WayBackMachine. The archived version of the Himalaya Drug Company page, previously known as Himalaya Health Care, establishes that neem<\/a>, tulasi<\/a>, and lasuna<\/a> supplements were indeed sold in capsule form. The page doesn’t state that the product was 100% vegetarian.<\/p>\n

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We performed a keyword search on Facebook and found two posts that establish that gelatine-based capsules were indeed used.<\/p>\n

In 2014, Thailand-based Facebook page ‘Namaste-Himalaya product nateral100%<\/a>‘ posted images of Himalaya Neem. As per the description in the rear, the capsules were gelatin-based.<\/p>\n

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In 2015, Facebook Page Himalaya Personal Care<\/a> confirmed the same while responding to Facebook user Atul Sarin.<\/p>\n