The Herbs from India line of tablets was introduced by ITM in 1996. ITM imports the prepared formulas, in powder form, from Universal Medicaments, a manufacturer in Nagpur, India, certified for its 'Good Manufacturing Practices' and adherence to World Health Organization standards. The powders (dried extracts) are made into tablets in the U.S. Universal Medicaments sells the same or similar formulations in India, packed in capsules. The tablets permit a higher dosage (500 mg caplets are used) than the capsules (400 mg per capsule is the amount provided in India) to reflect the higher average body weight of Americans compared to the people of India.
The current Herbs from India line is comprised of 9 proprietary formulas developed by specialists at Universal Medicaments and prepared as dried extracts (5:1 concentration ratio), plus 2 traditional formulas: Triphala (modified by adding a small amount of ginger) and Hingwastaka, prepared as crude powders (in accordance with their traditional method of preparation), and one formulation (Cordifolan) designed by the current author (prepared as an extract). The Herbs from India labels feature the neem leaf, representing one of the most widely used of the Indian herbs. The modern formulas have been given new names, usually derived from the botanical or Indian name of one or two of the key herbs in the combination. For example, Karnim is named after karela and neem (also spelled nim); Saracant is named after its key ingredient Saraca indica (often referred to as Ashoka or Asoka). The traditional formulas retain their original names, though the spelling can vary depending on the transliteration used.