How to Read an Indian Supplement Label: AYUSH, FSSAI, GMP

An AYUSH licence number on an Indian supplement means the factory that made it holds a manufacturing licence for Ayurvedic, Siddha or Unani medicines, issued by an Indian state licensing authority under the Drugs and Cosmetics Rules. It tells you the product came from a licensed, inspectable site. It does not mean the Indian government approved that product for a particular use, or tested the batch you are holding. This guide explains the AYUSH licence, the FSSAI licence and everything else printed on an Indian pack, and how to check a product against UK rules.

Two routes: AYUSH medicine or FSSAI food

In India, a herbal product reaches the market by one of two broad routes, and the label usually tells you which.

	AYUSH route	FSSAI route
Legal category in India	Ayurvedic, Siddha or Unani drug	Food: health supplement or nutraceutical
Main law	Drugs and Cosmetics Act 1940 and Rules 1945	Food Safety and Standards Act 2006 and the Nutra Regulations 2022
Licence printed on pack	Manufacturing licence number (often “Mfg. Lic. No.” or “Lic. No.”)	14-digit FSSAI licence number with the FSSAI logo
Typical wording	“Ayurvedic medicine” or “Ayurvedic proprietary medicine”	“HEALTH SUPPLEMENT” and “NOT FOR MEDICINAL USE”
Typical products	Churnas, guggulus, vatis, classical formulas	Vitamin and mineral tablets, standardised extracts, blends

Neither licence is a product approval in the way a UK licensed medicine is approved. Both confirm the business is registered and its premises meet set standards. In the UK, products from either route are generally sold as food supplements, a point we return to below.

What an AYUSH-route label must show

Rule 161 of India’s Drugs and Cosmetics Rules sets out what must appear on an Ayurvedic medicine label. In summary:

• The name of the medicine and the net contents (by weight, volume or number).
• The manufacturer’s name and address.
• The manufacturing licence number, batch number, date of manufacture and expiry date.
• The words “Ayurvedic medicine” (or “Siddha medicine” or “Unani medicine”).
• A true list of ingredients giving the botanical name, the plant part used, the form and the quantity.
• For classical formulas, a reference to the authoritative text the recipe comes from.
• “For external use only” where relevant.
• “Caution: To be taken under medical supervision”, in English and Hindi, if the medicine contains a substance listed in Schedule E(1).

A well-labelled product such as Baidyanath Medohar Guggulu is a useful example to compare against: look for the licence number, batch details and the ingredient list with plant parts. If a pack claiming to be an Ayurvedic medicine is missing several of these, treat that as a warning sign.

Classical (shastrokt) or proprietary?

Indian law separates two kinds of Ayurvedic medicine, and the difference matters when you compare products.

• Classical or shastrokt formulas follow a recipe from one of the authoritative texts recognised in the First Schedule of the Drugs and Cosmetics Act. Triphala churna, Chyawanprash and the classical guggulus are examples.
• Proprietary formulas (often labelled “Ayurvedic proprietary medicine” or “P & P medicine”) use ingredients drawn from Ayurvedic texts but in a blend the company designed. Two products with similar names can be completely different inside.

Do not assume two products are equivalent because their names sound alike. Read the ingredient list.

Reading the FSSAI side of the pack

Products made under India’s food rules, such as many vitamin, mineral and extract tablets, carry a 14-digit FSSAI licence number. Under the 2022 Nutra Regulations a health supplement label should also show:

• “HEALTH SUPPLEMENT” (or similar) in capitals next to the product name.
• “NOT FOR MEDICINAL USE” in capitals.
• The amount of each nutrient or active substance per serving, with nutrients as a percentage of the Indian recommended dietary allowance.
• “Not to exceed the recommended daily usage”, the target group, a statement that it is not a substitute for a varied diet, and a warning to keep out of reach of children.

As with AYUSH, the FSSAI number shows the business is licensed. For most products it does not mean FSSAI checked that particular formula.

GMP, WHO-GMP and other quality marks

Ayurvedic manufacturers in India must meet Good Manufacturing Practice set out in Schedule T of the Drugs and Cosmetics Rules, which covers premises, hygiene, water, raw-material storage and record keeping. Some factories also hold a WHO-GMP certificate, usually issued in connection with exports, and some products carry organic certification.

These marks are about how a factory works. They are worth having, but they do not prove a specific batch is free from contaminants. A US study published in JAMA in 2008 found that around three quarters of the Ayurvedic products it tested with detectable metals claimed GMP.

Botanical names, extract ratios and standardisation

The ingredient list is where most of the useful information is. Check three things.

• The Latin name and plant part. “Shatavari (Asparagus racemosus) root” is far more informative than “Shatavari”. It lets you check the right plant and the right part is used, and is how you search UK safety lists.
• Whole herb or extract. A powder such as Kapiva Organic Shatavari Powder is simply the dried, ground root. A tablet such as Himalaya Shatavari tablets may contain an extract. An extract ratio such as 10:1 means roughly ten parts of raw herb went into one part of extract.
• Standardisation. Some extracts are standardised to a marker compound, such as “95% curcuminoids” for turmeric. Branded ingredients like the one in Curegarden Curcumin BCM-95 are made to a stated specification. A marker percentage tells you about consistency, not about what the product does.

For vitamins and minerals, watch for compound weight versus elemental weight. A front-of-pack figure such as “2000 mg” on Tata 1mg Magnesium Glycinate refers to magnesium glycinate per serving, not pure magnesium. The amount of elemental magnesium and the %NRV in the nutrition panel are the figures to compare. (Magnesium contributes to a reduction of tiredness and fatigue.)

Heavy metals and why lab tests matter

Heavy-metal contamination is the most serious quality concern with traditional Indian products. In a 2004 JAMA study, 14 of 70 Ayurvedic products bought in Boston (20%) contained lead, mercury or arsenic at levels that could exceed safety limits if taken as directed. A larger 2008 study found detectable metals in about one in five of 193 products bought online, made in either the US or India. Risk was highest in products that deliberately include metals or minerals (rasa shastra formulas).

India has required heavy-metal testing of purely herbal Ayurvedic, Siddha and Unani medicines for export since 2006. In Great Britain, food supplements must also meet legal maximum levels for contaminants: 3.0 mg/kg for lead, 1.0 mg/kg for cadmium (3.0 mg/kg for mainly seaweed products) and 0.1 mg/kg for mercury, as sold.

When a seller says a product is lab-tested, it is fair to ask what for (heavy metals, microbes, pesticides, identity) and whether the results apply to that batch.

The UK side: food supplement, THR medicine or neither?

In the UK, most Ayurvedic and Indian herbal products are sold as food supplements. Local Trading Standards and Environmental Health teams enforce food supplement law, and the labels must not claim to treat or prevent disease. A small number of herbal products are licensed by the MHRA as traditional herbal medicines; these carry a THR certification mark and a registration number beginning “THR”. If a product makes medicinal claims, the MHRA can treat it as an unlicensed medicine.

The MHRA also publishes a list of banned and restricted herbal ingredients for medicines. Several plants used in some Indian formulas are on it, including:

• Rauvolfia serpentina (sarpagandha): prescription only.
• Strychnos nux-vomica seed (kuchla): prescription only.
• Aconitum species (vatsanabha): prescription only for internal use.
• Aristolochia species: banned in unlicensed medicines.

To check a product, take each botanical name from the ingredient list and search for it on the GOV.UK page “Banned and restricted herbal ingredients”. If an ingredient is listed, do not take the product without speaking to a doctor or pharmacist. If you think a herbal product has caused a side effect, you can report it through the MHRA Yellow Card scheme.

Your label checklist

• Licence number (AYUSH or FSSAI), batch number, manufacturing date and expiry date.
• Botanical names, plant parts and amounts for every herb.
• Classical formula reference, or “proprietary medicine” wording.
• Any “to be taken under medical supervision” caution, which means the product contains a substance on India’s Schedule E(1) list. Do not self-select these.
• No ingredients on the MHRA banned or restricted list.
• Clear daily amount and, for nutrients, %NRV.
• A seller who can tell you what testing has been done.

Simple, single-ingredient products are the easiest to check. Organic India Sat-Isabgol psyllium husk, for example, contains one ingredient, so there is little to decode. For the wider safety picture, read Is Ayurveda safe? Our UK guide, and for brand background see authentic Indian Ayurvedic brands and our Kapiva vs Himalaya vs Dabur comparison. You can browse the full range in our shop.

Sources and further reading

• Drugs and Cosmetics Rules 1945, Rule 161 (labelling of Ayurvedic, Siddha and Unani drugs), summarised in “Labelling requirements of Ayurvedic drugs”, Mondaq, mondaq.com
• Central Consumer Protection Authority (India). Advisory on sale of Ayurvedic, Siddha and Unani drugs containing Schedule E(1) substances, 14 July 2022.
• MHRA. “Banned and restricted herbal ingredients”, gov.uk/government/publications/list-of-banned-or-restricted-herbal-ingredients-for-medicinal-use
• Department of Health and Social Care. “Guidance notes on legislation implementing Directive 2002/46/EC on food supplements”, gov.uk
• Commission Regulation (EC) No 629/2008 (maximum levels of lead, cadmium and mercury in food supplements), legislation.gov.uk/eur/2008/629
• Saper RB et al. “Lead, mercury, and arsenic in US- and Indian-manufactured Ayurvedic medicines sold via the Internet.” JAMA, 2008;300(8):915–923.

Frequently asked questions

What does an AYUSH licence number mean?

It is the manufacturing licence number issued to the factory by an Indian state licensing authority for Ayurvedic, Siddha or Unani medicines. It shows the product was made at a licensed site, but it is not a government approval of that product or a test of that batch.

Is FSSAI the same as AYUSH?

No. FSSAI licenses food businesses, including makers of health supplements and nutraceuticals, while AYUSH-route licences cover Ayurvedic, Siddha and Unani medicines. Check which one appears on the pack to understand how the product is classed in India.

What does “to be taken under medical supervision” mean on an Ayurvedic product?

In India this caution is required when a medicine for internal use contains a substance listed in Schedule E(1) of the Drugs and Cosmetics Rules, which includes certain metals, minerals, potent plants and animal products. Do not take such a product without advice from a qualified healthcare professional.

How can I check if a herbal ingredient is allowed in the UK?

Note each botanical name from the ingredient list and search for it on the MHRA “Banned and restricted herbal ingredients” page on GOV.UK. If an ingredient appears there, speak to a doctor or pharmacist before taking the product.

Does GMP mean a product has been tested for heavy metals?

Not necessarily. GMP describes how a factory is run, while heavy-metal testing is a separate check on the ingredients or finished batch. Ask the seller what testing has been done and whether it applies to the batch you are buying.

This guide is for general information and is not medical advice. Food supplements should not replace a varied, balanced diet and a healthy lifestyle. If you are pregnant, breastfeeding, taking medication or under medical supervision, speak to a healthcare professional before using herbal supplements.