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Ordering ayurvedic products from Kerala, and what customs allows
Kerala is where ayurveda actually comes from.
Yes — you can buy ayurvedic products from Indian shops even if they do not deliver to your country. India Rabbit gives you a free delivery address in India. You order to that address as an ordinary domestic customer, we receive and hold the parcel free for 30 days, combine it with anything else you buy, and forward the lot to you.
Why this is hard to buy where you are
Kerala's ayurvedic houses are the source for a great deal of what is sold as ayurveda worldwide, usually at several times the price and often reformulated for export. Buying from Kottakkal, Oushadhi or Nagarjuna directly gets you the actual preparation.
Where to buy it
| Shop | What they are good for |
|---|---|
| Kottakkal Arya Vaidya Sala | The best known of the Kerala ayurvedic houses, founded 1902. The classical preparations most people are looking for. |
| Oushadhi | The Kerala government's ayurvedic manufacturer, based in Thrissur. |
| Nagarjuna | Large Kerala manufacturer with a wide classical and proprietary range. |
| Dhathri, Kerala Ayurveda | Widely available consumer ranges, often through Amazon.in and Nykaa. |
Most of these sell readily to Indian addresses, and several also appear on Amazon.in and Nykaa, which is often the easier route.
What to check before you order
- Cosmetic and personal-care items — hair oils, soaps, face packs, toothpowder — are usually straightforward and are the bulk of what we forward in this category.
- Anything positioned as a medicine is a different question, and the answer depends on your destination. Check your country's restrictions page before you order.
- Liquids are heavy and can leak. Oils in glass are the most common cause of a damaged consolidated box; buy plastic where there is a choice.
- Classical preparations are usually listed by their Sanskrit name. If you are looking for something specific, search that rather than the English description.
Weight, customs and getting it here intact
Weight
Oils and liquid preparations are dense — a litre is a kilogram before packaging. Tablets, churnam and powders are far lighter, and a large order of those can still be a small parcel.
Volume
Glass bottles need padding, and padding is volume. This is one category where volumetric weight regularly exceeds actual weight, so check both before ordering a large liquid order.
Customs
This is the category to read the restrictions page for before you buy, not after. Several destinations restrict or prohibit ingestible herbal preparations outright, some require documentation, and rules turn on the ingredients rather than the label. Check what your destination allows.
Condition
Anything classed as medicine is restricted to our Premium service, because the economy consolidators will not carry it. The calculator has a switch for this and it changes the quote.
Where we send it
Pick your country for transit times and customs notes.
- the UAE
- Saudi Arabia
- Qatar
- Kuwait
- Oman
- Bahrain
- the USA
- the UK
- Ireland
- Switzerland
- Canada
- Australia
- New Zealand
- Singapore
- Malaysia
- Germany
- the Netherlands
- Italy
- Spain
- Belgium
- Austria
- Sweden
- Norway
- Sri Lanka
- the Philippines
- Japan
- France
- Nepal
- China
- Bangladesh
- South Africa
- Poland
- Nigeria
- Thailand
- Kenya
- Hong Kong
- Denmark
- Mauritius
- Indonesia
- Zambia
- Georgia
- Uganda
- Tanzania
- the Maldives
- Kazakhstan
- Ghana
- Finland
- Armenia
- All destinations
Questions
Can I have ayurvedic products shipped to my country?
Cosmetic and personal-care items generally, yes. Ingestible preparations depend entirely on your destination — some allow them, some restrict them, some prohibit them. Check your country's prohibited items page before ordering, because that is the decision point.
Why do you ask whether an order contains medicine?
Because it changes what we can do with it. Economy consolidators will not carry medicine, so those orders go by Premium service only, and the quote reflects that.
Is Kottakkal cheaper bought from India?
Usually substantially, and the range is far wider than export ranges. Whether that survives the shipping cost depends on weight — liquids often do not, powders and tablets usually do.
Do I need a prescription?
For anything classed as medicine, some destinations require one. It depends entirely on where you are, which is why the restrictions page for your country is the thing to read before ordering.
Which destinations are strictest?
The Gulf states are generally more particular than Europe or North America about ingestible herbal preparations, and the rule turns on the ingredients rather than the label. Check your country page; if a specific preparation is unclear, ask us before you buy.
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