Hamdard India, formally Hamdard Laboratories India, is an Indian manufacturer of Unani medicines, herbal healthcare products, and consumer foods and beverages. Headquartered in New Delhi, it is among the best-known producers of Unani pharmaceutical preparations in South Asia and is widely associated with the herbal beverage Rooh Afza. The organisation operates as a not-for-profit trust (Hamdard National Foundation) that channels its surplus into education, healthcare, and social welfare activities.
| Type | Unani pharmaceutical and consumer products company; operated under a charitable trust |
|---|---|
| Industry | Pharmaceuticals (Unani), herbal healthcare, food and beverages |
| Founded | 1906, Delhi (as a Unani dispensary) |
| Founder | Hakim Hafiz Abdul Majeed |
| Headquarters | New Delhi, India |
| Charitable arm | Hamdard National Foundation (India) |
| Notable products | Rooh Afza, Safi, Cinkara, Sualin, Roghan Badam Shirin, Pachnol |
| Affiliated institution | Jamia Hamdard, New Delhi |
Hamdard ("sympathy" or "fellow-sufferer" in Persian and Urdu) traces its origin to a small Unani clinic established in Old Delhi in 1906 by Hakim Hafiz Abdul Majeed. After his death, the enterprise was carried forward by his sons, including Hakim Abdul Hameed and Hakim Mohammed Said. Following the Partition of India in 1947, the family business divided geographically: Hakim Abdul Hameed continued the Indian operations from Delhi, while Hakim Mohammed Said founded a separate Hamdard organisation in Pakistan, which later also extended to Bangladesh. The three Hamdard entities have since operated independently of one another.
In 1948, Hakim Abdul Hameed converted Hamdard's Indian business into a waqf (charitable trust), formalising its non-profit character. The commercial activities are conducted by Hamdard Laboratories India, while charitable activities are managed through the Hamdard National Foundation. Surplus revenues are reinvested in education, medical relief, and Unani research rather than distributed to private shareholders.
Hamdard's product range spans classical Unani formulations and modern consumer products positioned around herbal wellness.
The Hamdard National Foundation channels resources into a cluster of institutions in Tughlaqabad, New Delhi, including Jamia Hamdard, which offers programmes in pharmacy, medicine, Unani studies, nursing, and management. Other affiliated establishments have included Hamdard Public School, Rufaida Al-Aslamia Institute of Nursing, the Hamdard Institute of Medical Sciences and Research (HIMSR) and its associated Hakeem Abdul Hameed Centenary Hospital, and the Hamdard University Dental College. The Foundation also runs scholarship and Unani research programmes.
Hamdard India occupies a distinctive position at the intersection of traditional medicine, mass-market consumer goods, and philanthropy. It has played a central role in the institutionalisation of Unani medicine in independent India, helping move the system from family-based hakim practice to formal pharmaceutical manufacture, regulated education, and university-level research. Its flagship product Rooh Afza has acquired cultural resonance, particularly in association with Ramzan and the summer months in North India. The trust-based ownership model is often cited as a notable example of an Indian enterprise operating on charitable lines while competing in commercial markets.