At the tender age of 18 years, Vibha Harish got diagnosed with Polycystic Ovarian Disease (PCOD), a hormonal disorder common among Indian women. She was a young college student then and wanted to get out of this disorder.
Describing her condition, Vibha said, “My periods were irregular, I had severe acne and hair fall. I visited many doctors and opted for various treatments. But nothing helped.”
Her struggle with the disorder came to an end when she found a solution in age-old wisdom that we often hear from our parents. She attributes her success to a good lifestyle with healthy food habits and a proper sleep cycle.
By following this simple mantra, the Bengaluru-based girl, Vibha’s life turned upside down. Sharing her experience on the same, the 26-year-old said, “Within a few months of taking a herbal and ayurvedic approach to my lifestyle, I noticed a drastic change in my health. Even my PCOD was now under control.”
During her quest to find a solution to this underlying disorder, Vibha came across various brands that claimed to provide a quick solution. “For example, for acne, there were creams that solved the problem overnight. However, they were not focussed on providing an overall change in health and a long-term solution which would prevent the condition from recurring,” she added.
She was researching Ayurveda to cure her problem. After seeing the false claims of various chemical-based brands, Vibha decided to share with the world an alternative solution. This is how she came up with her brand called CosMix.
CosMix offers herbal, plant-based products that focus on enhancing the body through nutrition. Within a single year, her brand had earned her a revenue of Rs 2 crores. This got Vibha featured in Forbes Asia’s 30 Under 30 list, for her out-of-the-box idea. The brand has received positive reviews and has helped hundreds of women across India.
How Herbal Approach To life Helped Vibha?
During her treatment initially, Vibha tried several solutions. She took various medicines that showed immediate results but they were all short-lived. “This took a toll on me and I felt there was no escape from PCOD. However, my mother, Rashmi Harish who is a homeopathy doctor in Bengaluru suggested that I try an ayurvedic approach to my diet. At first, I was unsure about it and did not take her advice. But every day, my mother would add superfoods or herbs like ashwagandha or Shatavari into my food. Slowly, my skin began getting clearer and within a few months, my periods were regular too,” shared Vibha.
The positive results pushed Vibha to do more intensive research on the subject. “Instead of waiting for others to bring these solutions to the world, I decided to work on them myself. So, I quit my corporate job and started speaking to herbalists and ayurvedic practitioners from all around the world including Singapore, USA among others. With their help as well as my mother’s, I was able to understand how a mix of two herbs can benefit a bodily function. Apart from this, I also took a short online course on Herbalism,” revealed Vibha.
Once she gained a good understanding of the benefits of different herbs, she registered her business in January 2019. She then went on to visit several farms across Karnataka to identify organic cultivators and began to formulate six different products that helped improve gut health and build immunity. “By the end of 2019, I came up with six different products. All of them are natural and preservative-free,” said Vibha.
An online website to sell these products was created and within one year, they were able to launch nine products, build a customer base of 60,000 people all over the country, besides clocking a turnover of 2 crores.
Vibha’s New Venture
Vibha did not stop here. During COVID-19, she discovered the problem of malnutrition in children between the ages of three to six. To tackle the issue, Vibha and her in-house ayurvedic specialist came up with a nutrition bar made of peanuts, quinoa, spirulina, jaggery, and more.
After getting it certified, Vibha launched the ‘Nutrition For All’ program and worked with Anganwadis (rural child care centers) to distribute the nutrient bars to the children in need. To date, 2,50,000 bars have been distributed to 1400 children.
All the powders available on CosMix can be consumed by mixing them in water, food, milk, or can be used to make smoothies. We Wish Vibha more success in this journey of finding holistic approaches for the treatment of various health issues.