Sri Lanka, Nov. 19 -- The Sri Lanka Ayurvedic Pharmaceuticals Corporation is facing a major production crisis due to a severe shortage of essential medicinal plants required for local Ayurvedic drug manufacturing.

Registered suppliers have informed the corporation that many traditional herbs are now extremely difficult to source due to nationwide shortages, forcing the corporation to seek alternative procurement methods, Chairperson Geethamani Karunaratne said. As a result, the corporation has decided to purchase medicinal plants from external sources, even outside its registered supplier network, to maintain production levels.

Among the herbs in critical shortage are aloe vera, kiratha, ranawara bark, napothu, raw hathawariya yam, dr...