Vendol Maha Narayana Balm is a small jar of herbal balm from Vendol, one of the familiar names on the Ayurvedic shelf of a Sri Lankan pharmacy. As the label on the jar says, it is made with Maha Narayana Oil, a traditional Ayurvedic oil preparation, set here into a balm that is easier to carry and apply than a bottle of oil.
The balm comes in a white 15g jar with a ridged yellow screw cap, its label printed in green, red and yellow with the Vendol target logo. The jar sits inside a matching red and green carton whose side panel is printed in Sinhala, so it arrives looking exactly as it would on a counter in Colombo or Kandy.
Vendol is the brand of Vendol Lanka Company (Pvt) Ltd, which has made and sold herbal products under that name since 1982. Its products are manufactured by Godakanda Herbals (Pvt) Ltd, its manufacturing arm, at Weweldeniya. The maker states that its production is supervised by a qualified Ayurvedic doctor and follows traditional Ayurvedic formulations.
The balm is for external use and is applied to the skin. The maker's directions name places such as the temples, forehead, both sides of the neck, the chest and the feet, and suggest keeping the area warm afterwards.
It makes a characteristically Sri Lankan thing to bring home or send to someone who knows the brand from the island. It is offered as a traditional preparation, not as a medicine.
