The Nanal dynasty goes back to 1893 when Vaidya bhushan Purshottam shastri was born. Vaidya Bhushan Purshottam Shastri after studying the traditional systems of ayurveda and the dashgranth (the ten epics), he devoted his life to Ayurveda. He knew that if Ayurveda was to survive the changing times and keep up with the onslaught of new medicinal concepts, then research in the subject along with a college to teach the subject was necessary. He played an important role in setting up three of Pune’s main pillars of the Ayurveda system of medicine: the Tilak Ayurveda College, the Seth Tarachand Ramnath Hospital and the Ayurveda Rasashala, where research and production of ayurvedic medicines takes place. It was his foresight and constant belief that even in the modern world there is a place for Ayurveda.

Vaidya Purshottamshastri’s son Vaidya Madhusudan Nanal carried the tradition handed down to him even further. Equally keen on ayurvedic research, one of his medicines helped alleviate the suffering of mentally challenged children and those suffering from mental illness. In the 1930s and 1940s, he also successfully experimented with cobra venom to help cure various diseases. He worked successfully with several plants, which find no mention in ayurvedic textbooks.


Today the third generation of the Nanal family is actively involved in Vaidya Vilas Nanal carrying on the grand old tradition. Western medicine and the allopathic system have no cures for several problems like lohashinat, raktakshay, psoriasis, atrophic rhinitis. Vaidya Vilas Nanal has successfully undertaken research in these areas and is busy developing a scientific ayurvedic cure for the same. For three years Vaidya Vilas Nanal worked at C–DAC assisting as a domain expert. He studied plants all over India and initiated a computer listing of the same. Foreign tours, writing for various periodicals, looking after patients and yet his interest in research continues unabated. Creating awareness about ayurveda and to take the results of this research to the masses, V. Nanal, along with like–minded colleagues started this foundation.