THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: With facemasks becoming a necessity, people are looking at various options -- biodegradable or those that can be incorporated as part of their daily wear. Keeping this in mind, two Kudumbashree units—Manikanteswara and Vandana under the city corporation development societies—have started manufacturing ‘Ayurmasks’ using natural substances. The Ayurmasks are being manufactured in association with the State Ayush Department.
“A training session for manufacturing Ayurmasks was organised for the Kudumbashree units and the manufacturing has already begun. We have received bulk orders from different organisations and more enquiries are coming in for the same,” said Rohini A M, district programme manager, Kudumbashree.
She also added that due to the increasing demand for these herbal facemasks, more Kudumbashree units in the district will be trained to manufacture these masks.
The Kudumbashree units have been trained under the leadership of Dr Anand S, district president of Ayurveda Medical Association of India (AMAI). The masks have been manufactured using the extracts of medicinal plants. Extracts of tulsi and turmeric are mixed with other herbal extracts in required quantities.
The cloth is then dyed in the herbal solution for several hours to release the vapours from the herbs on to the handloom cloth.
“The medicinal properties released on to the handloom cloth is beneficial for the respiratory organs. It is washable and can be used for up to 15 days,” said Rohini. The masks are priced at `30 each. Three-layer and cone-shaped Ayurmasks are available. Kudumbashree has been manufacturing masks since March to contain the spread of the pandemic. Till now, around four lakh cloth masks have been manufactured and sold in the district.
The Kudumbashree unit at Karakullam, Akshayam had manufactured TMC shields and protective gear for medical professionals who are engaged in the treatment of Covid-19 patients. Around three lakh orders for such face shields have been made, out of which one lakh have already been dispatched. Besides Ayurmasks, the Kudumbashree units also manufacture fashionable masks.