After earning many degrees from the University of Michigan in the fields of Math, Physics, Biophysics and Emergency Medicine and studying numerous adjunct healing modalities in Ann Arbor, Prashanti moved to India in 1990 to study Advaita and the Vedic Sciences including Ayurveda, Vastu shastra, Yoga, Jyotish, etc. Traveling all over India training as an Ethnopharmacologist and living in North India he started to treat hundreds of sick locals and foreigners that came to him with a vast number of health issues.
To ensure high quality formulas for his clients, following his teacher’s guidance, he started an Ayurvedic herb company in 1993 in North India where he grew, wildcrafted and processed the herbs by hand. As the reputation for these herbs grew a beautiful team called ‘Organic India’ emerged to serve the demand in a socially responsible and environmentally sustainable way. Now over 4000 farms in Northern India are transformed helping the farmers to lift the land out of the dire straits of the chemical/Mansanto mentality and into the realms of certified organic, Biodynamic, Fair Trade, Agnihotra herbal havens. Concurrent projects instill sustainable herbal wildcrafting amongst thousands of tribals in central India and also in the fragile ecosystems of the High Himalayas. These projects earned Organic India the award for “The Most Socially Responsible Company” in the entire natural products Industry of about 25,000 companies, an award cognate in its own way with the Noble prize.
While continuing his work with Organic India, he constantly edits and writes articles for numerous magazines and his own books, teaches classes on herbs and Ayurvedic Medicine around the world from the Mayo Clinic to Children in local school and creates an Ayurvedic Center in San Francisco. This Center houses a Clinic, one of the best Yoga-Ayurveda-Indological Libraries in the country, an excellent Apothecary, and is capable of creating very high quality premium medicines and formulas.
WESTERN FORMAL EDUCATION:
• B.S, Calvin College 1984 (Engineering major, Religion & Philosophy minor)
• B.S. University of Michigan 1985 (Aerospace Engineering major, Dance minor)
• M.S. University of Michigan 1986 (Aerospace Engineering major, Dance minor)
• PhD. Candidate, University of Michigan 1988 (Electrical Biophysics)
• EMT, Huron Valley Ambulance 1988 (Emergency Medicine Technician)
BOOKS WRITTEN:
• Turmeric, The Ayurvedic Spice of Life, Vidyasagar Publications 1998
• The Truth Is: Redwheel Weiser, 1996 (Advaita teachings of H.W.L. Poonja)
• This: Redwheel Weiser, 1996 (Advaita teachings of H.W.L. Poonja
AWARDS
• The Most Socially Responsible Company in the Natural Product Industry (won by Organic India in 2005)
• Bioneers: Acknowledged as a Bioneer in global sustainability and have taught at Bioneers. (www.bioneers.org)
• Numerous awards for Scholastic and Athletic excellence
