(Qty.2) Pan Parag Pan Masala. 100 grams each. Mouth Freshener

Product Information

The aqueous and solvent (DMSO) extracts of the Manik Chand brand of PM with and without Zarda were prepared. A preliminary experiment to evaluate the toxic dose level was initiated by exposing mice to doses of 0.2, 0.5, 1.0 and 2 g/kg bwt PM through the ip route. The animals could not tolerate doses of 0.5 g/kg b wt and above; therefore, the experimental animals were actually exposed to 8, 40 & 200 mg/kg bwt. One group (a) was exposed for two weeks ip, and another group was exposed through oral feeding for three months. Distilled water (0.1 mL) or DMSO (02 mL) was administered as a negative control, while benzo[a]pyrene or trichloroacetic acid was used as a positive control. After scheduled ip exposure, only histopathological and hematological evaluation could be done, whereas in the group exposed for 3 months, histopathological hematological cytogenetic and spermatological studies were performed. (b) Another group of animals received ethanol PM extract through oral intubations for ninety days. Special emphasis was placed on examining testicular tissue, and biochemical parameters, such as glycogen, cholesterol and protein, were estimated in testicular tissue. Histopathological alterations and the weights of different organs were also recorded. (c) For the chronic toxicity studies, PM with and without Zarda was mixed with feed and fed to the animals routinely.

Those growing up in the late ’80s and early ’90s would certainly identify with this particular expression of genial demand. At a time when 24/7 television was still a dream in India, “Aur mere liye” — from a Pan Parag ad featuring actor Jalal Agha — caught on quite fast among the then wide-eyed Doordarshan viewers. One can certainly recall a time when while giving anything to anyone — young or old, there was the high chance of someone piping up — with palms forward, eyes eager — “Aur mere liye?” Also, “Ek se mera kya hoga?” The banter would continue, with the appropriate reciprocation expected of you, “Toh aap do lijiye.” A knowing laugh would ensue. This is why the IARC has classified pan, both with and without tobacco, as carcinogenic. Although the IARC does not specifically mention pan masala in its list of carcinogens, it goes without saying that pan masala is also a carcinogen given that it contains the same ingredients as pan.Put another way, if you were selling pencils and making only 10 rupees but spending 1000 rupees per day to market your pencils, your pencil business isn’t going to last for a long time. The study suggests that the Pan Parag pan masala advertisements were actually a surrogate for the company’s tobacco products i.e., the company advertises its non-tobacco products but makes money by selling the tobacco products. Additionally, the number of people in India at the time that actually used tobacco-free pan masala was too small to require such heavy ad spends which again suggests that they are a surrogate for their tobacco products. Most Indians do not know about the harmful effects of the other ingredients in pan and pan masala. They only know that tobacco can cause cancer due to public health initiatives but don’t know that betel nut can also cause cancer. In fact, many people believe that pan masalas are beneficial for mouth freshening, cleaning, and digestion due to their pleasant taste and sweetness. Pan masala companies take advantage of this by removing only tobacco from their pan masala and sell it as tobacco-free pan masala. No wonder when Agha passed away at a rather young age in 1995, along with the Helen starrer Sholay hit “Mehbooba mehbooba” where he hammered on the drums with abandon, the Pan Parag TV ad with the catchy jingle “Pan Parag pan masala” was also a point of recall for the general public. So was his print ad for the brand with yet another top-rated yesteryear Bollywood vamp, Kalpana Iyer. With those one-liners — “The taste of the good times”; “A certain taste, a certain style.”

And that’s exactly what pan masala companies did! They removed the tobacco and started advertising the new and improved, completely safe tobacco-free pan masala. The Vimal Pan Masala ad is an example of this. Is pan masala harmful still? If the pan masala companies are behaving themselves, why am I writing this article? Because tobacco is not the only carcinogen in pan masala. Solution – Stricter and broader laws that include regulations on carcinogens rather than individual ingredients should be formulated to make it even more difficult for pan masala companies to sell their products. Both tobacco and betel nut are carcinogenic, and we need better strategies than simply banning tobacco-based pan masalas to reduce their usage. The India pan masala market has several major players, including Dinesh Pouches Private Limited, DS Group, Manikchand Group, Pan Bahar Products Private Limited, Pan Parag India Limited, Red Rose Group of Companies, and Shikhar Group. More information about these companies has been provided below. 1. Dinesh Pouches Private LimitedOne study in 2005 found that Pan Parag’s (a popular pan masala brand) annual cost of advertising on just 2 TV channels was 3.8 times greater than its annual sale value. Based on the study’s figures Pan Parag should have gone bankrupt but it didn’t!