Dabba Chetty Kadai / Dabba Chetty Shop, Mylapore – the Best Nattu Marunthu Kadai / Shop to buy Organic Medicinal Herbs & Medicines, Deepavali Lehyam, Prasava Legiyam in Chennai : One of the oldest Nattu Marunthu Kadai (country drug shops) in Chennai, famous for Ayurvedic remedies, herbal cures, & natural health products– Travel Guide, Travel Guide, Phone Number / New Address, Review (Updated)
– 141-years old natural country medicine shop
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The Dabba Chetty Shop / Dabba Chetty Kadai is one of the most famous, 141-years old country medicine shop – the Nattu Marunthu Kadai / shop (நாட்டு மருந்து கடை) in Mylapore, Chennai.
This shop was popularly called the ‘Dabba Chetty Kadai’, as earlier at this shop, all the natural and organic herbs, medicines were neatly put on display in metal tin containers which eventually became the official and famous name of this shop. The Dabba Chetty Shop supplies quality and nominally priced home medicine and herbal extracts – Naatu Marndhu to people across the world. 
Currently, the Dabba Chetty Shop is managed by Sri. Badrinath from 1970, who is part of the Chetty family’s third generation to run the company started by his grandfather Sri Krishnaswamy Chetty, along with his brother. He is much more familiar with knowledge about herbal medicines.
Dabba Chetty Kadai The Timeless Herbal Treasure Of Mylapore
Dabba Chetty Kadai, one of the oldest Nattu Marunthu Kadai or country drug shops in the city, famous for its Ayurvedic remedies, herbal cures, and natural health products. Amid the honking traffic and everyday bustle of Mylapore, this shop stands as a living reminder of Chennai heritage and traditional medicine culture, a place where herbal healing, Ayurveda, and old world charm come together.
History and Significance of Dabba Chetty Kadai
The story of Dabba Chetty Kadai goes back to 1885, when it was founded by Krishnaswamy Chetty along with his brother on the busy Kutchery Road, originally as a general kirana store that also sold paints and herbs. Over time, the brothers decided to split the business, and Krishnaswamy chose to focus solely on herbal drugs and natural remedies. Because the neatly arranged tin containers, or dabbas, holding hundreds of medicinal herbs became such a distinct feature of the shop, locals began calling it the Dabba Chetty Kadai, a name that eventually became official.
The shop found true purpose when the Venkataramana Ayurvedic College opened nearby in 1905, turning this humble store into a trusted supplier of herbal raw materials for the dispensary, cementing its place in Chennai traditional medicine history. While the shop began its journey on Kutchery Road, it has since moved and now operates from New No 09, North Mada Street, Mylapore, Chennai 600004, continuing the same legacy in its new home.
Today, the shop is run by Koonala Badrinath, the third generation of the family, who took over from his father, R Kannaiah Chetty, after completing his commerce degree and learning the trade by simply observing and assisting at the counter for years. With close to two to three hundred herbal items stocked in steel tins, Badrinath and his wife Shobana know every single product by heart, a skill built over four decades of dedication. Customers walk in asking for panam kalkandu, or palm candy, natu chakkarai, or palm sugar, and a range of ready made lehyams, since people today prefer quick, packaged herbal remedies over preparing them at home. Two products stand out as best sellers, the festive Deepavali legiyam, a digestive mix sold only for a couple of weeks around the festival, and the ever popular post natal legiyam, which comes bundled with small items like a vasambu bangle and kajal dabba, much loved by new mothers even today.
What makes Dabba Chetty Kadai truly special is the personal touch that has kept it relevant for over a century. Badrinath does not just sell medicine, he listens, understands the ailment, and offers suggestions rooted in Ayurveda and natural healing, while honestly telling customers to consult allopathy when a quick cure is needed. Loyal customers even travel from across India and abroad, from the United States, Australia, the Middle East, and Europe, proving that word of mouth and consistent quality still hold their ground in a digital age.
Dabba Chetty Kadai is not just a shop selling herbal medicine, it is a piece of living history, a symbol of Chennai food and wellness culture, and a reminder that some traditions are simply worth preserving.
The Dabba Chetty Shop when it was started in 1885 actually sold paint hardware and other things along with natural herbal medicines, which turned to specialize in herbal medicines in early 1890. The development of this herbal medicine specialty shop happens with the starting of the Venkataramana Ayurvedic College near this shop in 1905, which provided the opportunity for the shop to supply the dispensary run by the College with raw materials. At Dabba Chetty Kadai we can buy quality traditional ayurvedic medicine, such as spices, seeds nuts.
Dabba Chetty Shop / Dabba Chetty Kadai is famous for selling quality Triphala, which is one of the most powerful herbal preparation consists of Amla, Haritaki and Bibhitaki, Ashwagandha, which has got a wide-ranging health benefits. Some of the other most famously popular items are Sukku, Adhimadhuram, Kadukaai, Kandathipili, Herbal oil Homam, Panam Kalkandu, herbal facial and bathing powders were also available.
Famous traditional legiyam at Dabba Chetty Kadai / Shop:
1. Prasava legiyam, the Post-natal Lehyam which is meant for young age Mothers.
2. Deepavali Lehyam / Deepavali Marundhu, is a special recipe that is made up of a mixture prepared on the herbs, condiments, and spices prescribed by Ayurveda to aid easier digestion.
Most of the Dabba Chetty Kadai’s raw materials bought from Kerala, Andhra Pradesh, and others are locally within the city. It also sells ready-made blends and mixes that are manufactured using natural ingredients.
Currently, the high demanded Siddha medicine at this Nattu Marunthu Kadai is the Kabasura kudineer (கபசுர குடிநீர்) and Nilavembu Kudineer (நிலவேம்புக் குடிநீர்).
Address Update: Dabba Chetty Shop / Dabba Chetty Kadai, Mylapore Shop New Address:
From December 23 – 2022, the 137-year-old Dabba Chetty Shop shifted to a new address location on North Mada Street, Vinayaka Nagar Colony, just nearby Kancheepuram S.M. Silks, Mylapore. New No 9, North Mada Street, Vinayaka Nagar Colony, Mylapore Chennai, Tamil Nadu 600004.
Dabba Chetty Shop, Mylapore Contact Number & Address (Updated):
New Dabba Chetty Shop Address:
Dabba Chetty Shop For All Country Drugs / Nattu Marunthu Kadai (நாட்டு மருந்து கடை)
K. Badrinath
New No. 09, North Mada Street, Mylapore, Chennai – 600 004
Phone: 24985125
SMS: 98844 15616
Landmark: next to Kancheepuram S.M. Silks – Mylapore
Contact Number: 044 2498 5125
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