On leaving school, he joined his father as a 'helper student' in pursuit of the ancestral noble profession of Ayurveda Medicine.
He spent many late nights burning the mid-night oil, engrossed in the "Ola Leaf" Manuscripts and books on Ayurveda.
The man worked hard travelling – very often on foot- across the length and breadth of the country selling his balm, soap and mosquito coils.
The secret formula, which has been guarded for more than 200 years was disclosed to him by his father, and after working hard to promote the product, is now recognized worldwide as a leader in "Veda Beheth" (Sinhala for herbal based medicine).
Hettigoda, one of 13 candidates in a packed field that included then Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapakse and then former Prime Minister and former President Ranil Wickremesinghe, told Sri Lankan newspaper The Island that if elected, he would use his vast fortune to buy a cow for every home in the country.