| Specifications︰ | In India, NEEM (Azadiracta indica or Margosa) is a very common tree. It is considered to be the “village pharmacy” and has played a key role in Ayurvedic medicine and agriculture since time immemorial. It is a large evergreen tree growing 10 to 11 meters tall. The leaves are divided into numerous leaflets, each resembling a full-grown leaf. The tree bears small white flowers in auxiliary bunches and 1.5 to 2 cm long green or yellow fruits with a seed in each. There’s no part of the tree that isn’t useful. And it has a lot more than just medicinal properties, covering everything from the roots holding the water in the soil to the shade it gives. The seeds contain substantial amount of essential oil (upto 40%) known as neem oil. The bitter constituents separated from this oil are nimbin, nimbinin, nimbicidine, azadiractin, salanin, etc.
Neem has so many characteristics that it’s not only useful for healing the earth as well as using all these products to help heal us. This is just a partial quick overview of some of the uses of neem, Healing power and curative properties: Neem tree is generally considered to be an air purifier and a preventive against malarial fever and cholera. All parts of the tree possess medicinal properties. The leaves are useful in relieving flatulence, promoting the removal of catarrhal matter and phlegm from the bronchial tubes, and in increasing secretion and discharge of urine. They also act as an insecticide. The bark is a bitter tonic and stimulant. It arrests secretions and bleeding besides counter-acting any spasmodic disorders. The root bark has the same properties as the bark of the trunk. The gum discharged by the stem is a stimulant and tonic with a soothing effect on the skin and mucous membranes.
Malaria: An infusion or a decoction of the fresh leaves is a bitter vegetable tonic and alternative, especially in chronic malarial fevers because of its action on the liver. It should be taken in doses of 15 to 50 grams.
Piles: The use of 3 grams of the inner bark of neem with 6 grams of jaggery every morning, is very effective in piles. To check bleeding piles, 3 to 4 neem fruits can be administered with water.
Leprosy: The sap of the neem tree has been found to be effective in leprosy, when taken in daily doses of 50-60 grams. Simultaneously, the patient’s body should be massaged with the sap. This regimen should be continued for about 4-6 weeks. If the sap is not available, 12 grams of neem leaves and 3 decigrams of pepper can be ground in water and taken.
Skin disorders: The leaves, applied externally, are very useful in skin diseases. They are especially beneficial in the treatment of boils, chronic ulcers, eruptions of smallpox, syphilitic sores, glandular swellings and wounds, they can be used either as a poultice, decoction or liniment. An ointment prepared from neem leaves is also very effective in healing ulcers and wounds. This ointment is prepared by frying 50 grams of leaves in 50 grams of pure ghee and mashing the mixture thoroughly in the same ghee till an ointment consistency is obtained. A paste prepared from the bark by rubbing it in water can also be applied on wounds.
Hair disorders: If there is any hair loss or it has ceased to grow, washing with the decoction of neem leaves helps. This will not only stop hair from falling but also help their growth. Frequent application of neem oil also destroys insects in the hair. It also helps in premature graying of hairs.
Eye diseases: Neem is very useful in eye diseases. Application of the juice of neem leaves to the eyes every night is highly effective in the treatment of night blindness! The leaves should be pounded and made into a thin paste with water. The juice should then be pressed out through a clean piece of cloth and applied to the eyes with an eye rod. The juice obtained by rubbing a few neem leaves with a little water and stained through a clean piece of cloth is useful in pain in the eyes caused by conjunctivitis. It is warmed, and a few drops put into the ear opposite the ailing eye, to give relief. Eyes are cured after a few applications.
Ear ailments: Steam fomentation with neem decoction provides immediate comfort in cases of earache. A handful of neem leaves should be boiled in a liter of water and the ear fomented with the steam thus produced, The juice of neem leaves mixed with an equal quantity of pure honey is an effective remedy for any boils in the ear. The juice is to be warmed a little and a few drops fused in the ear. Regular application for a few days will provide relief from such ailments. In case of an insect fluxing in the ear, the juice of neem leaves, with some common salt, is warmed and a few drops injected in the ear, kills the insect. Two drops of lukewarm neem oil put in the ear twice a day can cure deafness!
Oral disorders: Cleaning the teeth regularly with a neem twig prevents gum diseases. It firms up loose teeth, relieves toothache, evacuates the bad odor and protects the mouth from various infections.
Other Therapeutic Uses: It is effectively used against inflammation, arthritis, for fevers, malaria, anti-microbial, which means viral bacteria as well as fungal and many parasites, tumors, the ulcers, diabetes and as insecticide.
Why use antibiotics when we can use nature’s own natural products? Which also do have an anti-microbial function but on a slightly different level because it doesn’t affect the body in the same way. The main side effect of non- al and anti-inflammatory drugs is their ability to produce gastric lesions. The dosage used with neem leaf extract, 100, 300 and 1000 milligrams per kilogram, needed to produce anti-inflammatory, analgesic and anti-pyretic activity had no adverse effects in the gastric of rats. This is what’s unique about neem. It is actually as effective as phenylbutazone as an anti-inflammatory and it does not adversely affect the stomach. As a matter of fact, it helps the stomach in many ways.
Insulin is not a great answer for diabetes. But for some people, it’s the only answer. But if you could get their body to a place they needed less and less of it, which would be wonderful. And there are actually people that go from a little bit of insulin down to none with the neem administration. A remarkable number of insulin-dependent diabetics were able to reduce their insulin from thirty to fifty percent when treated with neem leaf extract and neem oil! That is significant because the less you have to take insulin, the better off you are. And there are patients that have been on oral diabetic agents taking their own blood sugars, take the neem capsule extract and find their blood sugars are normalizing and they don’t really need to take their medicines. Using the neem oil, they were able to lower fasting blood sugar twenty-six percent, which is pretty significant. The general impression is that maybe it enhances insulin receptor sensitivity since it seems to work well on Type II diabetics. And that’s basically what Type II diabetes is.
Neem oil is a vaginal contraceptive. It’s very effective as a topical drug for preventing pregnancy, used topically in the vagina. By using neem vaginal suppositories before sexual contact, it could very well prevent AIDS as well as prevent pregnancy, not to mention gonorrhea, trichomonas, chlamydia and whatever else might be in there. Neem is very useful at the time of child-birth. Administration of the juice of neem leaves to the woman in labor before the child-birth produces normal contraction in the uterus and prevents possible inflammation. It corrects bowel movements and checks onset of fevers, thereby facilitating the normal delivery. The use of a tepid decoction of neem leaves as a vaginal douche heals any wounds caused during delivery and disinfects the vaginal passage.
Neem is a very powerful insecticide to kill soil nematodes and other plant parasites and is also useful as a mosquito repellant for domestic applications!
Blood/Heart Related Diseases:
High blood pressure, blood clots, high cholesterol levels and arrhythmic heart action are major causes of heart attack. Neem leaf extracts have been shown to reduce clotting, lower blood pressure and cholesterol, slow rapid heartbeat, and inhibit irregularities of the rhythms of the heart. There are also reports that some compounds can produce effects similar to mild sedatives reducing anxiety and other emotional and physical states that can precipitate heart attacks. This may be the result of physiological effects of blood vessel dilation and lower blood pressure.
The antihistaminic action of nimbidin in leaf extracts cause blood vessels to dilate and may be responsible for reducing blood pressure. Extract of neem leaf produce a significant decrease in blood pressure which can last for several hours. Another neem leaf extract, sodium nimbidinate, administered to people with congestive cardiac failure acted successfully as a diuretic. Neem leaf extracts reduced cholesterol levels significantly in recent studies. It reduced serum cholesterol by about 30% beginning two hours after administration and kept the level low for an additional four hours until the test ended. Neem leaf extract exhibited anti-arrhythmic activity, returning to normal within eight minutes of administration, artificially induced arrhythmia. Neem extracts can also decrease abnormally high heart rates
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The native peoples of India have used Neem and Neem extracts for hundreds of years. Before toothpaste was introduced, Indians chewed neem twigs to effectively keep their teeth healthy. In Germany, Neem extract has been added to several commercial toothpaste's to prevent tooth decay and to prevent and heal gum inflammations.
The neem tree is native to both India and Burma; however, it has been introduced to Florida, Central America, and Africa. In shape, the tree resembles an oak. The seeds, leaves, and bark of the neem tree are all useful therapeutically. Neem extract from leaves, seeds, and seed oils contains a compound called SALANNIN. It is a safer and more effective insect repellent than DEET (N, N-diethyl-meta-toluamide). DEET is currently used in most commercial insect repellents and in some anti-flea shampoos. There are major drawbacks associated with DEET's use: DEET is not recommended for use on small children, young animals, or broken skin. Further, labels on products containing DEET advise to wash treated skin with soap and water after use. DEET can dissolve most synthetic fabrics, with the exception of nylon. Researchers believe that DEET may be at least partially responsible for Gulf War Syndrome. Neem, on the other hand, has been safely used for hundreds of years. Neem extract has been found to repel malaria-causing mosquitoes for up to twelve hours. It is also effective in repelling biting fleas, sand fleas and chiggers, ticks, and black flies.
Neem oil has great healing properties associated with its use. Cuts, scrapes, and rashes may be safely salved with Neem lotions and ointments. Products containing DEET warn against getting the product into damaged skin or open sores.
Neem has been shown to have some success in treating psoriasis. Application of neem to the skin, when used in conjunction with oral treatments, have been shown to be at least as effective as coal tar and cortisone treatments, and is not associated with any side effects. Coal tar, on the other hand, is both messy and smelly to use. Cortisone treatments may thin the skin upon repeated application.
Neem is antibacterial in nature. In particular, Staphylococcus aureus (which causes food poisoning, boils, and abscesses) and Salmonella thyphoss (which is responsible for food poisoning, typhoid, intestinal inflammation, and blood poisoning) are suppressed by neem. Current antibiotics are not typically useful against these two bacteria.
Neem is also antiviral in nature. German researchers have used alcohol extracts of neem seed kernels to neutralize the herpes virus.
Neem is effective against at least fourteen different, commonly found fungi. These include Trichosporon (which causes intestinal tract infection), Geotrichum (which causes bronchi, lung, and mucous membrane infections), Trichophyton (which is responsible for athlete's foot), and Epidermophyton (which causes ringworm).
As one can see, Neem has many potential uses. The oil can be applied directly to the hair to kill head lice. An Indian study has shown neem to be effective against scabies. Topical applications of neem may provide both pain relief and fever reduction. Ingestion of neem leaf has been shown to help irritable bowel syndrome and other digestive disorders. In an experiment dealing with birth control and fertilization, a 100uL application of neem oil to the uterus of test animals caused the animals to remain infertile for 107 to 180 days. Application of the oil did not cause any problems with ensuing pregnancies. Neem oil is now sold in India as a douche contraceptive.
Neem products may be considered "guilt-free." The tree grows abundantly and is very resilient. It can survive in even the poorest of soils. Almost every part of the plant is used, which contributes to it's overall efficiency. No side effects have ever been associated with the proper use of neem.
Due to its inherent properties, future uses for neem and neem products may include treating sexually transmitted diseases, blood disorders, parasites, digestive disorders, and certain cancers.
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