NEEM

The NEEM tree (Azadirachta indica) is a tropical evergreen tree native to India and is also found in other southeast countries. In India, neem is known as “the village pharmacy” because of its healing versatility, and it has been used in Ayurvedic medicine for more than 4,000 years due to its medicinal properties. Neem is also called ‘arista’ in Sanskrit- a word that means ‘perfect, complete and imperishable’. The seeds, bark and leaves contain compounds with proven antiseptic, antiviral, antipyretic, anti-inflammatory, anti-ulcer and antifungal uses. The Sanskrit name ‘nimba’ comes from the term ‘nimbati syasthyamdadati’ which means ‘to give good health’.

The earliest documentation of neem mentioned the fruit, seeds, oil, leaves, roots and bark for their advantageous medicinal properties. These benefits are listed in the ancient documents ‘Carak- Samhita’ and ‘Susruta-Samhita’, the books at the foundation of the Indian system of natural treatment, Ayurveda. Neem has a garlic-like odor, and a bitter taste. The various parts of this tree have many uses that aptly give neem its name in Sanskrit-“sarva roga nivarini”, meaning ‘the curer of all ailments’. Some of the most important documented uses of various parts of the neem tree are:  

Neem oil is extracted from the seeds of the neem tree and has insecticidal and medicinal properties due to which it has been used for thousands of years in pest control, cosmetics, medicines, etc. Please see neem oil & its uses for detailed information.

Neem seed cake (residue of neem seeds after oil extraction) when used for soil amendment or added to soil, not only enriches the soil with organic matter but also lowers nitrogen losses by inhibiting nitrification. It also works as a nematicide.

Neem leaves are used to treat chickenpox and warts by directly applying to the skin in a paste form or by bathing in water with neem leaves. In order to increase immunity of the body, neem leaves are also taken internally in the form of neem capsules or made into a tea. The tea is traditionally taken internally to reduce fever caused by malaria. This tea is extremely bitter. It is also used to soak feet for treating various foot fungi.  It has also been reported to work against termites. In Ayurveda, neem leaves are used in curing neuromuscular pains. Neem leaves are also used in storage of grains.

Twigs of neem are also used in India and Africa as toothbrushes. Nowadays toothpastes with neem extracts are also available commercially.

Neem (leaf and seed) extracts have been found to be spermicidal and thus research is being conducted to use neem extracts for making contraceptives. Neem produces pain relieving, anti-inflammatory and fever reducing compounds that can aid in the healing of cuts, burns, earaches, sprains and headaches, as well as fevers.

Neem bark and roots also have medicinal properties. Bark & roots in powdered form are also used to control fleas & ticks on pets.

Neem has anti-bacterial properties that help in fighting against skin infections such as acne, psoriasis, scabies, eczema, etc. Neem extracts also help in treating diabetes, AIDS, cancer, heart disease, herpes, allergies, ulcers, hepatitis and several other diseases.

There are many active constituents of Neem.

Neem oil, leaves and neem extracts are used to manufacture health and beauty care products. Some of such products are soaps, bath powders, shampoos, lotions and creams, toothpastes, neem leaf capsules to increase immunity and as a skin purifier, insect repellents, pet care products, etc.

Neem extracts have been approved by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency for use on food crops. It has been proven in various research studies  that Neem is non-toxic to birds, beneficial insects or humans and protects crops from over 200 of the most costly pests.

Medicinal properties of neem have been known to Indians since time immemorial. The earliest Sanskrit medical writings refer to the benefits of neem’s fruits, seeds, oil, leaves, roots and bark. Each of these has been used in the Indian Ayurvedic and Unani systems of medicine.

In Ayurvedic literature neem is described in the following manner: ‘Neem bark is cool, bitter, astringent, acrid and refrigerant. It is useful in tiredness, cough, fever, loss of appetite, worm infestation. It heals wounds and vitiated conditions of kapha, vomiting, skin diseases, excessive thirst, and diabetes. Neem leaves are reported to be beneficial for eye disorders and insect poisons. It treats Vatik disorder. It is anti-leprotic. It’s fruits are bitter, purgative, anti-hemorrhoids and anthelmintic’.

It is claimed that neem provides an answer to many incurable diseases. Traditionally neem products have been used against a wide variety of diseases which include heat-rash, boils, wounds, jaundice, leprosy, skin disorders, stomach ulcers, chicken pox, etc. Modern research also confirms neem’s curative powers in case of many diseases and provides indications that neem might in future be used much more widely.

Neem has rightly been called sarvaroghari. Since time immemorial, Indians have learnt and made use of neem in a variety of ways both for personal and community health by way of environmental amelioration. Despite all the vicissitudes India has gone through over the centuries, neem has managed to remain a friend, philosopher and guide to an average Indian. It is time this heritage is appreciated and in area of promotional and preventive health care, our indigenous knowledge and resources are made use of on an increasing scale as low-cost, effective ingredient for the realization of the lofty goal of ‘Health for all’.

As Naveen Patnaik (1993, p. 40) says, “Possessed of many and great virtues, this native Indian tree has been identified on the five-thousand-year-old seals excavated from the Indus Valley Civilization”. How the tradition lives on has also been graphically brought out, “Today the margosa is valued more highly for its capacity to exercise the demon of disease than the spirit of the dead, and an image of the folk goddess Sitala can often be seen suspended from a margosa branch where she guards against small pox, once the great killer of the Indian country side. Renowned for its antiseptic and disinfection properties, the tree is thought to be particularly protective of women and children. Delivery chambers are fumigated with its burning bark (Margosa seed oil has been chemically tested as an external contraceptive, used by women as a spermicide). Dried margosa leaves are burned as mosquito repellent. Fresh leaves, notorious for their bitterness, are cooked and eaten to gain immunity from malaria.

Neem’s antiseptic properties are widely recognized now. “Neem preparations are reportedly efficacious against a variety of skin diseases, septic sores, and infected burns. The leaves, applied in the form of poultices or decoctions, are also recommended for boils, ulcers, and eczema. The oil is used for skin diseases such as scrofula, indolent ulcers and ringworm.

Cures for many diseases have been reported but these need to be confirmed independently by trials under controlled conditions. Laboratory tests have shown that neem is effective against certain fungi that infect the human body. Some important fungi against which neem preparations have been found to be effective are: athlete’s foot fungus that infects hair, skin and nails; a ringworm that invades both skin and nails of the feet; a fungus of the intestinal tract; a fungus that causes infections of the bronchi, lungs, and mucous membranes and a fungus that is part of the normal mucous flora that can get out of control leading to lesions in mouth (thrush), vagina, skin, hands and lungs.

Neem has been used traditionally in India to treat several viral diseases. Even many medical practitioners believe that smallpox, chicken pox and warts can be treated with a paste of neem leaves – usually rubbed directly on the infected skin. Experiments with smallpox, chicken pox, and fowl pox show that although neem does not cure these diseases, but it is effective for purposes of prevention. ‘Crude neem extracts absorb the viruses, effectively preventing them from entering unaffected cells.” Recent tests, although unconfirmed, have shown that neem is effective against herpes virus and the viral DNA polymerase of hepatitis B virus. Should these findings be confirmed, neem could be used to cure these dreadful diseases.

Its effectiveness is enhanced on account of its easy and plentiful availability and low cost along with the advantage – a big and critical advantage – of crating income and employment for the poor. Neem is effective against dermatological insects such as maggots and head lice. It is a common practice to apply neem all over the hair to kill head lice.

Rural inhabitants in India and Africa regularly use neem twigs as tooth brushes. Neem twigs contain antiseptic ingredients. That explains how these people are able to maintain healthy teeth and gums. Ayurveda describes neem as herbal drug which is used to clean the teeth and maintain dental hygiene. Neem in the form of powder is also used to brush teeth and massage gums.

Chagas disease is a major health problem in Latin America. It cripples millions of people there. Laboratory tests in Germany and Brazil show that neem may be an answer to this dreadful disease which so far remains largely uncontrollable. The disease is caused by a parasite which is spread by an insect called kissing bug. Extracts of neem have effects on the kissing bugs. Research has shown that ’feeding neem to the bugs not only frees them of parasites, but azadirachtin prevents the young insects from molting and the adults from reproducing’.

In Ayurvedic medicine system neem is used to treat malarial fevers. Recent experiments have shown that one of the neem’s components, gedunin (a limonoid), is as effective as quinine against malaria. Malaria affects millions of people and is responsible for about 2 million deaths every year in India and several other countries. China has adopted neem in a big way for its anti-malaria operation. Their formulation “Quinahausa” is going to become available in India as well. Neem oil treated mosquito nets and mosquito-repellent cheap tablets (one paise per tablet) are also becoming popular. Such mosquito nets presently available in the North-East have to be made available in the whole country (Swadeshi Patrika, chaitra-vaishak 2052). Because of growing problems of resistance to conventional treatments, it is becoming more and more difficult to control malaria. Should neem products prove effective cure against malaria, the dream of complete eradication of malaria might become a reality.

Neem is widely used for treating fevers. It has anti-pyretic (fever-reducing) property. In addition, neem products also have analgesic (pain-relieving) and anti-inflammatroy effects, i.e. for most common ailments neem can provide cheap, easily-available and local entrepreneurship medicines.

With revival of interest in Ayurveda as an important, indigenous total health-care system, neem with its therapeutic properties and time-tested usage, more particularly as a household first – aid and safe self-administered medicine as well as a preventative help is bound to stage a big come back.

Dr. Suresh Chaturvedi (1995) has listed the uses of neem in pyrexia, diabetes, urinary problems, filarial, worms, respiratory disorders, dermatological disorders, gynecological disorders and by way of external use for eyes, piles and fistula, wounds, hair, dental hygiene and as fertility regulatory material; in addition to its ophthalmic and toiletries uses. However, there is a need for continued R & D and its transfer to the pharmaceutical industry.

A wide multitude of diseases or conditions can be successfully treated with various elements of neem.

Medical properties of Neem have been known to Indians since time immemorial. The Neem tree brings joy and freedom from various diseases.

Neem in Public Health

For centuries millions of people have benefited from using various parts of the neem tree. Its recognised traditional uses are being confirmed by modern research findings. During the last 20 years more than 2000 research papers have been published on neem in journals, books and proceedings of international congresses.

Neem tree in totality has been a village dispensary and a qualified plant by itself. It is so popular that time is not far when neem would emerge as a universal pharmacy and an omnipotent panacea. Every part of this plant finds use as medicine for itching, skin disease, leprosy, blood disorders, worms, diabetes, piles, dysentery, jaundice, vomiting, wounds, eye disease, paraplegia, female genital diseases and all kinds of fevers.

More than 150 compounds have been so far isolated from neem. Out of these seed accord for 101 including 43 from the malodorous fraction, the leaves 37; and flowers, bark and root furnish the rest (Dhan Prakash et al, 1996).

Neem products are used for treatment of a whole gamut of diseases, including skin infection, cardiovascular disorder, diabities and cancer (Govindachari, 1992). It has important fungicidal and Antimalarial properties. Nimbidin from neem oil is effective in various skin diseases. Neem oil inhibits the growth of all the three strains of Mycobacterium tuberculosis and M. pyrogensn var. aures ( Chopra et al., 1956). The water extract (10%) of leave shows antiviral activity. The gum from bark is a stimulant and demulcent tonic. It possesses anti-leprosy, antispirochaetal, and immenagogue properites (Nadkarni, 1954; Dastar, 1970; Satyavarthi et al., 1976 ; Subramanian, 1986).

The neem tree can also save India and the world from the scrouge of malaria. According to scientists at the International Centre For Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology in New Delhi, mosquitoes exposed to the volatiles of crushed neem seeds and neem oil, stop laying eggs. While a 90 minute exposure to odours from broken neem seeds suppresses egg laying. The report prepared from Dr. Hema Dawar and her colleagues at IGEB and National Institute Of Immunology, New Delhi may provide an effective weapon to counter Malaria. Exposure to neem volatiles, derived from unaltered neem oil, or its extracts, results in retention of a larger number of eggs in mosquitoes who alight on water to lay eggs, but are unable to do so. A complete inhibition of egg laying was observed in mosquitoes to neem oil and volatile components for seven days, the scientist said.

Despite all the vicissitudes India has gone through over the centuries, neem has managed to remain a friend, philosopher and guide to the average Indian. It is time this heritage is appreciated and in area of promotional and preventive health care, our indigenous knowledge and resources are made use of on an increasing scale as low-cost, effective ingredient for the realization of the lofty goal of ‘Health for all’.