<%@LANGUAGE="JAVASCRIPT" CODEPAGE="1252"%> More about Neem

 

 

NEEM, A
PANACEA
FOR ALL ILLS

 

LEGEND

According to Indian mythology, the origin of the Neem tree is related to the story of palazimadanam ( the churning of the Palazi,the Ocean of Milk). During the course of the event, Lord Dhanvanthari appeared from The ocean, with apot, full of nectar In the end, Lord Indra, the king of Devas tactfully snatched the pot from the Asuras and left for Deva loka. On the way, a few drops of nectar fell down on to the earth and legend has it that the Neem tree originated form the nectar.

The Neem tree is considered as One of the ten trees, in the Nandanavana of the Ramayana It is mentioned in the "Mantra maharnavam", Brihat Samhitha","Kdambari", and "Padma Purana", It also finds a place in the "Charaka Samhita"(2000 BC), and is one of the mostImportant plants mentioned in Kautilya's" Arthasastra (4BC).

The Neem is used in the worshipof goddess Mariyamma in Tamil Nadu and Karnataka. Buchanan's Travelogues report five leaf branches of Neem being used in the Mariyamma pooja in Mysore,

In Ayurveda, Unani and Sidha Systems of medicine the Neem tree Is used as a single drug and also as An ingredient in many herbal formulations.In Abhidhanamanjari" , There is reference to three types of Neem or Veppu(in Malayalam) Azadiracta indica (Aryaveppu) Azdirach (Malaveppu)and Murraya Koenigii (Kariveppu).

From ancient times itself, the Neem used to be referred to as a 'germ killer'. It can kill atmospheric germs and is therefore grown in the courtyard of ever house. Patients
with chicken pox would be made to lie down on a bed of Neem leaves, and bath in water boiled with Neem leaves, after he recovers. To caution visitors of chicken pox in the home , It is customary to hang Neem leaf
bunches in the front of the house.

 

Neem and the
Mahatma

Mahatma Gandhi, the father
of our nation was very found
of Neem leaf chutney.
It is said that the secret
Of his health was
The Neem leaf

 

TROPICAL TREE

Botanically christened Azadiracta Indicia A. Juss. and belonging to the Family Meliaceae.it occurs through -out the greater part of India. It is found in the wild in parts of the indo- Gangetic , plain in the Deccan, Karnatic and the west coast , up to an Altitude of 3000ft.It's home is Believed to be India and Burma There are about 18 million Neem Trees in India. Being a tropical tree, it is also found in Pakistan, Thailand, Malaysia, Indonesia, Iran, Bangladesh And Nepal. And it has been introduced In to Yemen, China and Saudi Arabia.

Being ahardy tree with Dense foliage, it is commonlyCultivated in gardens, along roadsides and bye the side of irrigation wells as a shade tree it is a moderate to fairly large sized evergreen tree, with a stout trunk, large sperding branches, supporting a canopy of glabrous imparipinnate leaves. The bark is dark brown and longitudinally or obliquely furrowed.The plant flower during the hot months of February to Ma and thefruits are available from July to August

The propagation of Neem Is from the seed, stem cuttings and Root cuttings.Neem is cultivated in
Many parts of India. It can be grown In almost all types of soils, especially black, coarse, less humid, clayey soils.The Neem tree is considered as one of the best candidates for social forestry. It protects from soil erosion

 MEDICINAL VALUE
Nimbin, Nimbindin, Azedirachitin, Nimbolin, Salannin etc are the majorChemical constituents of Neem.The aremostly found in the seed oilAnd the bark. The flowers contain Volatile oils and bitter principles. The Seed oil is made up oleic acid,lineolicacid,palmitic acid and lignoceric acid The leaves and the bark contain the alkaloid,Margosigne, The leaves are large quantities of Vitamin A.
Important pharmacological Studies are reported in literature Include anti-malarial, anti-bacterial Anti-inflammatory, anti-pyretic, Antifungal, immnuopotentiating hypolipidaemic etc.

BITTER TRUTH
Neem is considerers Neem as"Thikta" (bitter) and "Kashayarasa" (Astringent in action).It has cooling and pungent effects. Because of its bitter taste, it pacifies "Pitta" and "Kapha". It possesses significant anti-microbial and anti-viral properties, and is alsoused as and excellent wound healer.

 

 

Vedic literature is perhaps Earliest document ofplant life. It has been recorded that plant life began to flourish on the Earth three yugas ago, which means many thousand of years, before the time of the Devas.edic scholars had deep insight and institution, by which they unravelled the hidden values and great-ness of plants. They considered plants to be of divine origin and worshipped them as the "Mother Goddess", by chanting verses('Oushanthi sookthas'), in praise of them.

 
" There is no substance in the World that Cannot be 
used for medicine" means, everything that surrounds 
us,includind plants can be used for medicinal purpose.

        In this series ,we are interducing the Neem tree,
which has been fascinating Indians, from time mmemorial.

  HEALTH CARE
  • One fresh leaf of Neem taken daily act as a preventive against diabeters,heart disorders and skin diseases
  • One fresh leaf of Neem, along with tender coconut water, taken for a week, before the rain season helps to enhance the immune system of the body.
  • Fresh juice from the tender leave of Neem,slightly warmed and cooled, can be applied to the eyes, against conjunctives.
  • The tender stem of Neem,used as a toothbrush, can protect the gums and teeth from infection.
  • Fresh juice of Neem, along with honey slightly warmed and cooled, can be used for gargling to get relief from throat pain.
  • Juice of fresh leaves (15-30ml) along with honey, taken orally on empty stomach for 14 days to treat jaundice
  • The ash of dried leaves of Neem(2gms) with a glass of water helps to prevent the formation of urinary calculi.
  • Neem oil (15-20drops) taken twice daily, for ten days help to prevent malaria and also acts as a remedy against malaria.
  • Fresh juice of Neem leaves to be applied externally over the anal region for relief from irritation and redness, due to worm infection of children
  • Neem oil to be applied externally to reduce excessive sweating of the palm of the hand and sole of the foot.
  • Neem dried leaf powder (10-15 gms) along with pure ghee on empty stomach for a mouth helps to cure anaemia.
  • Fresh leaves of Neem along with turmeric and hen's egg white, is prepared in the form of the paste and applied over the face. After 10-15 minutes, clean the face with tender coconut water. this helps to get rid of pimples.
  • Decoction prepared from Neem leves, Tinospora cordifolia and Sandal wood (60 ml, twice daily for 14 days), help to prevent allergy / allergic rashes
  • Bark of Neem along with turmeric and rock salt in the form of a paste, applied externally over the anal region to cure piles
  • Decoction made from Neem leaves and turmeric can be used a vaginal douche to prevent / cure irritation and itching, due to vaginal discharge
  • Fresh leaves of Neem with ghee and honey in the from of a paste is applied externally to heal chrnicwounds.
  • Fresh leaves of Neem along with turmeric. In the form of a paste is applied externally to prevent/ cure skin diseases and poisonous bits including that of insets.

Other Names
Of Neem 

  Sanskrit      Nimba
  English       Indian Lilac /
                  Margosa tree
  Hindi          Neem
  Malayalam  Veppu
  Bengali       Nimgachh
  Punjabi       Drekh
  Marathi      Limba
  Urdu          Neem
  Telugu       Vepa
  Kannada     Hebbavu
  Tamil         Vepamaram