Neem
Botanical Description / Habitat
Azadirachta indica
Family
Meliaceae
Common Names
Margosa
Neem
Nim
Nimba
"Village Pharmacy"
"Wonder Tree"
Habitat
India and Indochina. It is now cultivated commercially.
The Neem tree is native to India and Burma, but has been introduced to various subtropical Central American and African countries. It is related to mahogany and thrives in poor soil. It is a tree that resembles the shape of an oak. It produces large white flowers and bears a fruit that is similar in size and shape to the olive.
It has been introduced to West Africa and other areas for afforestation.
Description
Large evergreen.
Its spreading branches form a broad crown.
Medicinal Parts
Almost every part is used in Ayurvedic medicine:
Bark
Stem
Root bark
Young fruits
Leaves
Seed kernels yield a bitter oil (Neem oil).
Historically, neem leaves and neem bark have been used primarily because of their availability throughout the year and the ease of extracting the compounds as a decoction, or by tinctures.
Historical Properties & Uses
On the Indian sub-continent, the neem tree is known as the "village pharmacy". Researchers have found more than 60 medicinal uses. Today, modern science is validating many of these traditional uses.
For millenia, millions have used various parts of the plant -- Neem twigs for cleaning teeth, smeared skin disorders with Neem leaf juice, taken Neem as a tonic, and placed Neem leaves in their beds, books, grain bins, cupboards, closets to keep away insects.
The seeds, bark and leaves contain compounds with proven antiseptic, antiviral, antipyretic, anti-inflammatory, anti-ulcer and antifungal uses.
Bark: Neem bark is cool, bitter, astringent, acrid and refrigerant. It is useful in tiredness, cough, fever, loss of appetite, worm infestation. It heals the wounds and is also used in vomiting, skin diseases and excessive thirst.
The bark was used to treat malaria and skin diseases. An antimalarial agent has recently been characterized. (Khalid, 1989)
Leaves: According to Ayurveda, Neem leaves help in the treatment of vatik disorders (neuro-muscular pains). Neem leaves are also reported to remove toxins, purify blood and prevent damage caused by free radical in the body by neutralising them. Neem leaves are reported to be beneficial in eye disorders and insect bite poisons. It treats Vatik Disorders (neuro- and muscular pains)
Leaves (tender) have been used to treat: cardiovascular diseases, ulcers and worms. They have also been used for their pesticide and insecticide qualities.
Stem, Root bark and young fruits are used as a tonic and astringent.
Fruits: Neem fruits are bitter, purgative, antihemorrhodial and anthelmintic in nature.
Flowers: Neem flowers are used in vitiated conditions of pitta ( balancing of the body heat ) and kapha ( cough formation ). They are astringent, anthelmintic and non-toxic.
Seeds: Neem seeds are also described as anthelminitic, antileprotic, antipoisonous and bitter in taste.
Oil: Neem oil derived from crushing the seeds is antidermatonic, a powerful anthelmintic and is bitter in taste. It has a wide spectrum of action and is highly medicinal in nature.
Neem oil has been traditionally used for diabetes, which has recently been confirmed in animal studies. (Dixit, 1986) Patients have reported reducing their insulin requirements by between 30% and 50%.
Mixture: Five parts of Neem tree ie. Bark, Root, Fruit, Flower and Leaves together are used in diseases of blood. It is also used in vitiated conditions of excess heat, itching, wound, burning sensation in body and skin diseases.
Neem is currently being investigated as a contraceptive agent (spermicide). (E.g. Prakash, 1988; Riar, 1990; Sinha, 1984)
1 ml of neem oil prior to intercourse provides effective contraception but a disagreeable odor, which may be masked with lemon grass.
For generations Neem chew-sticks have been the daily routine for millions of Indians.
Neem oil has been used as a dentifrice and been credited with being antibacterial (Rao, 1986) and healing gingivitis. (Patel, 1988)
AIDS
Studies of the effects of neem bark and neem leaf extracts show they significantly reduced the P-24 viral proteins and induced in vitro production of IL-1 interferon (Upadhyay, et al, 1993).
The National Institutes of Health, in a preliminary study, reports encouraging results from in vitro tests where neem bark extracts killed the AIDS virus . (Larson, 1993).
For external use, the powder can be incorporated into cosmetics, face masks or herbal preparations.
Mahatma Gandhi conducted prayer meetings at the Sabarmati Ashram under a Neem tree and a Neem leaf chutney was a part of his everyday diet.
Method of Action
All parts of the tree yield beta-sitosterol.
The seed kernels yield a bitter oil, with a garlic-like odor. It has antibacterial, insecticide, pesticide and spermicide properties.
The neem seed kernel is very rich in fatty acids, (Shelton, 1962) often up to 50 percent of the kernel's weight:
oleic acid - 52.8, stearic acid - 21.4, palmitic acid - 12.6, linoleic acid - 2.1 and various lower fatty acids - 2.3. (Bhandari, 1959)
The percentages vary from sample to sample depending on place and time of collection of the seeds.
Only when it was made into soaps was it acceptable use by most people. It is no wonder the leaves have been substituted for the oil to get the benefits of neem.
The oil is now sold in encapsulated form.
The insecticidal component is azadirachtin.
Drug Interactions & Precautions
There are no known interactions.
Safety Factors & Toxicity
The seeds are poisonous in large doses.
In spite of its insecticide effect at concentrations as low as 0.1 ppm, Neem is biodegradable, nonmutagenic and nontoxic to mammals, fish and birds.
There are no known contraindications or side effects.
It is a relatively safe product in adults. Severe poisoning has been reported in infants including Reye's syndrome. (Sinniah, 1981)
80 ml/kg has been fatal to rats. (The LD50 is 14 ml/kg.)
Preparation & Administration
Major concentrations of the active compounds are found in the seed and oil though most are also found in the leaf and bark but in lesser amounts. Neem leaves and neem bark have been the primary neem ingredients in the ancient medicinal preparations because of their availability throughout the year and the ease of extracting the compounds as a decoction, or by tinctures.
Most of the bitter active compounds are soluble in alcohol and water. Therefore, tinctures using 50 to 80 percent alcohol capture the majority of the medicinal compounds.
Making a tea using hot but not boiling water will quickly capture them as well though excessive heat may damage some of the compounds.
Neem seed oil and leaf extracts are now available commercially in the West.
Neem leaves should be derived only from organic or wild trees. This will ensure the best complement of natural elements and reduce possible contamination by environmental toxins. They should have beed washed after harvest with pure water and dried in a dust-free environment.
Grinding the dried leaves into fine powder will allow a greater surface area for the release of beneficial compounds.
The fine neem powder can be used to make tincture, teas.
200 mg of seed oil has been administered to diabetic rats. Different studies show insulin requirement reductions of between 20 percent and 50 percent for those who take 5 grams of dried neem leaf capsules.
When tested against human sperm neem extract (sodium nimbidinate) at 1000 mg was able to kill all sperm in just 5 minutes and required only 30 minutes at a 250 mg level. They have the added benefit of preventing vaginal and sexually transmitted diseases like gonorrhea, syphilis and chlamydia.
Neem may become the first truly effective birth control "pill" for men. Neem oil capsules ingested for one month produced reversible male antifertility without affecting sperm production or libido.
80 ml/kg has been fatal to rats. (The LD50 is 14 ml/kg.)
Note: This Herbal Preparation information is a summary of data from books and articles by various authors. It is not intended to replace the advice or attention of health care professionals.
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