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It is a tree so amazing in it’s curative capabilities that the locals call it the village pharmacy. What is it? It is the Neem tree, native to India. For many hundreds of years people in India have looked to the Neem to provide a cure for all sorts of ailments, from pains to fevers and even infections. The Indian people even believe that the Neem can purify their blood. For good measure, then, many Indians begin their year by eating a few neem leaves. They also clean their teeth with neem twigs, apply neem leaf juice to skin disorders and drink neem tea as a tonic.
The neem is a member of the mahogany family of trees. It is found in tropical regions, grows up to one hundred feet tall and has been known to develop a girth of up to eight feet wide. It carries leaves year round, thereby providing a constant source of shade. The tree grows quickly and flourishes in the poorest of soil and weather conditions. Although the tree is native to India it was introduced in West Africa in the early twentieth century in an attempt to halt the spread of the Sahara Desert. The tree has also been introduced to Fiji, Mauritius, Saudi Arabia and south and Central America. In the United States there are experimental plots in Florida, Arizona and California.
The neem is an ideal source of timber for carpentry. This is because it’s wood is termite resistant. It also makes for very good fire wood. But there is far more to the neem than that. The leaves of the neem tree repel troublesome insects. The Indian people have for centuries placed these leaves in cupboards, beds, bins and closets. In 1959 a massive plague of locusts attacked every type of tree in the Sudan except the neem. From then on, researchers began to study the neem to try and find out what made in unique. What have they found?
It was discovered that the neem tree’s complex chemical makeup makes it resistant to more than two hundred different types of insect, as well as various mites, nematodes, fungi, bacteria. It was even found that the neem was resistant to various viruses. Such findings give rise to the possibility of developing an inexpensive, non toxic and easily prepared alternative to synthetic pesticides. This is already taking place in Nicuragua where farmers mix pounded neem seed with water at the rate of eighty grams of seed per liter of water. After soaking for twelve hours the seed is strained out and the mixture is then sprayed onto crops.
Neem products, although lethal to bugs, do not have an adverse effect upon humans, animals or birds. On the contrary, the neem seeds and leaves contain compounds that demonstrate antiseptic, antiviral and antifungal activity. It also appears that the neem can fight inflammation, hypertension and ulcers. Medicines derived from the neem are also being used to combat diabetes and malaria. As well as these things, insect repellents have been manufactured based upon the neem extract. A particular neem extract called salannin powerfully repels certain biting insects. Compounds in the neem bark have also been shown to have antiseptic properties.
The neem also seems to have contraceptive properties. Neem oil is a strong spermicide and has proved effective in reducing the birth rate in laboratory tests with animals. Research also indicates that neem compounds might make possible an oral contraceptive for men.
Despite the amazing potential of the neem tree as a cure all, however, the experts still sound a word of caution. A 1998 scientific report entitled Neem – a Tree for Solving Global Problems stated, “Although the possibilities seem endless, nothing about neem is yet definite. The scientists who are most excited about the plant and it’s potential admit at this stage the evidence to support their expectations are tentative.” Yet the report goes on to say, “Two decades of research have revealed promising results in so many disciplines that this obscure species may be of enormous benefit to countries both rich and poor. Even some of the most cautious researchers are saying that neem deserves to be called a ‘wonder plant.’”
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