Azadirachta indicaMeliaceaeSan: Nimbah, Prabhadrah Hin,Ben: Nim, Nim Mal: AryaveppuTel: Vepa Ori: NimbaTam: Vembu, Veppu Pun: Bakam,BukhainGuj: LimbaKan: Bevu Mar: LimbuImportance: Neem or margose tree, also known as Indian lilac is a highly exploited medicinal plant of Indian origin, widely grown and cultivated throughout India. Every part of the tree, namely root, bark, wood, twig, leaf, flower, fruit, seed, kernel and oil has been in use from time immemorial in the Ayurvedic and Unani systems of medicine. Nimbarishta, nimbadi churna and nimbharidra khand are well known preparations. It is valuable as an antiseptic, used in the treatment of small pox. Small twigs are used as tooth brushes and as a prophylactic for mouth and teeth complaints. Extract from the leaves are useful for sores, eczema and skin diseases. Boiled and smashed leaves serve as excellent antiseptic. Decoction of leaves is used for purifying blood. Neem oil is used in soaps, toothpaste and as a hair tonic to kill lice. Seed is used in snake bite. The fruits and leaves being renewable, provide sustainable returns. Different parts of the fruit are separated into components and each one produces derivatives of varying chemical nature and utility. Neem derivatives are now used in agriculture, public health, human and veterinary medicines, toiletries, cosmetics and livestock production. Applications as pesticides, allied agrochemicals, plant nutrients and adjuvants for improving nitrogen use efficiency are of much importance. Neem kernel suspension (1%) is a house hold insecticide. Pesticide formulations containing azadirachtin are now commercially available in India, USA, Canada, Australia and Germany. Neem cake is rich in N, P, K, Ca and S. Neem Meliacins like epinimbin and nimbidin are commercially exploited for the preparation of slow and extended release of nutrients including nitrification inhibitors (Eg. Nimin). Extracts of neem seed oil and bark check the activity of male reproductive cells and prevents sperm production. Neem seed oil is more effective than the bark for birth control. Neem based commercial products are also available for diabetes treatment (Nimbola, JK-22), contraceptive effect (Sensal, Nim-76) and mosquito/ insect repelling (Srivastava, 1989; Tewari, 1992; Parmer and Katkar, 1993; Pushpangadan et al, 1993; Mariappan, 1995).Distribution: Neem is a native of the Siwalik deccan parts of South India. It grows wild in the dry forests of Andra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu and Karnataka. It has spread to Pakistan, Bangladesh , Sri Lanka, Malaysia, Indonesia, Thailand, Middle East Sudan and Niger. It is now grown in Australia, Africa, Fiji, Mauritious, Central and South America, the Carribeans, Puerto Rico and Haiti. The largest known plantation of nearly 50,000 trees is at Arafat plains en route to Mecca in Saudi Arabia for providing shade to Haj pilgrims (Ahmed, 1988).Botany: The genus Azadirachta of family Meliaceae comprises two species: A. indica A. Juss syn. Melia azadirachta Linn. and A. excelsa (Jack) Jacobs syn. A. integrifolia Mers., the latter being found in Philippines, Sumatra, Malaya, Borneo and New Guinea. Neem is a hardy medium to large, mostly evergreen tree attaining 20m height and 2.5m girth. It has a short bole with wide spreading branches and glabrous twigs forming a round to oval crown. The bark is thick, dark-gray with numerous longitudinal furrows and transverse cracks. Leaves are imparipinnately compound, alternate, exstipulate and 20-38cm long. Inflorescence is long, slender, axillary or terminal panicle. Flowers are white or pale yellow, small, bisexual, pentamerous and bracteate. Stamens 10; filaments unite to form a moniliform tube. Gynoecium is tricarpellary and syncarpous, ovary superior, trilocular. Each carpel bears two collateral ovules on parietal placentation. Fruit is one seeded drupe with woody endocarp, greenish yellow when ripe. Seed ellipsoid, cotyledons thick fleshy and oily. Neem has chromosome number 2n = 28. Neem trees tend to become deciduous for a brief period in dry ecology. Ecotypes, exhibiting morphological variation in root growth, leaf size, contents, bole length , canopy, inflorescence, fruit bearing, seed size, shape and quality exist in natural populations.Agrotechnology: Neem grows in tropical arid regions with high temperatures, altitudes between 50m and 1000m, as little rainfall as 130mm/yr and long stretches of drought. Well drained sunny hill places are ideal. It grows on most kinds of soils including dry, stony, shallow, nutrient deficient soils with scanty vegetation, moderately saline and alkali soils, black cotton, compact clays and laterite crusts. However, silty flats, clayey depressions and land prone to inundation are not conducive for its growth (Chaturvedi, 1993). Soil pH of 5.0 to 10.0 is ideal. It brings surface soil to neutral pH by its leaf litter. It has extensive and deeply penetrating root system capable of extracting moisture and nutrients even from highly leached poor sandy soils.Neem propagates easily by seed without any pretreatment, though it can be regenerated by vegetative means like root and shoot cuttings. Seeds are collected from June to August. These remain viable for 3-5 weeks only which necessitates sowing within this short time. Seeds may be depulped and soaked in water for 6 hours before sowing. Seeds are sown on nursery beds at 15x5cm spacing, covered with rotten straw and irrigated. Germination takes 15-30 days. Seedlings can be transplanted after two months of growth onwards either to polybags or to mainfield. Neem can be grown along with agricultural crops like groundnut, bean, millets, sorghum and wheat. It is also suitable for planting in roadsides, for afforestation of wastelands and under agroforestry system. For field planting, pits of size 50-75 cm cube are dug 5-6m apart, filled with top soil and well rotten manure, formed into a heap, and seedling is planted at the centre of the heap. FYM is applied at 10-20 kg/plant every year. Chemical fertilizers are not generally applied. Irrigation and weeding are required during the first year for quick establishment.More than 38 insect pests are reported on Neem which may become serious at times. The important ones are seed and flower insect (Scirtothrips dorsalis Hood), defoliators (Boarmia variegata Moore and Eurema sp.), sap suckers (Helopeltes antonii Signoret and Pulvinaria maxima Green) , root feeders (Hototrichia consanguinea Blanchard), mealy bug (Pseudococus gilbertensis), scale insect (Parlatoria orientalis) and a leaf webber (Loboschiza Koenigiana)(Beeson, 1941, Bhasin et al, 1958, Parmar, 1995). They can be controlled by the application of 0.01-0.02% monocrotophos or dimethoate. No serious diseases are reported in Neem. Flowering starts after 5 years. In India flowering is during January-May and fruits mature from May-August. The leaves are shed during February- March and a full grown tree produces about 350 kg dry leaves and 40-50 kg berries per annum. Fresh fruits give 60% dry fruits which yield 10% kernel which contains 45% fixed oil, on an average. After 10 years of growth the wood can be cut and used as timber.Properties and Activity: Dry Neem leaves contain carbohydrates 47-51%, crude protein 14-19%, crude fiber 11-24%, fat 2-7%, ash 7-9%, Ca 0.8-2.5% and P 0.1-0.2%. Leaves also contain the flavanoid quercetin, nimbosterol (-sitosterol), kaempferol and myricetin. Seed and oil contains desacetylnimbin, azadirachtin (C35H44O16), nimbidol, meliantriol ,tannic acid, S and amino acids. Neem cake contain the highest sulphur content of 1.07% among all the oil cakes. Trunk bark contains nimbin 0.04%, nimbinin 0.001%, nimbidin 0.4%, nimbosterol 0.03%, essential oil 0.02%, tannins 6.0 %, margosine and desacetylnimbin (Atal and Kapur, 1982; Thakur et al 1989).Neem bark is bitter, astringent, acrid, refrigerant, depurative, antiperiodic, vulnerary, demulcent, insecticidal, liver tonic, expectorant and anthelmintic. Leaves are bitter, astringent, acrid, depurative, antiseptic, ophthalmic, anthelmintic, alexeteric, appetizer, insecticidal, demulcent and refrigerant. Seed and oil are bitter, acrid, thermogenic, purgative, emollient, anodyne, anthelmintic depurative, vulnerary, uterine stimulant, urinary astringent, pesticidal and antimicrobial (Warrier et al, 1993).
Neem tea is a refreshing herbal tea, with origins in South Asia. Despite its bitter taste, it is often recommended as a beverage thanks to its many health benefits. Read this article to find out more about neem tea!
About Neem Tea
Neem tea is made from the leaves of the Neem tree. The tree can be found in India, Bangladesh and Pakistan. It is an evergreen tree which can grow up to twenty feet in just three years, and it starts bearing fruit after 3-5 years. However, during periods of severe drought, it may shed most or even all of its leaves.
The green leaves are 20-40cm long, with medium to dark green leaflets about 3-8cm long; the terminal leaflet is usually missing. The tree’s flowers are small, white and fragrant, arranged axillary. The fruit has an olive-like form, with a thin skin and a yellow-white, fibrous and bittersweet pulp.
How to prepare Neem Tea
To brew a cup of neem tea, you have to follow a few simple steps. First, boil the necessary amount of water. Then, pour it over a cup with includes a few neem leaves. Let it steep for about 5 minutes. Lastly, remove the leaves and, if you think it is needed, flavor it with honey and/or lemon.
You can make your own stack of neem leaves for neem tea. If you’ve got neem trees around, gather leaves and leave them to dry. You can use fresh neem leaves, as well. In both cases though, you have to wash the leaves well before you use them. Once you’ve got the leaves ready, whether dry or fresh, just follow the earlier-mentioned steps.
You can also make a cup of neem tea by using powdered neem leaf.
Neem Tea Benefits
Neem leaves have many antibacterial and antiviral properties. Thanks to this, neem tea is full of health benefits.
Indians chew on neem twigs to have a good oral hygiene. However, a cup of neem tea can also help you maintain a good oral hygiene. It is useful in treating bad breath and gum disease, and it fights against cavities. Neem tea is also useful in treating fungal infections, such as yeast infections, jock itch, thrush, and ringworm.
Neem tea can help you treat both indigestion and constipation. It is also useful when it comes to reducing swelling of the stomach and intestinal tract, and it can be used to counter ulcers and gout.
Neem tea, when combined with neem cream, has anti-viral uses. It can help speed up the healing time and pain associated with herpes simplex 1, herpes zoster and warts. Neem tea is also used in the treatment of malaria and other similar diseases. It helps purify and cleanse the blood, as well; therefore, it increases liver function.
Other important benefits that are related to consumption of neem tea are: treating pneumonia, treating diabetes, treating hypertension and heart diseases.
Also, neem tea doesn’t have to be used only as a beverage. Because of its anti-parasitic use, you can bathe in it. This way, the tea acts as an antiseptic, killing the parasites.
Neem Tea Side Effects
While we can say that neem tea has plenty of important health benefits, don’t forget that there are a few side effects, as well.
First of all, neem oil can be incredibly toxic for infants. Even a small amount of neem oil can cause death. Check to see if the neem tea you drink has neem oil among its ingredients. Or, just to be on the safe side, don’t give infants neem tea to drink.
You shouldn’t drink neem tea if you have a history of stomach, liver or kidney problems. Some of its active ingredients can cause you harm in this case.
Although rare, neem tea can also lead to allergic reactions. Symptoms in this case include difficulty in breathing, rashes, itching, or swelling of the throat or mouth. If you get any of these, stop drinking neem teaand contact your doctor.
Drinking neem tea is a big no if you’re trying to conceive, or you’re already pregnant. In the first case, neem tea can work as a contraceptive, therefore lessening the chances of you getting pregnant. In the second case, consumption of neem tea can lead to miscarriages.
Also, don’t drink more than six cups of neem teaa day - or any other type of tea. It won’t do you well, despite its many health benefits. Some of the symptoms you might get are: headaches, dizziness, insomnia, irregular heartbeats, vomiting, diarrhea and loss of appetite. If you get any of these symptoms, reduce the amount of neem tea you drink.
As a herbal tea, neem tea is definitely good for your health. Still, despite its many health benefits, there are a few side effects as well. Keep them both in mind when drinking neem tea.... neem tea - an indian herbal tea
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