Neem Tree - A Living Legend

Neem: The Next Natural Phenomenon?
By Pamela Singh, co-director of Junglesale Ltd and Nutrition Consultant.

This ancient tree, one of India’s best-kept secrets, is now being sourced to provide the next generation of natural health products. The Neem tree has been an important part of Indian health care for thousands of years, but it has only recently been recognized in the west.

A survey of your customers would probably reveal that most of them have heard of Tea-tree, but how many had heard of it 10, or even 5 years, ago? And very few will have heard about Neem. But that is about to change - the secret is out.

The First Pharmacy?

Traditionally Indians have used all parts of this tree for medicinal purposes, the seed, leaves, flowers, bark, roots and fruits. The tree relieves so many different pains, fevers, infections and other complaints that it has been called "the village pharmacy."

The healing properties of Neem were written about in The Vedas, the world’s oldest books. It all began about 5000 years ago when Indians of the Harappa Culture, one of the great civilizations of the ancient world, discovered the medicinal uses of Neem. Neem later formed part of the ancient Vedic philosophy of Ayurveda. During Roman times, when early explorers traveled to India to trade for gold, silks and spices, Indian medicines were also brought back to Persia, Mesopotamia, Egypt, Greece and Rome.

However, the spread of Ayurvedic medicines came to an end after the Moslem conquests, they razed cities and closed down Ayurvedic colleges. They also insisted that the Indian people practice only Islamic forms of medicine. Later, when the British ruled India they closed down the remaining Ayurvedic universities. At that time herbal and traditional medicines were generally considered to be backward.

So what initiated the current revival? It was in the early 1960’s that Rachel Carson wrote her famous book, “Silent Spring”, in which she blamed the chemical and pesticide companies for the ravage of the environment (1). After “Silent Spring”, interest in herbs, organic foods and natural products began to grow. Now for the first time in the modern age the knowledge of the ancient traditions of herbal medicine became widely accepted. Following the discovery of the health benefits of Neem several countries were quick to appreciate it’s potential and apply for patents. Neem has been heavily researched both in India and the USA, where it has been patented as a treatment for AIDS (2). Dr Karatik Chandran Ray, a West Midlands GP told the Guardian that before penicillin went to India in 1942 Neem was the only antibiotic (2). He claims that hundreds of clinical trials confirm it’s protective qualities especially against malaria.

Each country has been sourced for it’s own unique panacea of ills – Aloe Vera from Mexico, Tea tree from Australia, Ginseng from Korea and Gingko biloba from China. According to a representative of the Neem Foundation “Neem of India” is likely to emerge as the biggest player of all time.

“ The Free Tree” of India:

The botanical name for Neem is Azadirachta indica which, when translated ( azad – free, dirakht – tree and indica – of Indian origin.) means Free Tree of India. It is an evergreen tree that grows well in the tropics and is a native of India. It needs very little water but plenty of sunlight. The Neem flowers profusely between February and May, the fruits are green drupes, which turn golden yellow on ripening in the months of June, July and August, in India. The kernels have about 45% oil. According to Dr. Mark Porter, Neem is anti-inflammatory, antibacterial, antifungal, and insecticidal. (3). The general class of active compounds is the triterpenes, and within this category the most effective are the limonoids, which are abundant in Neem oil. At least nine limonoids are present and of these Azadirachtin has been found to be the main ingredient for fighting insects and pests. Meliantriol is an insect feeding inhibitor. Nimbin and nimbidin have anti-viral properties and Gedunin, a lesser limonoid, is effective in treating malaria. Neem is also effective as a fungicide and has been shown to be effective against the organisms that cause athlete’s foot, skin and nail infections, ringworm, candida and much more.

So does Neem have a role to play in the west?

I am convinced it does and so are many others. Whilst we do not yet know enough about the internal uses of Neem it’s antifungal and antibacterial properties make it an ideal ingredient of creams for minor wounds. In India, eczema and psoriasis are traditionally treated with preparations of Neem leaves. According to Dr Mark Cole, Product development manager for Bioforce, recent studies indicate that Neem’s effectiveness results from the anti-inflammatory action of Nimbidin and Nimbin. In an article for Healthy Way magazine he suggests that formulations of Neem leaf may be at least as effective as the over-the-counter preparations for the treatment of these problems but without the thinning of the skin (4).

Allergies are on the Increase
Many children and adults come to my clinic with allergies and the number is increasing. These will often manifest as asthma, rashes or eczema and whilst diet is implicated in most cases, I sometimes recommend that the client uses a topical preparation to sooth the inflamed skin and prevent infection. However, they do have a problem finding preparations that do not contain chemicals that react with the skin and make the problem worse. There is also growing concern that the chemicals in our everyday products may be the trigger for asthma and eczema flare-ups.

Head lice
The conditioning properties of Neem make it a suitable ingredient for shampoos, particularly for the prevention of head-lice. Some of the current preparations use harmful chemicals that are poisonous to the lice but there is concern about their effect on our children. Dr Mark Cole believes that Neem is a safer alternative for head lice and scabies to conventional treatments that may contain organo-phosphates and pyrethroid insecticides (4).

Neem is safe and it works. It is safe to use because it is not a poison but interferes with the life cycle of the insect. Neem prevents insect growth by suppressing an enzyme “ecdysone” that controls the moulting process. It is also a feeding deterrent because it triggers an anti peristaltic wave that blocks the ability to swallow. Neem prevents a female from laying eggs and repels larvae and adults. Regularly washing the hair with Neem shampoo is a safe and natural way to prevent head lice, but for bad infestations it is more effective to add 10 drops of Neem oil to 100ml of almond oil, massage into the hair and leave for several hours, or overnight before washing off with Neem shampoo. When Neem was used to prevent Head lice in school children it was noticed that in those with blonde to reddish hair results were achieved much more quickly with Neem oil applied at a 3% dilution to a shampoo base, than with Tea-tree (5).

Neem poses a threat to the Scottish midge.
Neem is used all over India to deter mosquitoes but can it work with the fearful Scottish midge? Dr Alison Blackwell of Advanced Pest solutions, based at Edinburgh University, has shown that it can. Not only does Neem oil on the skin have antifeedant activity once the midges land, but it successfully repels them from a distance. The Neem oil provides an air barrier of volatile molecules that interferes with the detection of the host by the midge (6)

Putting Neem on the shelf.
Why should you stock products that contain Neem?
Firstly, because devotees to this “Wonder Tree” are growing daily. Raj Singh, director of a company that manufactures Indian Herbal Healthcare products says that:

“The rate of enquiries that we get for Neem has already tripled since the beginning of the year. People seem to know about it and know what they are looking for. Fluoride, Parabens, SLS, SLES and Sodium benzoate are out and Neem is definitely in.”

US Supermodel Christy Turlington includes a Neem Night Cream in her range of beauty products and Neem can now be found in the natural ranges of high street cosmetic shops and specialist cosmetic companies like Dr Hauschka.(3)

Secondly Neem is suitable for those with allergies to normal products. It is now possible to get shampoos, moisturisers, massage oils, antiseptic creams and even household cleaners and pet products with Neem replacing the harsh chemicals.

So whether you want to join the trend towards natural products or stock chemical free products for those with allergies, putting Neem on the shelf is a must. Neem is the perfect product: no chemicals - no side effects - and it works.

References
1. Carson, R. ( 1962) Silent Spring, London, Hamish Hamilton
2. The Guardian, (2002) Nature’s Pharmacy in Guardian Unlimited May 30th 2002
3. Lantin, B. (2005) Does it work? Neem, filed 01/07/2005 in Expat Telegraph at www.telegraph .co.uk.
4. Cole, M. (2005) The Mysteries of Neem Explained in Healthy Way Magazine Issue 18 Article 5 accessed from www.healthywaymagazine.com
5. Cornborough, J. (2000) Neem: An ancient cure for a modern world found in Herbal Medicine issue 48 accessed from www.positivehealth.com
6. Blackwell, A. et al. (2004) Toward development of neem-based repellents against the Scottish Highland biting midge Culicoides impunctatus, in Medical and Vetinary Entomology (2004) 18, 449-452

Pamela Singh is co-director of Junglesale Ltd a Yorkshire based company involved in the manufacture and import of Indian Herbal Healthcare. After teaching for 20 years first as a science teacher, later in Behaviour Assessment and Management she retrained as a Nutrition Therapist. She is a graduate of the Institute for Optimum Nutrition, lectures in Nutrition and works as a Nutrition Consultant in three clinics in South Yorkshire.

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