Latin: Azadirachta indica
Sanskrit: Nimba
WHAT IT DOES: Neem leaf is
bitter in taste and cold in action. It reduces fever and
inflammation, reduces itching, and kills microbes and fungus.
Neem oil is used externally to heal wounds and boils.
RATING: Red
SAFETY ISSUES: Do not use for
longer than three weeks due to dampening effect on digestive, sexual
and reproductive functions. Do not use this products unless under
the guidance of a properly trained professional.
more on neem toxicity
STARTING DOSAGE: • Dried powder: one to two grams two times per day
• 1:5 tincture: 10-20 drops two times per day
• Concentrated powder extract: 150-250 mg two to three times per day
The neem tree is a native Indian evergreen that grows up to 70 ft high. It is so esteemed that a
foundation was formed dedicated solely to neem. Ayurvedic doctors use neem leaves for skin diseases, itching, and
fever, especially malarial fever. They also use it internally and
externally for all forms of fungal and other infections. We use
concentrated neem leaves at our clinic to treat skin diseases with
severe itching, and intestinal problems related to candidiasis or other
fungal infections. We often combine neem in formulas with other
anti-fungal plants, and tell patients to restrict sugar intake and take
acidophilus capsules. This helps kill the "bad guy" intestinal
bacteria, restricts their favorite fuel (sugar), and adds "good guy"
acidophilus back into the intestine. A few weeks on this sort of
anti-fungal program can work wonders with these types of infections,
even is persistant cases.
Neem oil is used in India in numerous varieties of hair lotion,
medicated soap and toothpaste. It is considered to be effective
as a topical treatment for chronic skin conditions, ulcers and
leprosy. The warm oil is also useful when applied to treat ear
infections (Chadha et al., 1985). Traditionally used to treat
malaria, neem is a very bitter and potent plant, so it should be used
only when other methods have failed.
Research Highlights
• Oral administration of dry neem leaf for 24 days resulted in a
reduction in the weight of the seminal vesicles and prostate of albino
rats, showing an anti-androgen effect (Kasutri et al., 1997).
However, it is important to note that the dosage—20-60 mg per day—was
much higher than the recommended human dose. A review of the
toxicity data by the Pharmacognosy department at the University of
Utrecht in the Netherlands concluded, "reported toxicity of
preparations and isolated compounds are low, except for the seed oil"
(Van der Nat et al., 1991).
• Test tube studies of neem seed extract on the human malaria parasite
showed strong inhibitory effect by way of a different mechanism of
action than other anti-malaria drugs. Neem seed is active not
only against the parasite stages that cause the initial clinical
infection but also against the stages responsible for malaria
transmission (Dhar et al., 1998).
• When applied to the skin, solutions of 1-4% neem oil in 96-99%
coconut oil afforded 81-91% protection against mosquito bites for 12
hours (Mishra et al., 1995, Sharma et al., 1993).
• When applied with urea to rice crops, lipid neem extracts slowed
mosquito breeding, reduced incidence of Japanese encephalitis, and
significantly increased grain yield in a cost-effective manner (Rao et
al., 1995).
• In a study of 814 people with scabies, topical application of a skin
paste made of neem leaves (4 parts) and turmeric root (1 part) cured
97% of the cases within three to 15 days of treatment (Charles &
Charles, 1992).
• The insecticide activity of neem extracts seems to come from its
ability to reduce appetite and disrupt growth in certain insects,
including mosquitoes (Ley, 1990).
• Application of neem oil appears to induce a strong blockage of
fertility. In a controlled study of fertile female Wistar rats, a
single intrauterine dose of neem oil caused a 100% infertility rate for
periods of 100 to 180 days, while all the control animals became
pregnant. Within five months, more than 50% of the test females
regained fertility. There was no visible effect on ovarian
function (Upadhyay et al., 1990).
• In a related study, the researchers discovered that neem oil acts as
an alternative to vasectomy. As with females, a single-dose
injection of neem oil in male rats caused infertility for 8 months,
blocking sperm production without affecting testosterone (there did
appear to be a reduction in testicular size). The effects may be
due to a local immune response against the sperm (Upadhyay et al.,
1993).
• In an unrelated study, oral administration of neem extract for 10
weeks caused a significant decrease in total testosterone in male
rats. There were no cytotoxic effects (Parshad et al., 1994).
• The anti-fertility effect of neem oil was also reported in rhesus monkeys (Bardhan et al., 1991).
• Oral administration of neem seed extract (Praneem) caused abortion
early on in the pregnant female baboons and bonnet monkeys. The
treatment was tolerated well, and tests of blood chemistry and liver
function were normal. The primates regained fertility subsequent
to treatment (Mukherjee et al., 1996).
• As a result of the aforementioned effects, researchers investigated
neem oil for hormonal properties. They found that it had no
estrogenic, anti-estrogenic or progesterone-related activity.
They concluded that since the post-coital contraceptive effect of neem
oil seems to be non-hormonal, it is less likely to elicit side effects
than the steroidal contraceptives (Prakesh et al., 1988).
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