Metro Plus
Bangalore
Chennai
Delhi
Hyderabad
Kochi
Green gold
Every part of the neem tree has medicinal value. — Photo: Sampath Kumar G.P.
ALWAYS SCEPTICAL about the modern, urban obsession with "going natural", it was sheer exasperation over ajji's nagging insistence that goaded me to venture out one drizzly dawn to pluck a tender sprig from a neem tree, ubiquitous in Bangalore.
Tentatively biting into it — as my ancestors did first thing every morning and as most traditional grandmothers still advocate — I screwed up my face. I had rehearsed my "how revolting!" dismissal of this new, yet age-old, dentifrice-and-toothbrush. But as the bitter juice stung my tongue, I was grudgingly compelled to admit that my mouth felt fresher than it ever had, foaming with sweet, minty, fluoride-filled toothpaste. Ajji concealed a smile. My unexpected silence was proof that she had made her point. The neem, long lauded for its wholesome qualities, was also used by the ancients to expel evil spirits. Popular among Indians as a cheap cure-all for ordinary ailments, still used by village exorcists in their practice, the salutary properties of this invaluable tree are being explored worldwide. As a consequence, neem has become a telling symbol of the war for patents in the piracy of Third World natural resources.
Today, science and pharmacology have begun to endorse the secrets of the neem known to Indian villagers since antiquity, as corroborated by the folk tale of an unhappy bride who contrived an original way of keeping her husband at home. In the hope of better financial prospects, the young bride's husband sought work in a distant town. The tearful wife requested him to rest under tamarind trees on his onward journey, while on his return to rest exclusively under neem trees.
Her wish easily granted, the man set out on foot. Stopping two or three times under tamarind trees, he felt increasingly sick and weary and decided to go home. To his surprise the homeward walk, with siestas under neem trees, rejuvenated him and from that day, he resolved never to abandon his clever wife again. It is believed that the sour tamarind tree is unhealthy, whereas the neem tree - as the old adage "bitter is the neem but sweet its shade" confirms - promotes well-being.
Indigenous to India and China, now naturalised in Pakistan and Malaysia, every part of the tall, shady neem tree (margosa or Azadirachta indica) - its small serrate leaves, stardust flowers, lime-coloured berries, termite-resistant bark, seeds, resin and root - is used medicinally, raw, cooked, brewed, dried, or pounded.
A book written by an advocate of neem affirms that every morning, popping a few brown-green-glazed neem leaves into the mouth kills worms and purifies the blood. The neem leaf is rich in calcium, iron, protein, and vitamin A. Some health-conscious individuals, nauseated by the bitterness, spice rice or dal with deep-fried neem-leaf. The leaves, in any palatable form, are beneficial for babies and pregnant women.
The juice of green neem leaves drunk with milk increases appetite. Used as a collyrium, the juice instantly relieves headaches and cures eye infections. People in rural areas believe that most venomous bites can be counteracted with swigs of neem leaf or bark juice. Rinsing the hair with a decoction of neem leaves kills lice and arrests greying or falling hair. Boiled neem leaf water makes an excellent antiseptic to clean wounds, soothes swellings, and eases skin problems. Applying a paste of crushed neem and acacia leaves mixed with a little mustard oil works magic on pimples and boils.
Neem bark powder cures rheumatism, while chewing delicate twigs counters asthma and gastric troubles.
The tiny, white neem flowers, sunned black, are boiled in water and sipped to avert giddiness, stomach disorders, coughs and fevers.
The ripe, pulpy, sweet, peanut-sized neem fruits, feasted on by squirrels and birds, cool the system when eaten. They are also used to prepare skin creams and laxatives. A daily spoonful of the dried and pulverised mixture of leaves, bark, flowers, fruits and root is thought to lengthen human life span.
Neem oil extracted from the seeds cures itches, eczema, ringworm, and other skin diseases.
It is claimed that leprosy is remedied by neem toddy, the viscid fluid that sometimes exudes from the neem tree. Other neem products include soaps, shampoos and balms. Dry neem leaves stored with clothes, rice or other grains prevent insect-infestation, neem-leaf smoke repels mosquitoes, and neem cake enriches the soil and acts as a natural pesticide. The healing and purifying neem tree - extolled as "green gold" - is also considered sacred and planted in temple compounds.
On puja days or for any auspicious celebration such as weddings, garlands of neem and mango leaves are hung on the lintels of the entrance to South Indian houses.
On Ugadi day, traditional Kannadigas consume neem leaves with jaggery, symbolic of the bittersweet human life.
Turned into a neem-enthusiast, thanks to ajji, I not only see the tree as a storehouse of toothbrushes, but have also begun, in my own small way, to publicise its merits to friends and family. Perhaps the next time you walk on the streets of Bangalore, the beautiful far-branching neem will catch your eye as it now does mine.
AHANA NAGDA
Printer friendly
page
Send this article to Friends by
E-Mail
Metro Plus
Bangalore
Chennai
Delhi
Hyderabad
Kochi
|
