Azadirachta Indica: An Herb that Heal all Health Problems (Margosa)

Table of Contents

1. Introduction

Azadirachta Indica, commonly known as neem or Indian lilac, is a tree native to the Indian subcontinent, which has been traditionally used for various medicinal purposes. Its leaves, bark, seeds, and oil are rich in natural compounds that have antimicrobial, anti-inflammatory, and antioxidant properties, making it a popular ingredient in Ayurvedic medicine.

The benefits of neem are numerous and diverse, ranging from promoting healthy skin and hair to boosting the immune system and improving digestion. Neem oil is often used to treat skin conditions like acne, psoriasis, and eczema, while neem leaves are commonly used to make herbal teas that help to detoxify the body.

All parts of the tree have medicinal properties and are used to prepare different medical preparations. Neem twigs are used as toothbrush to clean teeth, people used to apply Azadirachta Indica oil to hair to kill head lice. Charaka has recommended consuming its tender leaves as a prophylactic measure for disease prevention. Charka advocated using Azadirachta Indica decoction, paste ghrita in skin disease, vrana, arsha and shotha.

In many parts of India its tender leaves are shoot and flowers are used as a vegetable. Apart from the medicinal uses, Azadirachta Indica cake is used as manure or fertilizer. Azadirachta Indica gum as a food additive, leaves as  ainsecticidal agent, bark in tanning, dyeing, wood in preparing furniture, seed pulp for industrial fermentations and oil in cosmetics.

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2. Common Names

• Family – Meliaceae
• Hindi Name – Neem
• English Name – Margosa Tree, Neem Tree

3. Vernacular Names

• Bengali – Nim
• Gujrati – Kadvo Limbo
• Kannada – Bevu, Nimba
• Malayalam – Veppu
• Marathi – Balantanimba
• Oriya – Nimba
• Tamil – Veppai, Vembu
• Telugu – Vemi, Vepa
• Urdu - Neem

4. Synonyms

• Arishta – It is used to eradicate several diseases.
• Krimighna – It has anthelmintic action.
• Pichumarda – It destroys skin disease.
• Puyari – The plant is a potent drug for purulent wounds.
• Sutiktak – The plant is best among tikta dravyas.
• Vartvach – Stem bark is the best among all the parts used.

5. Classical Categorization

• Charak Smahita – Kandughna
• Sushrut Samhita – Araghvadi
• Ashtanga Hridya – Araghvadi
• Dhanvantari Nighantu – Guduchayadi varga
• Madanpal Nighantu – Abhyadi varga
• Kaiyadev Nighantu – Oshadi varga
• Raj Nighantu – Prabhadradi varga
• Bhavaprakasha Nighantu – Guduchayadi varga

6. Distribution

It is a large evergreen tree, and it is commonly found in almost every part of India. It is indigenous to South Asia; the tree occurs naturally in the Decan peninsula and is grown all over India.

It is also common in Indonesia, Sri Lanka, Myanmar, Pakistan, Japan, and tropical regions of Australia and Africa. This tree has played an important role in Ayurvedic medicine and agriculture since time immemorial.

7. Morphology

It is a large, highly branched, evergreen tree of 40 to 50 ft height.

Leaves – compound, imparipinnate, alternate, 20 to 35 cm long, leaflets 7 to 13 in number, leaflets subopposite, falcate-lanceolate shape, oblique at base, bluntly serrate up to 7 x 3 cm, glabrous, green above pale beneath.

Flowers – White or greenish yellow, small, many, long, slender, axillary panicles.

Fruit – Drupes, when fresh, green in colour, turning yellow on ripening, oblong or ovoid shape, single seeded. Seeds are dirty brown, 1cm in length, 4 to 5 mm in width, taste bitter.

Bark – Channelled, tough, fibrous, brownish black with a rough scaly surface. Internally, yellowish, laminated, and coarsely fibrous.

Neem Leaves

Neem Fruit

Neem Flower

Neem Bark

8. Ayurvedic Properties

Rasa (Taste): It has Tikta, Kashya (bitter, astrigent) taste.

Virya (Potency): It is sheet in nature (cool).

Vipaka (Post-digestive taste): The post-digestive taste is katu (bitter).

9. Chemical Constituent

The most important active constituent of Azadirachta Indica is azadirachtin and the others are nimbin, nimbidin, nimbidol, sodium nimbinate, gedunin, nimbol, nimbidine, nimbidiol, nimocin, margosin, nimbocetin, flavonoids, polyphenolic, arachidic acid, and palmitic acids. Leaves contain nimbin, nimbanene, nimbandiol, ascorbic acid, amino acid and nimbiol.

10. Identity, Purity, and Strength

Foreign Matter – Not more than 2%

Total Ash – Not more than 7%

Acid-insoluble ash – Not more than 1.5%

Alcohol-soluble extractive – Not less than 6%

Water-soluble extractive – Not less than 5%

(Source: The Ayurvedic Pharmacopeia of India 1999)

11. Ayurvedic and Pharmacological Actions

Ayurvedic Action

Various Ayurveda texts assign it as anthelmintic, antipruritic, wound healing, removes foul smell, refrigerant, digestive, antipyretic, analgesic, stimulant, anti-inflammatory, blood purifier, wound purifier, antipyretic and antibacterial.

• Doshakarma – Kapha pittashamaka
• Dhatukarma – Katu paushtika (bitter tonic)
• Malakarma – Sarak, putihara.

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Pharmacological Action

Bark, flowers, leaves and fruits have immunomodulatory, anti-inflammatory, anti-ulcer, antimalarial, anti-fungal, antibacterial, antiviral, antioxidant, anti-mutagenic, anti-carcinogenic, antifertility, antimalarial, anticancer, antiulcer, diuretic and hepatoprotective.

12. Health Benefits

Ayurveda classics advocated the use of Azadirachta Indica in pruritus, skin disease, intestinal worms, abscess, tumours, wounds, tubercular glands, sinus, cough, asthma, fever, eye disease, bleeding disorder, heartburn, piles, abdominal tumor, diabetes, injury and syphilis. Its flowers have pittashamaka property and therefore are specially used in aruchi. Neem oil is applied locally in chronic skin disease, leukoderma, eczema, ulcers, ringworm, scabies and leprosy.

13. Therapeutic Uses

Earache - Take Azadirachta Indica leaves and boil in 1 liter of water and use this water to massage the ear, it helps in earache.

Take Azadirachta Indica leaves juice and add an equal quantity of honey, mix it, and little warm the juice. Put a few drops in the ear, which gives relief from pain.

Deafness - Two drops of lukewarm Azadirachta Indica oil and put into the ear twice a day, help to cure deafness.

Night Blindness - Take neem juice and apply it to the eyes, it is highly effective in the treatment of night blindness.

Hair Loss - Make a decoction of neem leaves and wash the hair with this, helping to reduce hair loss.

Leprosy - Take 12 grams of neem leaves powder, and 1/3 tsp of black pepper powder, and mix it well. Take this mixture with water, which helps to cure leprosy.

Malaria And Fever - Take 15-60 grams of decoction of Azadirachta Indica leaves, which helps to treat malaria and fever.

Piles - Take 3 grams of Azadirachta Indica bark powder, and 6 grams of jaggery powder, mix them and take them in the morning, it is very effective in piles.

Ulcers And Wounds - An ointment of neem leaves is also effective in healing ulcers and wounds.

An ointment is prepared by frying 50 grams of the leaves in 50 grams of ghee and mashing the mixture thoroughly till on ointment consistency is obtained.

Greying of Hair – Regular application of Neem oil in scalp.

Tooth Disease – Decoction of Neem root is used as mouthwash in diseases of teeth and gums.

Wound Healing – Decoction of neem leaves is used for washing wounds.

Gout – Drinking the decoction of Patola and Azadirachta Indica leaves pacifies gout.

Jaundice – Decoction of Triphala or Guduchi  or Azadirachta Indica with honey should be taken in the morning.

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14. Official Part Used

Bark, root, leaves, flowers.

15. Doses

Powder – 1 to 2 g

Leaves Juice – 10 to 20 ml

Oil – 5 to 10 drops

16. Azadirachta Indica Hair Pack

This hair pack is very effective in hair fall and dandruff, this is an herbal home remedy for healthy and strong hair.

Ingredients

• Neem Leaf Powder – 2 tbsp.
• Indian Gooseberry Powder – 1 tsp
• Bacopa Monnieri Powder – 1 tsp
• Butea Monosperma Powder – 1 tsp
• Mustard Oil – ½ tsp

Method

• Take a bowl and add all the ingredients except oil and mix them well.
• Add oil and ½ cup of water and make a paste for the hair pack.
• Apply this pack to the hair scalp and on hairs.
• Wash the hair after 20 minutes.