Neem is not a new term for any of us. All of us are aware of its magnificent and wonderful properties. It belongs to the kingdom Plantae, order Sapindales, family Meliaceae. The scientific name of neem is Azadirachta indica. It belongs to the mahogany family. It is native to India, Myanmar, Sri Lanka, Malaysia and Pakistan. It flourishes well in the tropical and the semi-tropical regions. Other vernacular names of neem are Nimtree, Vepu, Vempu, Vepa, Tamar etc. In east Africa it is called as the tree of 40 because it is used for curing 40 diseases. It is a fast growing tree and attains a height of 15-20 meters. Although it an evergreen tree but in conditions of severe drought it sheds all its leaves. The branches are widely spread. The crown is very dense.
The trunk of Azadirachta indica is generally straight, short and may reach up to 1.2 meters. It comes under the category of bush. The leaves are pinnate, about 20-40 cm long, with 20-31 medium to dark green leaflets about 3-8 cm long. The terminal leaflet is absent. Petioles are short. The tender leaves are reddish to purplish in colouration. The mature leaflets are somewhat asymmetric and their margins are dentate. The arrangement of flowers is axillary and they are about 25 cm long. The inflorescence bears about 150-250 flowers. An individual flower measures about 5-6 cm long and 8-11mm wide. Flowers are protandrous, bisexual and the male flower is present on the same individual. Flowers find use in the preparation of curry called as ugadi pachadi. The fruit is a drupe and is smooth. It may range in shape from elongate oval to nearly roundish. The skin of the fruit is very thin and the yellowish white pulp present inside the fruit is very bitter in taste and the fruit is very fibrous. There are about 2-3 seeds covered by a brown seed coat.
The neem tree is notable for its power for extreme drought resistance. It thrives well in the sub-arid to sub-humid conditions. It requires an annual rainfall of about 400-1200 mm. It can also grow in the regions with annual rainfall lower than 400 mm and in such conditions it largely depends upon the ground water. It can sustain itself well any type of the soil but it thrives well in the deep drained and the sandy soils. It requires an annual temperature of about 21-32°C. It can easily tolerate high and low temperatures bit is unable tolerate the temperature lower than 4°C. neem is considered a life giving tree especially for the dry coastal and southern districts. It comes under the category of few shade giving trees under the drought conditions. It is considered an invasive species in some areas where it is non-native.
The pharmacological properties of neem were brought to the attention of the workers by the late Pakistani scientist Siddiqui. While working in the Scientific and Industrial Research Laboratory, Delhi he extracted three bitter compounds from the neem oil. These bitter compounds were named as nimbin, nimbinin and nimbidin by him. The seed are the store house of another complex secondary metabolite azadirachtin. In India neem tree is considered as a divine tree as it contains anti-helminthic, anti-fungal, anti-fertility, anti-diabetic, anti-bacterial, anti-viral sedative properties. It is a major component of the Ayurvedic system of medicine as widely used for curing the skin disease. All parts of the tree are the source of medicinal properties and are used for curing various types of diseases. Spermicide can be prepared from the neem tree. Neem oil is used in the preparation of various cosmetics and is useful in fighting skin infections. Neem oil is also a good mosquito repellent.
Neem derivatives are also a good source of pest repellent and are used for kicking away the ticks, mites, nematodes and other household pests. These derivatives badly affect the physiology of these pests. These derivatives are non-toxic to the higher animals. Neem leaves are used for the treatment of chicken pox also. Neem tree is also a good source of carbon dioxide sink. The gum obtained from the neem tree is used for the preparation of a special food given to the patients suffering from diabetes. The slender neem branches are used for the cleaning of the teeth and are useful in keeping the gums and teeth healthy. The extract prepared from the neem leaves is beneficial for the treatment of malaria. The tender shoots and the flowers of neem are consumed as a vegetable in many parts of India.
It can be concluded that neem is a very beneficial tree for the humans as it provides a number of products that are essential for the well being of the man.
Navodita Maurice
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