Ultimate Benefits Of 'Ultimate Herb'

Stating that oral hygiene of Indians was the best in the world, he said that neem datun was normally masticated for at least 10-15 minutes which helped the juice to reach the oral cavity Neem flowers he said were used with rice in Maharashtra for one month in the beginning of summer every year to get rid off any disease, especially skin disorders, respiratory infections and fever.

Besides its effect on different types of dermatological conditions and skin allergies, it has also been established at IIHM that alcoholic extract from neem leaves was highly et fective in ascariasis, which is a common cause of poor health of children in India.

Referring to neem research across the globe, Dr Singh said neem was used in treating fatigue syndrome and fungal infections in several developed countries, including USA and UK. Neem also helps in killing Epstein Barr virus which is responsible for causing fatigue syndrome, a very common disease in USA and other countries which have a cold climate. Neem is grown as part of organic farming in Mexico and herbal formulations are prescribed to treat fatigue syndrome. Neem has been so much a part of Indian life that most people are not even conscious of how many ways it affects their lival. Ever since dramatic interest was shown in neem by the West, Indians too have come to realise its significance. A movement to protect the relatively few neem trees in India along with its products is growing, as Indians see the possibility of a larger demand of neem by richer western nations, which in turn would lead to rise in neem products.

To address this potential problem, the Indian government is considering legislation that would ban the export of neem seeds, now regarded as a national treasure and limit foreign sales to seed, oll and manufactured products.

(The author is a freelance writer)