As I enjoy the shade of the Neem tree perched along my balcony, a thought as simple as the innumerable Neem tree benefits sparked the idea of sharing with you the wonders of Nature. The idea behind Wikka and penning this down today has always been to reach farther and well beyond the boundaries of our potions. It has always been to share this knowledge and make it a part of your everyday life, just as it is a part of mine.
Today, I start with this Neem tree, the uses of Neem and the innumerable benefits it carries along. This amazing, evergreen tree of Neem has several medicinal uses. All the parts of the tree are used either for treating or for preventing illness. Be it leaves, seeds or the bark, all contain medicinal properties. And not just medicinal, but this tree is even considered sacred and is worshipped reverently throughout India. It is manifested to be the incarnation of more than five Gods or Goddesses. I still remember sitting with a guest in my balcony at this same spot where she told me, “The air smells so much better here. No wonder we worship Neem.” Indeed, no wonder we worship this tree of Goodness!
Neem twigs, to go with first, have antibacterial properties and are quite useful for maintaining oral health in a natural way. To use a Neem twig for oral care, all you have to do is chew the end of the stick to form bristles and then carefully rub the bristles along your gum line like a toothbrush. Remember to cut off the ends each time after use to ensure freshness. These even work as oral deodorant and toothache reliever. These twigs or the soft stem near the leaves are also used for fast healing of the freshly pierced ears. All you have to do is, dip the well-rounded twig/stem in mustard oil and then put it in the pierced spot until it is healed.
Then we have the leaves. Not to mention, Neem leaves have several benefits. Starting from your hair to the last point of skin on your body, it benefits all. It is an effective herb to treat hair loss due to its medicinal properties. Rinsing hair with Neem water helps clean the scalp and clears the clogged pores which enhance hair growth. The regenerative properties of Neem could be put to its best use with an easy Neem oil head massage. Due to its antibacterial, anti-fungal and anti-inflammatory properties, it becomes an excellent choice to cure dandruff too. Neem has anti-pest and anti-fungal properties and since they are a natural pesticide, dried Neem leaves when placed with your clothes, can prevent insects and bacteria from eating and ruining them. I personally store everything important, from all my heirloom finery to my other dear garments wrapped in dried Neem leaves. I follow this age-old recipe for the best protection. Make sure that the leaves you keep along with your clothes are properly dried, otherwise, the moisture will ruin the clothes. The recipe includes drying the leaves and then wrapping along with your clothes for storage.
As I always say, “A good, relaxing shower is the sheer necessity of your body as it works super hard every day.” At this heavy hour of pollution, one should preach this as the most sacred ritual. But try replacing your floral bubble bath with a detoxifying Neem bath occasionally by adding Neem to the bating water and availing the Neem water benefits. Neem is known to treat acne, sweat smell, warts, dark spots, skin inflammation and even infections due to its antifungal and antibacterial properties. All you need to do is add a few Neem leaves to hot water and let the water soak the elements from the leaves, you can then take a bath from this water, filled with Neem goodness. So to fight pollution and stay healthy, it is a very good natural element to go with. Neem water bath is of huge benefits during measles, chickenpox and even jaundice as it helps in cleansing and detoxifying along with fighting bacteria, viruses and fungi.
To avail direct antibacterial, anti-inflammatory and anti-fungal benefits of Neem leaves, the tender new leaves of the Neem tree are consumed in the morning on an empty stomach, primarily in the month of Chaitra as per Hindu calendar, which corresponds with April. It keeps you healthy and high on immunity.
These are a few Neem tree uses from my diary. I would love to hear about your Neem plant uses.
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Very well written about been tree…I enjoyed reading it