Peepal Tree

The Sacred Fig (Ficus religiosa) or Bo-Tree (from the Sinhala bo)[1] is a species of banyan
fig native to Bangladesh, India, Nepal, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, southwest China and Indochina.
It is a large dry season-deciduous or semi-evergreen tree up to 30 m tall and with a trunk
diameter of up to 3 m. The leaves are cordate in shape with a distinctive extended tip; they
are 10–17 cm long and 8–12 cm broad, with a 6–10 cm petiole. The fruit is a small fig 1-
1.5 cm diameter, green ripening purple. The Bodhi tree and the Sri Maha Bodhi propagated
from it are famous specimens of Sacred Fig. The known planting date of the latter, 288 BC,
gives it the oldest verified age for any angiosperm plant. This plant is considered sacred by
the followers of Hinduism, Jainism and Buddhism, and hence the name 'Sacred Fig' was
given to it. Siddhartha Gautama is said to have been sitting underneath a Bo-Tree when he
was enlightened (Bodhi), or "awakened" (Buddha). Thus, the Bo-Tree is well-known symbol
for happiness, prosperity, longevity and good luck. Today in India, Hindu sadhus still
meditate below this tree, and in Theravada Buddhist Southeast Asia, the tree's massive trunk
is often the site of Buddhist and animist shrines. The Hindus do pradakshina
(circumambulation) around the sacred fig tree as a mark of worship. Usually seven
pradakshinas are done around the tree in the morning time chanting "Vriksha Rajaya Namah"
meaning salutation to the king of trees.

Plaksa

Plaksa is a possible Sanskrit term for the sacred fig. According to Macdonell and Keith
(1912), it rather denotes the wavy-leaved Fig tree (Ficus infectoria).

In Hindu texts, the Plaksa tree is associated with the source of the Sarasvati River. The
Skanda Purana states that the Sarasvati originates from the water pot of Brahma and flows
from Plaksa on the Himalayas. According to Vamana Purana 32.1-4, the Sarasvati was rising
from the Plaksa tree (Pipal tree).[2]

Plaksa Pra-sravana denotes the place where the Sarasvati appears.[3] In the Rigveda Sutras,
Plaksa Pra-sravana refers to the source of the Sarasvati.[4]

Banyan tree
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This article is about the tree. For other uses, see Banyan (disambiguation).

A banyan (also banian) is a fig that starts its life as an epiphyte when its seeds germinate in
the cracks and crevices on a host tree (or on structures like buildings and bridges). "Banyan"
often refers specifically to the Indian Banyan or Ficus benghalensis, the National tree of
India,[1] though the term has been generalized to include all figs that share a unique life cycle,
and systematically to refer to the subgenus Urostigma.[2] The seeds of banyans are dispersed
by fruit-eating birds. The seeds germinate and send down roots towards the ground, and may
envelop part of the host tree or building structure with their roots, giving them the casual
name of "strangler fig." The "strangling" growth habit is found in a number of tropical forest
species, particularly of the genus Ficus, that compete for light.[3][4][5] Any Ficus species
showing this habit may be termed a strangler fig.

The leaves of Banyan tree are large, leathery, glossy green and elliptical in shape. Like most
of the fig-trees, leaf bud is covered by two large scales. As the leaf develops the scales fall.
Young leaves have an attractive reddish tinge.[6]

Older banyan trees are characterized by their aerial prop roots that grow into thick woody
trunks which, with age, can become indistinguishable from the main trunk. Old trees can
spread out laterally using these prop roots to cover a wide area. Like other Fig species (which
includes the common edible fig Ficus carica), banyans have unique fruit structures and are
dependent on fig wasps for reproduction.

edit] Etymology

The name was originally given to F. benghalensis and comes from India where early
travellers observed that the shade of the tree was frequented by banias or Indian traders.[7]

In the Gujarati language, banya means "grocer/merchant," not "tree." The Portuguese picked
up the word to refer specifically to Hindu merchants and passed it along to the English as
early as 1599 with the same meaning. By 1634, English writers began to tell of the banyan
tree, a tree under which Hindu merchants would conduct their business. The tree provided a
shaded place for a village meeting or for merchants to sell their goods. Eventually "banyan"
became the name of the tree itself.

[edit] Classification
proper noun Banyan refers specifically to the species F. benghalensis, which can grow into a
giant tree covering several hectares. Over time, the name became generalized to all strangler
figs. There are many banyan species, including:

• Ficus microcarpa, which is native from Sri Lanka through New Caledonia and is a
significant invasive species elsewhere.
• The Central American Banyan (Ficus pertusa) is native to Central America and
northern South America, from southern Mexico south to Paraguay.
• The Shortleaf Fig (Ficus citrifolia) is native to southern Florida, the Caribbean
Islands, Central America and South America south to Paraguay. One theory is that the
Portuguese name for F. citrofolia, "Os Barbados", gave Barbados its name
• The Florida Strangler Fig (Ficus aurea) is also native to southern Florida and the
Caribbean Islands, and distinguished from the above by its coarser leaf venation.
• The Moreton Bay Fig (Ficus macrophylla) and Port Jackson Fig (Ficus rubiginosa)
are other related species.

[edit] Ornamental value

Due to the complex structure of the roots and extensive branching, the banyan is extensively
used for creating Bonsai. Taiwan's oldest living bonsai is a 240-year-old banyan housed in
Tainan.[8]

[edit] In culture
[edit] Religion and mythology

In Bhagawat Gita Lord Krishan said There is a banyan tree which has its roots upward and its
branches down, and the Vedic hymns are its leaves. One who knows this tree is the knower of
the Vedas." (Bg 15.1) Here the material world is described as a tree whose roots are upwards
and branches are below. We have experience of a tree whose roots are upward: if one stands
on the bank of a river or any reservoir of water, he can see that the trees reflected in the water
are upside down. The branches go downward and the roots upward. Similarly, this material
world is a reflection of the spiritual world. The material world is but a shadow of reality. In
the shadow there is no reality or substantiality, but from the shadow we can understand that
there is substance and reality. In the desert there is no water, but the mirage suggests that
there is such a thing as water. In the material world there is no water, there is no happiness,
but the real water of actual happiness is there in the spiritual world.Kanayalal Raina

Elsewhere in the Bhagavad Gita, Krishna says:

Of all trees I am the banyan tree, and of the sages among the demigods I am Narada. Of the
Gandharvas I am Citraratha, and among perfected beings I am the sage Kapila.(10.26)

Jackfruit tree
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The jackfruit (Artocarpus heterophyllus or A. heterophylla[1]) is a species of tree in the

mulberry family (Moraceae), which is native to parts of Southern and Southeast Asia. It is the
national fruit of Bangladesh. Jackfruit is also found in East Africa e.g. in Uganda.

It is well suited to tropical lowlands. Its fruit is the largest tree-borne fruit in the world,[2]
reaching 80 pounds (36 kg) in weight and up to 36 inches (90 cm) long and 20 inches (50 cm)
in diameter,[3]

[edit] Etymology and names

The name "Jack fruit" is derived from the Portuguese Jaca,[4] which in turn, is derived from
the Malayalam language term, Chakka.[5] The Portuguese first arrived in India at Kozhikode
(Calicut) on the Malabar Coast (Kerala) in 1498. The Malayalam name Chakka was recorded
by Hendrik van Rheede (1678–1703) in the Hortus Malabaricus, vol. iii in Latin. Henry Yule
translated the book in Jordanus Catalani's (1678–1703) Mirabilia Descripta: The Wonders of
the East.[6]

The fruit is called a variety of names around the world. The common English name jackfruit,
which is derived from the Malayalam chakka or cakkai via the Portuguese jaca,[7] is a name
used by the physician and naturalist Garcia de Orta in his 1563 book Colóquios dos simples e
drogas da India.[8][9] A botanist, Ralph Randles Stewart suggests that it was named after
William Jack (1795–1822), a Scottish botanist who worked for the East India Company in
Bengal, Sumatra and Malaysia.[10] This is unlikely, as the fruit was called a "Jack" in English
before William Jack was born: for instance, in Dampier's 1699 book, A new voyage round the
world.[11]. In Indonesia and Malaysia, this fruit is called nangka.

[edit] Cultivation and ecology

Jackfruit opened

The jackfruit has played a significant role in Indian agriculture for centuries. Archeological
findings in India have revealed that jackfruit was cultivated in India 3000 to 6000 years ago.
Findings also indicate that Indian Emperor Ashoka the Great (274–237 BC) encouraged
arbori-horticulture of various fruits including jackfruit. Varahamihira, the Indian astronomer,
mathematician, and astrologer, wrote a chapter on the treatment of trees in his Brhat Samhita.
His treatise includes a specific reference on grafting to be performed on trees such as
jackfruit.[12] Maturing in 35-40 years, their wood can be used for furniture. The gum from this
tree is used to repair small holes in pots. In Kerala (India), Jackfruit tree supports the Black
Pepper vine, which is a climber. Thus the trunks of Jackfruit trees of Kerala are usually
covered with the dark green leaves of the pepper vine cultivated by the farmers.

Illustration of the size of jackfruit. The leaves of the Black Pepper vine on the tree also can be
seen

The jackfruit is considered an invasive species in Brazil, especially in the Tijuca Forest
National Park in Rio de Janeiro. The Tijuca forest is mostly an artificial secondary forest,
whose planting began during the mid-nineteenth century, and jackfruit trees have been a part
of the park's flora since its founding. Recently, the species expanded excessively, due to the
fact that its fruits, once they had naturally fallen to the ground and opened, were eagerly eaten
by small mammals such as the common marmoset and the coati. The seeds are dispersed by
these animals, which allows the jackfruit to compete for space with native tree-species.
Additionally, as the marmoset and coati also prey opportunistically on bird's eggs and
nestlings, the supply of jackfruit as a ready source of food has allowed them to expand their
populations, which has negatively impacted the local bird population. Between 2002 and
2007, 55,662 jackfruit saplings were destroyed in the Tijuca Forest area in a deliberate
culling effort by the park's management.[13]
[edit] Commercial availability

Outside of its countries of origin, fresh jackfruit can be found at Asian food markets
especially in Philippines. It is also extensively cultivated in the Brazilian coastal region,
where it is sold in local markets. It is available canned in sugar syrup, or frozen. Dried
jackfruit chips are produced by various manufacturers. In northern Australia, particularly in
Darwin, Australia, jackfruit can be found at outdoor produce markets during the dry season.
Outside of countries where it is grown, jackfruit can be obtained year-round both canned or
dried. It has a ripening season in Asia of late Spring to late Summer.[14]

Jackfruit depicted by the Polish Jesuit Michał Boym in his Flora Sinensis (1656)

[edit] Jackfruit

The flesh of the jackfruit is starchy, fibrous and is a source of dietary fiber. The flavour is
similar to a tart banana. Varieties of jackfruit are distinguished according to the
characteristics of the fruits' flesh. In Brazil, three varieties are recognized. These are: jaca-
dura, or "hard" variety, which has firm flesh and the largest fruits that can weigh between 15
and 40 kilograms each; jaca-mole, or "soft" variety, which bears smaller fruits, with softer
and sweeter flesh; and jaca-manteiga, or "butter" variety, which bears sweet fruits, whose
flesh has a consistency intermediate between the "hard" and "soft" varieties.[15]

In Kerala, mainly two varieties of Jackfruit are found: Varikka and Kuzha. Varikka has
slightly hard flesh for the inner fruit when it becomes ripened. Kuzha fruit has very soft,
almost dissolving type flesh for the inner fruit on ripening. A sweet preparation called
Chakka Varattiyathu is made by seasoning the Varikka fruit flesh pieces in jaggery, which
can be preserved and used for many months. Huge jackfruits up to 4 feet length with
matching girth are sometimes seen in Kerala.

[edit] Dishes and preparations

Young jackfruit

Jackfruit is commonly used in South and Southeast Asian cuisines.[16] It can be eaten unripe
(young) when cooked, or ripe uncooked.[16] The seeds may be boiled or baked like beans. The
leaves are used as a wrapping for steamed idlis.

[edit] Young fruit

The young fruit is called Polos in Sri Lanka, and 'Idichakka" in Kerala. It is a wonderful dish
with spices to replace meat curries in Sri Lankan cuisine. The skin of unripe (young) jack
fruit must be pared first and discarded and then the whole fruit can be chopped into edible
portions and cooked to be eaten. The raw young fruit is not edible.[16] Young jackfruit has a
mild flavour and distinctive texture. The cuisines of India, Nepal, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka,
Indonesia, Cambodia, and Vietnam use cooked young jackfruit.[16] In Indonesia, young
jackfruit is eaten as gudeg. In many cultures, jackfruit is boiled and used in curries as a staple
food.

Jackfruit chips

Jackfruit is a part of Telugu culture as well. In Andhra, jackfruit is a delicacy. It is called

"Panasa pottu koora", or finely chopped jackfruit curry. It is mixed with mustard and cooked,
and is a popular Telugu dish.

Mango tree
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This article is about the fruit. For other meanings of the word, see Mango (disambiguation).

Ripe Sindhri mangoes from Sind, Pakistan

Mango is a fruit which is indigenous to the Indian subcontinent,[1] belonging to the genus
Mangifera, consisting of numerous species of tropical fruiting trees in the flowering plant
family Anacardiaceae. While other Mangifera species (e.g. Horse Mango, M. foetida) are
also grown on a more localized basis, Mangifera indica – the Common Mango or Indian
Mango – is the only mango tree commonly cultivated in many tropical and subtropical
regions, and its fruit is distributed essentially world-wide.

In several cultures, its fruit and leaves are ritually used as floral decorations at weddings,
public celebrations and religious ceremonies.

[edit] Etymology
The English word mango probably originated from the Malayalam word "maanga" (മാങ
(māṅṅa)), then via Portuguese as manga.[2] The word's first recorded attestation in a
European language was a text by Ludovico di Varthema in Italian in 1510, as Manga; the
first recorded occurrences in languages such as French and post-classical Latin appear to be
translations from this Italian text. The origin of the -o ending in English is unclear.[2]

When mangoes were first imported to the American colonies in the 17th century, they had to
be pickled due to lack of refrigeration. Other fruits were also pickled and came to be called
"mangoes" (especially bell peppers), and by the 18th century, the word "mango" became a
verb meaning to pickle".[3]

[edit] Description

Mango inflorescence and immature fruit

Mango trees (Mangifera indica L.) grow 35–40 m (115–130 ft) tall, with a crown radius of
10 m (33 ft). The mango tree is long-lived, as some specimens still fruit after 300 years.[citation
needed]
In deep soil the taproot descends to a depth of 6 m (20 ft) and the profuse, wide-
spreading feeder roots also send down many anchor roots, which penetrate several feet of
soil. The leaves are evergreen, alternate, simple, 15–35 cm (5.9–14 in) long and 6–16 cm
(2.4–6.3 in) broad; when the leaves are young they are orange-pink, rapidly changing to a
dark glossy red, then dark green as they mature. The flowers are produced in terminal
panicles 10–40 cm (3.9–16 in) long; each flower is small and white with five petals 5–10 mm
(0.20–0.39 in) long, with a mild sweet odor suggestive of lily of the valley. The fruit takes
three to six months to ripen.

The ripe fruit is variable in size and color. Cultivars are variously yellow, orange, red or
green and carry a single flat, oblong pit that can be fibrous or hairy on the surface and which
does not separate easily from the pulp. Ripe, unpeeled fruit gives off a distinctive resinous,
sweet smell. Inside the pit 1–2 mm (0.039–0.079 in) thick is a thin lining covering a single
seed, 4–7 mm (0.16–0.28 in) long. The seed contains the plant embryo.

The seed of mango can be hairy or fibrous

The "hedgehog" style is a common way of eating mangoes (left). A cross section of a mango
can be seen on the right, not quite fully halving the fruit as the stone is not visible

[edit] Cultivation and uses

Mango orchard in Multan, Pakistan

Unripe mangoes on a mango tree

Mangoes have been cultivated in the Indian subcontinent for thousands of years[4] and
reached East Asia between the 5th–4th century BC. By the 10th century AD, cultivation had
begun in East Africa.[4] The 14th century Moroccan traveler, Ibn Battuta, reported it at
Mogadishu.[5] Cultivation came later to Brazil, West Indies and Mexico, where an appropriate
climate allows its growth.[4]

Mango is now cultivated in most frost-free tropical and warmer subtropical climates; nearly
half of the world's mangoes are cultivated in India alone.[6][7][8] Mango is also being grown in
Andalusia, Spain (mainly in Málaga province), which is one of the few places in mainland
Europe that allow growth of tropical plants and fruit trees.[9] Many of the 1,000 + mango
cultivars are easily cultivated using grafted saplings, ranging from the "turpentine mango"
(named for its strong taste of turpentine, which according to the Oxford Companion to Food
some varieties actually contain) to the huevos de toro ("eggs of the bull", a euphemism for
"bull's testicles", referring to the shape and size).

Other cultivators include North, South and Central America, the Caribbean, south, west and
central Africa, Australia, China, Pakistan, Bangladesh, and Southeast Asia. Though India is
the largest producer of mangoes, it accounts for less than one percent of the international
mango trade, consuming most of its own output.[10]

Dwarf or semi-dwarf varieties serve as ornamental plants and can be grown in containers.

A wide variety of diseases can afflict mangoes; see List of mango diseases.

[edit] Potential for contact dermatitis

Mango peel contains urushiol, the chemical in poison ivy and poison sumac that can cause
urushiol-induced contact dermatitis in susceptible people.[11] Cross-reactions between mango
contact allergens and urushiol have been observed.[12] Those with a history of poison ivy or
poison oak contact dermatitis may be most at risk for such an allergic reaction.[13] Urushiol is
also present in mango leaves and stems. During mango's primary ripening season, it is the
most common source of plant dermatitis in Hawaii.[14]

[edit] Food

An unripe mango of Ratnagiri (India)

Mango is generally sweet, although the taste and texture of the flesh varies across cultivars,
some having a soft, pulpy texture similar to an over-ripe plum, while the flesh of others is
firmer, like a cantaloupe or avocado, or may have a fibrous texture. For consumption of
unripe, pickled or cooked fruit, the mango skin may be consumed comfortably, but has
potential to cause contact dermatitis (above) of the lips, gingiva or tongue in susceptible
people. In ripe fruits which are commonly eaten fresh, the skin may be thicker and bitter
tasting, so is typically not eaten.

[edit] Cuisine

Commercially packaged mango powder sold in clear plastic wrapping

Mangoes are widely used in cuisine. Sour, unripe mangoes are used in chutneys, athanu,
pickles, side dishes, or may be eaten raw with salt, chili, or soy sauce. A cooling summer
drink called panna or panha comes from mangoes.

Azadirachta indica Neem tree

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Azadirachta indica (Neem) is a tree in the mahogany family Meliaceae. It is one of two
species in the genus Azadirachta, and is native to India, Burma, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka,
Malaysia and Pakistan, growing in tropical and semi-tropical regions. Other vernacular
names include Neem (Hindi, Urdu), Nim ((Bengali)), Nimm (Punjabi), Arya Veppu
(Malayalam), Azad Dirakht (Persian), Nimba (Sanskrit, Oriya), Kadu-Limba (Marathi),
DogonYaro (in some Nigerian languages), Margosa, Neeb (Arabic), Nimtree, Vepu, Vempu,
Vepa (Telugu), Bevu (Kannada), Kohomba (Sinhala), Vembu (Tamil), Tamar (Burmese), sầu
đâu, xoan Ấn Độ (Vietnamese), Paraiso (Spanish), and Indian Lilac (English). In East Africa
it is also known as Muarubaini (Swahili), which means the tree of the 40, as it is said to treat
40 different diseases.

Neem is a fast-growing tree that can reach a height of 15–20 m (about 50–65 feet), rarely to
35–40 m (115–131 feet). It is evergreen, but in severe drought it may shed most or nearly all
of its leaves. The branches are wide spread. The fairly dense crown is roundish or oval and
may reach the diameter of 15–20 m in old, free-standing specimens.

[edit] Trunk

The trunk is relatively short, straight and may reach a diameter of 1.2 m (about 4 feet).It is
classified as a bush but it is not very weak.

[edit] Leaves

The opposite, pinnate leaves are 20–40 cm (8 to 16 in.) long, with 20 to 31 medium to dark
green leaflets about 3–8 cm (1 to 3 in.) long. The terminal leaflet is often missing. The
petioles are short. Very young leaves are reddish to purplish in colour. The shape of mature
leaflets is more or less asymmetric and their margins are dentate with the exception of the
base of their basiscopal half, which is normally very strongly reduced and cuneate or wedge-
shaped.

[edit] Flowers

The (white and fragrant) flowers are arranged axillary, normally in more-or-less drooping
panicles which are up to 25 cm (10 in.) long. The inflorescences, which branch up to the third
degree, bear from 150 to 250 flowers. An individual flower is 5–6 mm long and 8–11 mm
wide. Protandrous, bisexual flowers and male flowers exist on the same individual.

[edit] Fruit

The fruit is a smooth (glabrous) olive-like drupe which varies in shape from elongate oval to
nearly roundish, and when ripe are 1.4-2.8 x 1.0-1.5 cm. The fruit skin (exocarp) is thin and
the bitter-sweet pulp (mesocarp) is yellowish-white and very fibrous. The mesocarp is 0.3-
0.5 cm thick. The white, hard inner shell (endocarp) of the fruit encloses one, rarely two or
three, elongated seeds (kernels) having a brown seed coat.

The neem tree is very similar in appearance to the Chinaberry, all parts of which are
extremely poisonous to mammals, while birds are known to gorge themselves on the berries,
the seeds passing harmlessly through their unique digestive systems.
[edit] Ecology
The neem tree is noted for its drought resistance. Normally it thrives in areas with sub-arid to
sub-humid conditions, with an annual rainfall between 400 and 1200 mm. It can grow in
regions with an annual rainfall below 400 mm, but in such cases it depends largely on ground
water levels. Neem can grow in many different types of soil, but it thrives best on well
drained deep and sandy soils. It is a typical tropical to subtropical tree and exists at annual
mean temperatures between 21-32 °C. It can tolerate high to very high temperatures and does
not tolerate temperature below 4 °C . Neem is a life-giving tree, especially for the dry coastal,
southern districts of India. It is one of the very few shade-giving trees that thrive in the
drought-prone areas. The trees are not at all delicate about the water quality and thrive on the
merest trickle of water, whatever the quality. In India it is very common to see neem trees
used for shade lining the streets or in most people's back yards. In very dry areas the trees are
planted in large tracts of land.

[edit] Weed status

Neem is considered a weed in many areas, including some parts of the Middle East, and most
of Sub-Saharan Africa including West Africa where in Senegal it has been used as a malarial
drug and Tanzania and other Indian Ocean states where in Kiswahili it is known as 'the
panacea', literally 'the tree that cures forty [diseases]', where ayurvedic uses are practiced.

Ecologically, it survives well in similar environments to its own, for example replacing the
babul acacia tree from India with African acacia species.

[edit] Chemical compounds

The Indian scientists were the first scientist to bring the plant to the attention of
phytopharmacologists.[citation needed] In 1942, while working at the Scientific and Industrial
Research Laboratory at Delhi University, British India, he extracted three bitter compounds
from neem oil, which he named nimbin, nimbinin, and nimbidin respectively.[1] The seeds
contain a complex secondary metabolite azadirachtin.

[edit] Uses
In India, the tree is variously known as "Sacred Tree," "Heal All," "Nature's Drugstore,"
"Village Pharmacy" and "Panacea for all diseases." Products made from neem tree have been
used in India for over two millennia for their medicinal properties: Neem products have been
observed to be anthelmintic, antifungal, antidiabetic, antibacterial, antiviral, contraceptive
and sedative.[1] Neem products are also used in selectively controlling pests in plants. It is
considered a major component in Ayurvedic and Unani medicine and is particularly
prescribed for skin disease.[2]

• All parts of the tree are said to have medicinal properties (seeds, leaves, flowers and
bark) and are used for preparing many different medical preparations.
• Part of the Neem tree can be used as a spermicide[3]
 • Neem oil is used for preparing cosmetics (soap, shampoo, balms and creams, for
example Margo soap), and is useful for skin care such as acne treatment, and keeping
skin elasticity. Neem oil has been found to be an effective mosquito repellent.
• Neem derivatives neutralise nearly 500 pests worldwide, including insects, mites,
ticks, and nematodes, by affecting their behaviour and physiology. Neem does not
normally kill pests right away, rather it repels them and affects their growth. As neem
products are cheap and non-toxic to higher animals and most beneficial insects, they
are well-suited for pest control in rural areas.
• Besides its use in traditional Indian medicine, the neem tree is of great importance for
its anti-desertification properties and possibly as a good carbon dioxide sink.
• Practitioners of traditional Indian medicine recommend that patients suffering from
chicken pox sleep on neem leaves.
• Neem gum is used as a bulking agent and for the preparation of special purpose food
(for diabetics).
• Aqueous extracts of neem leaves have demonstrated significant antidiabetic potential.
• Traditionally, slender neem branches were chewed in order to clean one's teeth. Neem
twigs are still collected and sold in markets for this use, and in India one often sees
youngsters in the streets chewing on neem twigs.
• A decoction prepared from neem roots is ingested to relieve fever in traditional Indian
medicine.
• Neem leaf paste is applied to the skin to treat acne, and in a similar vein is used for
measles and chicken pox sufferers.
• Neem blossoms are used in Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu and Karnataka to prepare
Ugadi pachhadi. "Bevina hoovina gojju" (a type of curry prepared with neem
blossoms) is common in Karnataka throughout the year. Dried blossoms are used
when fresh blossoms are not available. In Tamilnadu, a rasam (veppam poo rasam)
made with neem blossoms is a culinary speciality.

• A mixture of neem flowers and bella (jaggery or unrefined brown sugar) is prepared
and offered to friends and relatives, symbolic of sweet and bitter events in the
upcoming new year.

Extract of neem leaves is thought to be helpful as malaria prophylaxis despite the fact that no
comprehensive clinical studies are yet available. In several cases, private initiatives in
Senegal were successful in preventing malaria.[4] However, major NGOs such as USAID are
not supposed to use neem tree extracts unless the medical benefit has been proved with
clinical studies.

[edit] Uses in pest and disease control

Neem is deemed very effective in the treatment of scabies, although only preliminary
scientific proof, which still has to be corroborated, exists,[citation needed] and is recommended for
those who are sensitive to permethrin, a known insecticide which might be an irritant. Also,
the scabies mite has yet to become resistant to neem, so in persistent cases neem has been
shown to be very effective. There is also anecdotal evidence of its effectiveness in treating
infestations of head lice in humans. A tea made of boiled neem leaves, sometimes combined
with other herbs such as ginger, can be ingested to fight intestinal worms.[citation needed]

The oil is also used in sprays against fleas for cats and dogs.
[edit] As a vegetable

The tender shoots and flowers of the neem tree are eaten as a vegetable in India. Neem
flowers are very popular for their use in Ugadi Pachhadi (soup-like pickle), which is made on
Ugadi day in the South Indian States of Andhra Pradesh, Tamilnadu and Karnataka. A
souplike dish called Veppampoo Rasam (Tamil) (translated as "neem flower rasam") made of
the flower of neem is prepared in Tamil Nadu.

Neem is also used in parts of mainland Southeast Asia, particularly in Cambodia, Laos
(where it is called kadao), Thailand (where it is known as sadao or sdao), Myanmar (where it
is known as tamar) and Vietnam (where it is known as sầu đâu and is used to cook the salad:
gỏi sầu đâu). Even lightly cooked, the flavour is quite bitter and thus the food is not enjoyed
by all inhabitants of these nations, though it is believed to be good for one's health. Neem
Gum is a rich source of protein. In Myanmar, young neem leaves and flower buds are boiled
with tamarind fruit to soften its bitterness and eaten as a vegetable. Pickled neem leaves are
also eaten with tomato and fish paste sauce in Myanmar.

[edit] Association with Hindu festivals in India

Neem leaf or bark is considered an effective pitta pacifier due to its bitter taste. Hence, it is
traditionally recommended during early summer in Ayurveda (that is, the month of Chaitra as
per the Hindu Calendar which usually falls in the month of March - April), and during Gudi
Padva, which is the New Year in the state of Maharashtra, the ancient practice of drinking a
small quantity of neem juice or paste on that day, before starting festivities, is found. As in
many Hindu festivals and their association with some food to avoid negative side-effects of
the season or change of seasons, neem juice is associated with Gudi Padva to remind people
to use it during that particular month or season to pacify summer pitta. In Tamilnadu during
the summer months of April to June, the Mariamman temple festival is a thousand year old
tradition. The Neem leaves and flowers are the most important part of the Mariamman
festival. The goddess Mariamman statue will be garlanded with Neem leaves and flowers.
During most occasions of celebrations and weddings the people of Tamilnadu adorn their
surroundings with the Neem leaves and flowers as a form of decoration and also to ward off
evil spirits and infections.

• In the eastern coastal state of Orissa the famous Jagannath temple idols are made up
of Neem heart wood along with some other essential oils and powders.