NeemWell

Research Foundation
for Science, Technology
and Ecology
Dr Vandana Shiva is the founding director of the Research Foundation for Science, Technology and Ecology, New Delhi....READ

Dr. Duke's Phytochemical
and Ethnobotanical Databases
Chemicals in: Azadirachta indica A. JUSS.
(Meliaceae) -- Neem

Neem as a contraceptive

Microbicide Research Aims to Prevent STDs
Plant extracts, including gossypol (cottonseed oil) and neem, have been investigated for their microbicidal effects by the South to South Cooperation in Reproductive Health, based in Brazil. With gossypol, researchers are trying to develop a way to contain the substance in a gelatin capsule that could be inserted into the vagina. Creams and pessaries made from neem, which grows abundantly in the tropics, have been shown to be both spermicidal and microbicidal. However, initial safety studies among humans were discontinued because the odor was unacceptable to users and because it took too long for neem products to dissolve in the vagina. New formulations, with reduced odor, are being tested....READ

Reviving Ancient Cures
Researchers in Israel are discovering how traditional Tibetan medicines can help treat modern ailments...READ

Neem Azadirachta indica:
The Wonder Plant
Leaf, bark, seed, all parts of Neem tree contain useful substances that can be taken as tee, oil and prepared medicine remedy dust allergy, fever, skin diseases, rheumatism etc (Roemmming, 1999, Natur). Professor Heinz Rembold, of famous Max-Planck Institute of Biochemistry, Germany found no side effects of the use of Neem on human and soils do not contain any hazardous substance as a residue after being used
as pesticides....READ

Journey to dialogue - HIV/Aids & Indian system of Medicine
Vaidya Suresh Chaturvedi shared his experience of treatment AID's patients by ayurvedic medication at Bombay Hospital as well as at his private clinic. He referred to the herbal mineral combination used in the treatment of 'Rajyakshama'. He emphasised the use of neem gum and shilajit. He quoted his experience with 50 patients whose quality of life improved....READ

Biopiracy-friendly laws
worry neem battle winner
Vandana Shiva, leader of the ''Neem Campaign'' which challenged the patents at the Munich-based European Patenting Office, says the case has shown not only the ''friendliness'' of the United States but also that of the Indian government to TNCs. The cancelled neem patents were jointly held by the European drug TNC W R Grace and the US Agricultural Department. ''We wanted to show collusion between Western governments and TNCs in biopiracy but the attitude of the Indian government was not particularly encouraging,'' she told IPS...READ

A Case History of Biopiracy
During 1994, Indian farmers staged one mass demonstration after another against the proposed GATT Uruguay Round agreement. In March about 200,000 gathered in Delhi demanding, among other things, that the draft treaty - known colloquially as "the Dunkel draft’ after chief negotiator, Arthur Dunkel - Should be translated into all Indian languages. On 2nd October, about half a million gathered in Bangalore to voice their fears about the impending legislation, aware of the threat that GATT poses to their livelihoods, by allowing multinational organisations to enter Third World markets at their expense. In particular, many of them began to question the Dunkel Draft’s call for an international harmonisation of property rights legislation. In their demonstrations, protesters carried twigs or branches of neem, a tree found throughout the drier areas of India....READ

Neem in Agriculture....READ.

Kenyan Herbal Clinic
In rural Kenya there are few hospitals and a limited access to Western medicines. There are, however, fine doctors and medical practitioners who want to help people and who use whatever they have available that can help heal. Kenya and the rest of Africa has a long tradition of using the many medicinal plants of the region. In addition, in the last century neem trees were introduced by Indian immigrants to the area. At the Wamirithu Herbal Clinic in Kenya a draft copy of "Neem - The Ultimate Herb" was sent by The Neem Association to the Director, Samwel W. Kihia. The hope was that it would give insight to the potential healing powers of neem as shown by the many scientific research papers cited in the book. After one year of using neem for some of the ailments the Wamirithu Herbal Clinic reported the following....READ

Azadirachta indica A Juss (Neem)
References (Biological Abstracts 1988-2000) Number of Papers/Mentions: 506....READ

Neem oil
Under laboratory conditions, bees infested with Varroa were brought into contact with neem oil. Neem oil showed a damaging effect on the Varroa mites, which was dose dependent. However, the optimum application against the parasite in bee colonies has not yet been sufficiently researched....READ

Antinociceptive Activity
of Azadirachta Indica (Neem) in Rats....READ
P. Khosla, Bhanwra Sangeeta, J. Singh, R.K. Srivastava

Indian System of
Medicine and Homoeopathy
The World Health Organisation (WHO) estimated that 80% of the population of developing countries rely on traditional medicines, mostly plant drugs, for their primary health care needs. Also, modern pharmacopoeia still contain at least 25% drugs derived from plants and many others which are synthetic analogues built on prototype compounds isolated from plants. Demand for medicinal plant is increasing in both developing and developed countries due to growing recognition of natural products, being non-narcotic, having no side-effects, easily available at affordable prices and sometime the only source of health care available to the poor. Medicinal plant sector has traditionally occupied an important position in the socio cultural, spiritual and medicinal arena of rural and tribal lives of India....READ

WONDER PLANT - NEEM
For thousands of years humans have sought to fortify their health and cure various ills with herbal remedies. Throughout this time, the search for a true panacea or cure-all has been undertaken by virtually every civilization. While hundreds of substances have been tried and tested, few have withstood modern scientific scrutiny. Perhaps no other botanical meets the true definition of a panacea than neem, a tropical evergreen native to India....READ

Indian Plants in Medicine
Indian medical systems, among them the ancient science of Ayurveda, have always been aware of the medicinal value of plants. To cite but one example, for at least 2500 years before the West recognised the medicinal properties of the rauwolfia root that Indian medicine men had been using it to calm violently disturbed patients. They called it snakeroot and used it to treat, apart from `moon madness' or lunacy, a whole range of afflictions, from snakebite to cholera. In the 1940's Indian scientists isolated the active substances from rauwolfia and discovered its added benefit as a remedy for high blood pressure....READ

It is interesting to see how the Indian Government have a positive role in the traditional medicine of it's people rather than opposing and banning the natural herbs that people benefit from. Unlike western Governments who in my opinion are dictated to by the multi billion dollar Pharmaceutical Industry

Neem on HerbMed....READ

Neem on PubMed....READ

Northern Light on
Azadirachta indica (Neem)....READ