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Better Nutrition - Mar 2006 - Page 10
Neem: THIS LIVING PHARMACY COULD
HELP YOU WARD OFF
NASTY BUGS—AND CANCER
By Sheryll Alexander
Imagine a 24-hour pharmacy carrying
one natural product—neem. It’s not that far-fetched when you take
into account that in India the neem tree is known as “the virtual
living pharmacy.”
Upon further
investigation, the nickname fits. Every part of the neem tree—bark,
leaves, fruit, seeds—may be used to treat skin disorders, malaria,
periodontal disease, blood and circulatory problems, digestive
disorders and infectious diseases, according to a review of the
tree’s medicinal properties published in the May 2005 issue of Current
Medicinal Chemistry—Anti-Cancer Agents. By being antiviral,
antibacterial and immunostimulating, neem helps combat the body’s
three greatest challengers. Good luck finding something like that at
your pharmacy.
While
centuries of use have found that neem can protect the body
externally and internally, modern science has been putting its
abilities to the test. Over the past two decades neem has been the
subject of more than 200 scientific studies. Among the most recent
findings:
• Neem
extract causes prostate cancer cell death, making it a potential
treatment for the disease, according to a December 2005 Journal
of Ethnopharmacology study.
• A new
flavanone (a natural compound with antioxidant properties) named
azharone exists in neem flowers, according to a study in the March
2006 issue of Natural
Product Research. Though
this research is preliminary, it echoes a May 2005 Journal of
Ethnopharmacology study
that found
neem had strong antioxidant potential.
• Neem bark
extract may be a therapeutic way to control esophageal, stomach or
intestinal ulcers, according to a study in the October 2004 issue of
Life Science.
• Neem could
be a natural insect repellent. In one of many studies, Texas A&M
University researchers reported in the January 2006 issue of Pest
Management Science that surfaces covered with neem juice may
repel diamondback moths.
So the next
time you need a bug repellant, a stomach soother or an antioxidant
boost, consider tapping into the living pharmacy and reach for neem.
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