MELIA AZADIRACHTA, Linn. History, Uses, &c.

This tree, in Sanskrit Nimba and Arishta, is a native of India, and is cultivated in all parts of the country on account of its medicinal properties. The leaves, bark and other products of the Neem have been articles of the Hindu Materia Medica from a very remote period, and are mentioned in the Ayurvedas of Susruta. The bark is considered to be bitter, tonic, and astringent. The leaves are added to poultices to disperse glandular tumours, and are used generally as a discutient; beaten into a pulp they are applied to pustular eruptions, more especially to the eruption of small-pox; their juice is anthelmintic, and is given in a variety of diseases, such as jaundice, prurigo, boils, &c. Chakradatta recommends a poultice of the leaves mixed with Sesamum seeds for unhealthy ulcerations. The fruit is described as purgative, emollient, and anthelmintic. The oil of the seeds is applied to suppurating scrofulous glands, is given in leprosy, rheumatism, and a variety of diseases. It is vermifuge, and is a remedy for mange in dogs. It has been used in the manufacture of soap. As the oil contains a marked amount of sulphur, neem oil soap might possibly be useful in cutaneous affections in which a mild sulphuretted application is indicated. The beneficial effects of the oil when rubbed into the skin in rheumatism is doubtless due to the presence of organically combined sulphur. The gum is said to have stimulant properties. The young trees tapped yield a saccharine juice, which when fermented is used as a stomachic; several observers have noticed that in certain years this juice appears to flow with unusual abundance.