MEDICINAL PLANTS

Uses of the different parts of the Neem Plant

Neem (Azadirachta indica) is a fascinating and versatile plant and using neem has many
benefits . All parts of the neem tree are useful. The most widely used parts of the neem
tree are the seed kernels, the leaves and the bark. It is an oldest tradition used effectively
in dental care. It has antifungal, antibacterial, antiviral, antidiabetic, and antiinfertility
properties.

Neem Seeds

• The fruit of the neem plant looks a lot like an olive. The flesh surrounds a seed
that contains one or several kernels.Besides that the oil is valued for its huge
range of medicinal uses. The seed kernels contain the highest concentration of
active substances in the neem plant. Pressing them for oil is one way to get at
them, but you can also make various extracts from the seeds.
• Neem oil, the most popular neem plant product, is made by pressing the neem
seed kernels.
• The kernels can contain as much as 50% oil.
• In the western world the seed oil is mostly known and valued as a safe and
effective insecticide. Neem oil is very popular with organic gardeners.
• It is also used as a natural insect repellent, a safe and more efficient alternative to
the harmful deet.
• Neem seed oil is also an ingredient in many skin care products. In India most of
the neem oil is used in neem soap, but there are also neem shampoos, lotions,
creams etc.
• The seed oil can be toxic and should not be taken internally.

Neem Leaves

• The leaves of the neem plant are the most versatile and most easily available
resource. They contain the same active ingredients as the seeds, just in much
lower concentration.
• Although the leaves of the neem tree have been used this way for thousands of
years in India, Neem is a very powerful herb.
• The topical use of neem leaf extracts and leaf paste is safe.
• Skin care and the treatment of skin disorders is where the neem plant really shines
.Leaf pastes and extracts are used in skin care products, hair oils, in neem
toothpastes and mouth washs, and they also have lots of medicinal uses.
• Many herbalists recommend chewing the leaves, taking capsules of dried leaf, or
drinking the bitter tea.
• The leaves cleanse the blood, help the gastrointestinal system (ulcers!), support
the liver, and strengthen the immune system, to name just some of the most
popular benefits
 • It is extremely effective in eliminating bacterial and fungal infections or parasites
• Its antiviral activity can treat warts and cold sores
• It soothes inflammation and reduces redness
• It moisturizes the skin and keeps it supple
• It can even lighten scars and pigmentation.
• Examples of such uses are scabies and acne treatment.

Neem Bark

• The bark of the neem tree is not used as much as the seeds or leaves, for obvious
reasons. There is not as much of it, it does not regenerate as quickly, and it is
slightly more difficult to use. Because of its dry and hard nature the ingredients
are more difficult to extract.
• However, in one medicinal field the bark is the recommended plant part to use.
That field is dental care. The bark contains a higher concentration of active
ingredients than the leaves, and is especially high in ingredients with antiseptic
and anti-inflammatory action. Neem bark is highly effective when treating
gingivitis (gum disease).

Neem Twigs

• Chewing young, supple branches, and then using them as a toothbrush, prevents
cavities and gum disease
• Indian villagers have used this method for centuries (Though in modern India
neem toothpaste , daatun , mouthwashs, and bark powders are the preferred
method)

Neem Cake

• Neem cake is a strange name for the pulp that is left after extracting neem seed oil
from kernels
• It is indeed edible, at least for animals, and is sometimes used as fodder
• However, the most common and recommended use is as a soil amendment and
fertilizer

Neem Flowers

• The flowers of the neem plant have a lovely, sweet, honey-like smell
• It is quite intense, noticeable from a distance, but never overpowering
• Bees love neem flowers and neem honey is popular
• The flower oil is also used in aromatherapy and has a calming and restorative
effect
Medicinal Uses of Black Pepper
Black Pepper (Piper nigrum) is native to southwest India; major producers of black
pepper essential oil are India, Malaysia, China, Indonesia and Madagascar. In ancient
times, pepper was one of the most valuable spices; it has been used in the Far East for
over 4,000 years and in Europe since at least the fifth century. In the East, both white and
black pepper have been used; in Chinese medicine, white pepper is used in the treatment
of diarrhoea, stomach ache, malaria, cholera, dysentery and digestive problems.

It is one of the most common spices added to food. It has been used as a spice in food
since prehistoric times. Black pepper was beleved to treat and cure constipation,
diarrhoea, earache, gangrene, heart disease, hernia, indigestion, insect bites, insomnia,
joint pain, liver and lung disease, sunburn, and toothaches. It is not used by patients
having abdominal surgery. The world’s largest exporter of black pepper is Vietnam.
Other producers are Indonesia, India, Brazil, Sri Lanka, Malaysia, Thailand, and China.

Black pepper is most often used as a spice and seasoning. Black pepper is widely used in
most parts of the world. It has many medicinal benefits. The pepper plant is a woody vine
that produces the fruit called the peppercorn from which black pepper is made.

Therapeutics uses: Black pepper has stimulant, expectoratn, carminative, anthelmintic,

etc. properties; and it is used for indigestion, toxins, slow metabolism, obesity, sinusitis,
fever, colds, etc.

Don't use for: inflammations.

Alfalfa (Medicago sativa)

Other Names: lucerne, purple medick, purple medicle, buffalo herb, buffalo grass,
chilean clover.

Parts Used: Sprouts, Leaves, Whole herb.

The medicinal parts are the flowering plant or the germinating seed. Alfalfa (Medicago
sativa) is a flowering plant, which was cultivated as an important forage crop. In folk
medicine, the drug is used in the treatment of diabetes and malfunctioning of the thyroid
gland. Alfalfa has isolated use as a diuretic and aromatic. The saponin contents act on the
cardiovascular, nervous and digestive systems.

Medicinal Properties: anti-inflammatory, nutritive, stomach tonic, phytoestrogenic,

diuretic, galactagogue, etc.
Internal Uses: Anemia, Ulcers, Varicose veins, Arthritis, Cancer, Arteriosclerosis,
Celiac disease, Colitis, Edema, Fatigue, Convalescence, Halitosis, High cholesterol,
Hyperestrogenism, Hypoestrogenism, Jaundice, Menopause, Menstrual problems,
Obesity, etc.

Internal Uses: Capsules, Tincture, etc.

Chemical Constituents: Chlorophyll, Folic acid, Calcium, copper, Phosphorus,

Manganese, Iron, Zinc, Fluorine, Electrolytes, Isoflavones, Coumrains, Betaine,
Alkaloids (stachydrine), Vitamin C, Vitamin K, Phytoestrogens antioxidant (tricin), etc.

Garlic (Allium sativum L.)

Habitat: Garlic is easy to grow and can be grown year-round in mild climates. In cold
climates, cloves can be planted in the ground about six weeks before the soil freezes and
harvested in late spring.

Allium sativum L., commonly known as garlic, is a species in the onion family Alliaceae.
Allium sativum is close relatives of the onion, shallot, leek, and chive. It has been used
throughout recorded history for both culinary and medicinal purposes.

Garlic has a characteristic pungent, spicy flavor that mellows and sweetens considerably
with cooking. A bulb of garlic, the most commonly used part of the plant, is divided into
numerous fleshy sections called cloves. The cloves are used as seed, for consumption
(raw or cooked), and for medicinal purposes.

The leaves, stems (scape), and flowers (bulbils) on the head (spathe) are also edible and
are most often consumed while immature and still tender. The papery, protective layers
of "skin" over various parts of the plant and the roots attached to the bulb are the only
parts not considered palatable.

Garlic is believed to stem from Central Asia, although no wild form is known. Of the
about 700 species of genus Allium, many are native to Central Asia, the center of
diversity ranging from the Himalayas to Turkestan.

Properties

The main active ingredient in garlic is Alliin. Allicin is the active compound that gives
garlic its characteristic odor and many of its healing benefits. Other sulphur compounds
are thiosulfinates, gamma glutamylcysteine peptides and various Cu-peptides, 2
mercapto-L-cysteins, anthocyanins, glycosides of kaempferol and quercetin,
polysaccharides, allinase, sterols, hydrocarbons, sativin I & II, scordinines A & B.
When crushed, Allium sativum yields allicin, a powerful antibiotic and antifungal
compound (phytoncide). However, due to poor bioavailability, it is of limited use for oral
consumption. It also contains alliin, ajoene, enzymes, vitamin B, minerals, and
flavonoids.

The composition of the bulbs is approximately 84.09% water, 13.38% organic matter,
and 1.53% inorganic matter, while the leaves are 87.14% water, 11.27% organic matter,
and 1.59% inorganic matter.

The phytochemicals responsible for the sharp flavor of garlic are produced when the
plant's cells are damaged. When a cell is broken by chopping, chewing, or crushing,
enzymes stored in cell vacuoles trigger the breakdown of several sulfur-containing
compounds stored in the cell fluids. The resultant compounds are responsible for the
sharp or hot taste and strong smell of garlic. Some of the compounds are unstable and
continue to evolve over time. Among the members of the onion family, garlic has by far
the highest concentrations of initial reaction products, making garlic much more potent
than onions, shallots, or leeks.

Actions

Antibacterial, Antifungal, Anti-inflammatory, Anthelmintic, Antiseptic, Antiviral,

Hypotensive-vasodilator, Cholagogue, Antispasmodic, Decreases blood cholesterol,
Increases HDL, Hypoglycemic, Expectorant, Diaphoretic, Antioxidant, Antineoplastic,
Carminative.

Medicinal use of Garlic

Garlic has a very long folk history of use in a wide range of ailments, particularly
ailments such as ringworm, Candida and vaginitis where its fungicidal, antiseptic, tonic
and parasiticidal properties have proved of benefit. The plant produces inhibitory effects
on gram-negative germs of the typhoid-paratyphoid-enteritis group, indeed it possesses
outstanding germicidal properties and can keep amoebic dysentery at bay. It is also said
to have anticancer activity. It has also been shown that garlic aids detoxification of
chronic lead poisoning. Garlic is claimed to help prevent heart disease (including high
cholesterol, high blood pressure, and atherosclerosis ) and cancer.

Garlic is also alleged to help regulate blood sugar levels. Garlic can reduces glucose
metabolism in diabetics, slows the development of arteriosclerosis and lowers the risk of
further heart attacks in myocardial infarct patients. Externally, the expressed juice is an
excellent antiseptic for treating wounds. The fresh bulb is much more effective
medicinally than stored bulbs, extended storage greatly reduces the anti-bacterial action.
The bulb is said to be anthelmintic, antiasthmatic, anticholesterolemic, antiseptic,
antispasmodic, cholagogue, diaphoretic, diuretic, expectorant, febrifuge, stimulant,
stings, stomachic, tonic, vasodilator.
Supplementation with garlic extract inhibited vascular calcification in human patients
with high blood cholesterol. The known vasodilative effect of garlic is possibly caused by
catabolism of garlic-derived polysulfides to hydrogen sulfide in red blood cells, a
reaction that is dependent on reduced thiols in or on the RBC membrane. Hydrogen
sulfide is an endogenous cardioprotective vascular cell-signaling molecule.

List of Medicinal Plants according to Diseases and Medicinal

properties
Medical plants are very useful in healing various diseases and the advantage of these
medicinal plants is being 100% natural. Nowadays people are being bombarded with
thousand of unhealthy products, the level of sensibility infront of diseases is very high
and that's why the use of medicinal plants can represent the best solution.

For Diarrhoea and Dysentery

• Botanical Name: Aegle marmelos

Family: Rutaceae
Common name: Bael / Bilva
Parts Use: Fruit, Bark

For Skin disease

• Botanical Name: Gloriosa superba

Famaly: Liliaceae
Common name: Calihari, panchangulia, Glori Lilya
Parts Uses: Seed, tuber
• Botanical Name: Swertia Chirayita
Famaly: Gentianaceae
Common name: Calihari, panchangulia, Glori Lilya
Parts Uses: Whole Plant

For Cough, Cold, Bronchitis

• Botanical Name: Ocimum sanctum

Famaly: Lamiaceae
Common name: Tulsi
Parts Uses: Leaves/Seed
• Botanical Name: Emblica officinalis
Famaly: Euphorbiaceae
Common name: Amla, Amlaki
Parts Uses: Fruit
For Chicken pox/Laghu masurika and Measles

• Botanical Name: Azadirachta indica

Famaly: Meliaceae
Common name: Neem
Parts Uses: Leaves, Bark, Seed and Flower