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 marmelosFamily: RutaceaeCommon name: Bael / BilvaParts Use: Fruit, Bark

For Skin disease Botanical Name: Gloriosa superba

Famaly: LiliaceaeCommon name: Calihari, panchangulia, Glori LilyaParts Uses: Seed, tuber

Botanical Name: Swertia ChirayitaFamaly: Gentianaceae Common name: Calihari, panchangulia, Glori LilyaParts Uses: Whole Plant

For Cough, Cold, Bronchitis

Botanical Name: Ocimum sanctumFamaly: LamiaceaeCommon name: TulsiParts Uses: Leaves/Seed

Botanical Name: Emblica officinalisFamaly: EuphorbiaceaeCommon name: Amla, AmlakiParts Uses: Fruit

For Chicken pox/Laghu masurika and Measles

Botanical Name: Azadirachta indicaFamaly: MeliaceaeCommon name: NeemParts Uses: Leaves, Bark, Seed and Flower