By Klaus Ferlow, HMH, HA

Human ingenuity has created wondrous developments from fires to evolving an extraordinary complex social structure, splitting atoms, reaching for the moon, mapping the human genome, evolving the most complex repertoire of communication connecting the world, creating a “dangerous” radiation wireless world!

Man has taken apart and put together everything he could lay his hands upon or think about it. An extraordinary range of creativity has enriched our lives. Some of these activities have helped us wriggle out of situations confining all other forms of life. These are exciting times. We are today living in an age of unprecedented technology strides, and some even say this is just the beginning, as the internet, electronic mail, and jet speed travel have conveniently helped bridge the geographical distances. The challenge before us is to link the wisdom of our past with current knowledge and advanced technology to find ecologically sound solutions to emerging global requirements, such as climate change, pollution, etc.

The future food security and economic independence of developing nations depend on meeting our emerging requirements with a degree of caution and an eye on growth based on environmental-friendly technologies and a collaborative approach with nature. India and China together constitute 27% of all humanity, which translates into 2.6 billion people who need better food, shelter, and medicines with minimum damage to the ecological integrity of our precious land and forest resources.

Neem – The Healer

For thousands of years humans have sought to fortify their health and cure various ills with herbal remedies. The search for the true panacea or “cureall” has been undertaken by virtually every civilization. While hundreds of substances have been tried and tested, few have withstood modern science scrutiny. Perhaps no other botanical better meets the true definition of a panacea than neem (Azadirachta indica), a tropical evergreen belonging to the mahogany family native to India and Myanmar (Burma). Every part of this fascinating tree has been used from ancient to modern times to treat hundreds of different maladies. While it is still revered in India for its superior healing properties, recent research has dramatically increased worldwide interest in neem, and many products are now manufactured and distributed around the globe using this miraculous herb.

With an ever increasing number of manufacturers worldwide involved in selling and promoting herbal neem products, there is a dramatic increasing demand for quality neem raw material. As a result, these countries are becoming neem power houses—India, China, Brazil, Cuba, Paraguay, and Peru, where over 250,000 neem trees have been planted!

While legendary herbs such as ginseng (Panax spp.) are better known, comprehensive research has proven that neem has a far wider array of uses than any other herb. The first recorded use of neem is attributed to ancient Indian culture adding the plant to dozens of health and beauty aids several thousand years ago. The most successful botanical medical system in the world with a history of over 5000 years is Ayurveda from India with its timeless neem formulations in Ayurvedic pharmacy. Medicinal attributes of neem were extolled in the oldest Sanskrit writings. Neem has been continuously referred to as “Village Pharmacy,” sarva roga nivarini or healer of all ailments, the divine tree, the holy tree, free tree of India, the life giving tree, the noble tree, and nature’s drug store. No wonder that the United Nations declared the neem tree as “the tree of the 21st century!”

Other fascinating properties further increase the phenomenal applications. It is only in the last years that the rest of the world has started to show interest in and recognize neem’s versatility and huge potential. Scientific research reports from universities ranging from Bangalore, India to Baltimore, Maryland have explored neem’s ability to help prevent and treat an astonishing number of health disorders including many that are not successfully addressed by modern conventional pharmaceuticals.

The entire neem tree has medicinal value, and all parts of the tree can be used, including bark, cake, fruit, fruit pulp, flowers, honey, leaves, oil (derived from the kernels in the seeds), pulp, resin (gum), root, seed husk, tea, and timber.

Bark and leaves contain pharmaceutical constituents that offer some impressive therapeutic qualities. Neem is beneficial in preventing environmental pollution. It is an oxygen producer, reduces carbon dioxide, offers flood control, prevents soil erosion, and aids the rehabilitation of degraded ecosystems and wastelands. Other uses include agroforestry, for windbreaks in areas of low rainfall and high speed wind, protection of crops, non-toxic pesticides for organic farming, herbicides, insecticides, veterinarian medicine, cosmetics, and personal care products.

My own personal experience with neem and psoriasis has been nothing short of a miracle. I suffered for over 40 years with severe psoriasis on my scalp and elbows, and since 1994 when I started using neem cream, shampoo, oil, tincture, and soap, I have become free of psoriasis. More information about the benefits and healing power of neem can be obtained from my book, Neem – Nature’s Healing Gift to Humanity, which is available from Amazon in paperback and as an e-book. More information can be obtained from www.neemresearch.ca/shop.

Of all the plants that have proven useful to us throughout the ages, few have offered as much value and versatility as the unique neem tree. With growing research supporting its healing and beneficial properties, neem is finally getting the attention it deserves. This miraculous healing herb is truly an ancient cure for a modern world and able to solve global problems.

WNO – World Neem Organisation

I am one of the 14 core-founding neem researchers from Africa, Australia, Bangladesh, India, North America, Europe, and The Middle East, who in 2017 established WNO – World Neem Organisation, Mumbai, India to educate, market, and promote the benefits and healing power of the miraculous versatile medicinal neem tree that offers better plant, human, animal, and environmental health under the banner “NEEM – THE EARTH’S SAVIOR!” www.worldneemorganisation.org

I represent North America, Germany, United Kingdom, and the Scandinavian countries Iceland, Denmark, Finland, Norway, and Sweden.

As a speaker, I attended the 1st WNO – Seminar/ Conference “NEEM – Eco Friendly Solution for Sustainable Development” and 2nd Global Neem Trade Fair, Dec. 3, 4, 2018, Bangalore, India. My first trip to India was when I attended as a speaker at the 6th World Neem Conference, Nov. 21 – 24, 2012 in Nagpur, India.

Conclusion

In our quest for technological advancement, we have forgotten to learn from the practice of our forefathers. As a result, we have not been making good use of the centuries of knowledge and wisdom accumulated in the minds of people based on trials and errors of the generations gone by. Thus, the new awakening in the people the world over, especially among scientists, to try to understand traditional customs, values, and practices is a welcome change. We have made a good beginning with neem and have learned how good an example it provides of science learning from culture. A whole world of traditional knowledge awaits our objective scrutiny.

Words of Wisdom

It is health that is real wealth and not pieces of gold and silver — Mahatma Gandhi

References:

– Schmutterer Heinrich. THE NEEM TREE, Neem Foundation, 2002
– National Academy Press. Neem – A Tree For Solving Global Problems, 1992
– Chaturvedi Vaidya Suresh. Neem in Ayurveda, Bhavan’s Book University, 1998
– Conrick John. NEEM – The Ultimate Herb, Lotus Press, 2001
– Puri H.S. Neem: The divine tree Azadirachta indica, Harwood Academic Publishers, 1999
– www.neemresearch.ca, https://neem.world

Klaus Ferlow, Honorary Master Herbalist, (HMH) Dominion Herbal College, Herbal Advocate, (HA) Canadian Herbalist’s Association of B.C., innovator, lecturer, researcher, writer, founder of Ferlow Botanicals and NEEM RESEARCH, Vancouver, B.C., member of Health Action Network Society, National Health Federation, International Herb Association, The Herb Society, United Plant Savers, Ayurveda Association of Canada, author of the book Neem – Nature’s Healing Gift to Humanity,” co-author of the book “7 Steps to Dental Health. www.neemresearch.ca, https://www. ferlowbotanicals.com

Copyright @2018, all rights reserved. This information is summarized for its educational purpose only and should not be used for the diagnoses, cure, treatment, or prevention of disease, please contact your healthcare provider.