Neem is one of those plants of Indian Medicine that have been highly popular since very ancient times and continue to be so even now. As such several “official” preparations of drugs have been standardised with neem as its principal ingredient along with a varying number of other medicinal plants. These often constitute the official prescriptions of ayurvedic physicians and go by the name of “Yoga” or combinations. A merit of using them is that in general they can be stored over a considerable time and administered in clearly prescribed dosages as well.
These may take various forms, such as chumas or dry powders, khandas or sugary preserves, ksharas alkalies, vaticas or pills, arkas or distilations, asavas or fermentations, varanis or liquors, ghrilas or ghees, oils, malahams or ointments and so on. A few illustrations are given below indicating their methods of preparation and major uses.
1. Powders
(i) Dried leaves, twigs, inner bark near the root, flowers and the inner soft part of the seed are to be taken in a quantity of 5 tolas each and the entire mixture is to be powdered to a fine degree. Mix with this now 5 tolas of the five kinds of salts (salndhav lavan, pade lavan etc.) and store. If this is taken for 3-4 months in warm water, chronic fever, stomach pain, dysentry, feeble digestive capacity and all types of disorders of blood will be cured.
(ii) Pancha nimba churna. The five organs of neem (leaf, bark, etc.) are to be collected in their respective seasons. Take 12 tolas of each and mix with it 4 tolas each of loha bhasma, harad, chibak, bhallataka, vayaviaanga, sugar, amalaka, turmeric, pippalL black pepper, dry ginger, bavachl amaltas and gokharu. Powder them all together. Treat this [bhavana] once with the juice of bhangra and then at least 3 times with one eighth decoction of khair or hatha [Acacia catechu]. Dry the powder fine and store.
A regular dosage of 1 tola with ghee or milk for a month will cure all leprosy. It is also a rasayana.
This is what Sharngadhara, a reputed author of mediaevel times recommends. Very many variations of the recipe exist extensively in ayurvedic literature.
2. A Sugar Preserve of Neem and Turmeric
60 tolas of neem leaf juice and 32 tolas of sugar are to be cooked on low fire. As it thickens and starts sticking to the spoon add 2 tolas each of chitrak, triphala, nagar motha, black cumin, ajwain, ajmoda, turmeric, the seed of nirgundi, nishoth, dantimid, the pulp of neem seed, and bavachi seed and 4 tolas each of vayaviaanga and ananthamul The entire mixture is to be powdered fine and stored in a glass bottle.
A dosage of one tolas morning and evening followed with a drink of cold water will destroy all worms. It will also cure non filling wounds and ulcers, skin diseases, fistula, abscess, eczema and itching.
This is a recommendation of Nagarjuna.
3. Fermentation Products of Neem, Tincture of Neem or Nimbakasava
Take 6 tolas of the powder of fresh inner bark of neem and mix it with 4 tolas of rectified spirit, in a bottle. Close the bottle and keep it in sun for 6 days.
10-60 drops of this taken along with water will prove quickly beneficial in the weakness caused by malarial fever, throat diseases and coughing. This can be used in place of quinine. The dosage is twice a day, morning and evening.
4. Nimba Varuni
Take 8 sers of the neem toddy and keep it in a thick earthen ware pot. Pound 5 tolas of wet ginger and then drop it in this pot. Mix with this 1.25 sers of fresh jaggery and 40 tolas of pounded neem bark. Close the mouth of the pot tightly “with an earthen ware lid and a paste of mud. Bury this within the ground. Remove it after 24 days and secure 4 bottles of liquor out of this.
The dosage prescribed is 1 to 4 tolas with an equal amount of water and to be taken after meals.
This is an effective remedy for all vata and rakta diseases, hard abscesses, vata rakta, feeble digestive power, piles and old fever as well as jaundice and kushta,
Spiritous liquor from neem flowers, neem toddy and so on have been prepared and many of them are described under arisMas.
5. Nimba Ghrita-neem Ghee
(i) Take 4 sers of neem leaf juice and 20 tolas of a mass of soaked neem bark and one ser of cow’s ghee. Cook all of them together in an iron pan on slow fire. As the quantity gets reduced to about 5 tolas, filter it through a piece of cloth and place it again in the iron pan and cook. When ghee alone is left as the reminder, remove the vessel, take out the ghee and store.
The prescribed dosage is half to twenty tolas of ghee along with warm milk and sugar candy. The medicine is to be taken only in the morning. After taking this, water should not be taken immediately.
Vatarakta, eczema, boils and eruptions, ratkapitta or plethora, night blindness and joint-pains due to the vitiations of kapha respond well to this medicine. This has also been’ found to be useful in early stages of leprosy.
(ii) Panchatikta ghrita. Take 4 tolas each of the inner bark of neem, leaf of the bitter snake gourd {patola), the smaller kateri, giloy and the bark of adusa. Mix them together and powder well. When fully pulverised, drop it in 12 sers of water and cook. When the residue will be about one fourth, sieve it well, add 12 tolas of ghee and 12 tolas of triphala kalka (paste). Cook this on low fire and prepare the ghee.
The advised dosage is: 6 mashas to 1 tolas, twice daily along with sugar and to be taken with the first morsel of the food.
This is beneficial in kushta disease due to all vitiations vata, pitta and kapha, vitiated wound, goitre, fistula, worms and all types of cough.
This recipe is from Prayoga ratnakara which contains many others of this nature.
8. Neem Oil
(i)Take 128 tolas of well cleaned neem leaf, 64 tolas of turmeric or nishoth, pound the two together and cook in 72 sers of water. When this gets reduced to one fourth of the original quantity, filter and add 64 tolas of sesame oil cake and 4 and a half ser of sesame oil. Cook together and prepare the oil on a low fire.
A plaster of this medicine over even purifying wounds will clean and heal them up. The wound is first cleaned with neem leaf or water mixed with neem water, a poultice of this oil is placed over it, a film of honey is spread over and then a clean bandage is given. Even very deep and ulcerating wounds get healed this way very quickly.
This is from Rasatantra sara.
(ii) Take one ser of oil from the neem fruit, 4 sers of neem leaf juice and 20 tolas of the pounded mass of the root bark of neem. Cook them all on low fire. When oil alone remains as the residue, remove from fire, cool it down and store.
Wet and dry eczema, leucoderma, ring worm, vata rakta, oozing at the ear, and specially all the diseases of vata vitiation such as chronic pains at the joints get efficiently cured by an application of this oil.
There are many other oil preparations of neem for drinking, external application, massaging and so on.