Neem leaf is loaded with numerous health and skin benefits. Consuming it in the form of a paste, in tea or just chewing a twig freshly plucked from the tree has reaped multiple benefits for people since time immemorial.
Ayurveda for generations has professed the advantages of consuming neem leaves. Both bitter and pungent in taste, neem leaf, according to Ayurveda, has been especially significant in balancing our Vata or neuromuscular disorders.
In the book ‘Ayurveda For All: Effective Ayurvedic Self Cure for Common and Chronic Ailments’, Murli Manohar lists how consuming neem leaves can remove toxins, and purify blood to give us a clearer skin. Neem leaves have strong anti-bacterial properties which work wonders on infections, burns and any kind of skin problems.
While a paste of neem leaves and turmeric can be used for treating insect bites, itching, eczema, ring worms and some mild skin diseases, chewing the leaves can also give you a nourished, purified and radiant skin.
If the bitterness bothers you, mix them with honey and have or make a solution by boiling neem leaves and drink the strained water. It can also treat all your acne and dark spot problems.
Chewing neem leaves can prove beneficial for your hair too, with its high levels of antioxidants. Neem protects the scalp from oxidative stress caused by the free radicals. Neem leaves also stimulate healthy cell division and support hair follicle growth around your scalp region.
Washing your hair with boiled neem water has been a traditional method to combat dandruff and undernourished, damaged hair. Neem leaves have antifungal properties, which work effectively against a fungi called Malassezia, which causes dandruff. Its immense healing properties has earned neem the name of scalp saviour too.
Ayurveda also points out how neem leaves can be good for the eyes. Chewing neem can improve your vision. To treat any kind of irritation, tiredness or redness you can also boil some neem leaves, let the water cool completely and then use it to wash your eyes.
Rich in antimicrobial, antiviral and antioxidant properties, chewing neem leaves can prove very effective in strengthening your immune system.
Neem leaves are excellent for your liver, which automatically enhances your digestion. Apart from this, consuming neem on a daily basis also destroys excess bacteria in the intestinal region and cleanses your colon, further facilitating a smoother digestion.
As Indians we are very well versed with the idea of men and women stepping out in their balconies to brush their teeth with neem twigs. Even chewing neem leaves can bring forth multiple dental and oral benefits.
Neem being antibacterial in nature fights germs and maintains the alkaline level of our saliva. It is also effective against plaque formation and gum infections. Chewing neem can also lend you a shiny set of pearly white teeth.
However. here is a word of caution: pregnant women, especially in the fourth or fifth month of their pregnancy, should not have neem. Consumption of neem produces immense internal heat, which could prove hazardous to the foetus.
Even when a woman is planning to conceive she should steer clear from neem leaves, as the excess heat would begin to treat the foetus as a foreign body. This excess body heat can be brought down with adequate intake of water or a cooling drink like ash gourd juice.
