THE TREE OF THE 21st CENTURY

NEEM: AZADIRACHTA indica A. Juss

By Klaus Ferlow, HMH, HA

Human ingenuity has created wondrous developments from fires to evolving an extraordinary complex social structure, splitting the atom, reaching for the moon, mapping the human gnome, 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, 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 “cure-all” 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 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.

While legendary herbs such as ginseng 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 centuries-old botanical healing system known as AYURVEDA from India with a history of over 5000 years has utilized these timeless neem formulations in mainstays Ayurvedic pharmacy. Medicinal attributes of neem were extolled in the oldest Sanskrit writings. Neem has been continuously referred to 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 21^st  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, United States of America 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, such as bark, cake, fruit, flowers, gum, honey, leaves, oil (derived from the kernels in the seeds), pulp, resin, root, tea, timber.

Bark and leaves contain pharmaceutical constituents that offer some impressive therapeutic qualities. Neem is beneficial in preventing environmental pollution, offers flood control, soil erosion, rehabilitation of degraded eco-systems and wastelands. Recommended also for reforestation, useful for windbreaks in areas of low rainfall and high-speed wind, protect crops, used in organic farming as non-toxic pesticides, 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 after I started at the beginning of 1994 using neem cream, shampoo, oil, tincture and soap I am 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”, 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 establishing in 2017 the new 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

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 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

Reference:

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

https://neem.world

Author: 

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,  United Plant Savers, Ayurveda Association of Canada, core-founding member of the World Neem Organisation, Mumbai, India author book “Neem – Nature’s Healing Gift to Humanity,”  co-author of the book “7 Steps to Dental Health.”  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 health care provider.

Featured Picture Courtesy: Arun Vijayasundaram

BOOK “NEEM – NATURE’S HEALING GIFT TO HUMANITY”

By Klaus Ferlow, HMH, HA

With over 25 years experience working with neem I have published in 2015 my book “Neem – Nature’s Healing Gift to Humanity” available from Amazon in paperback and as an e-book in fourteen different countries, please check the link: www.neemresearch.ca/shop, in Canada: https://www.amazon.ca/book-neem-natures-healing-humanity/dp/0993727506

I collaborated with the two world-renowned scientists, neem experts and researchers Dr. Ramesh Saxena, Chairman of the Neem Foundation and core-founding member of the WNO – World Neem Organisation, Mumbai, India, and Professor Dr. Heinrich Schmutterer, Institute of Phytopathology & Applied Zoology, Justus Liebig University, Giessen, Germany, now retired. He is the editor of the book ‘THE NEEM TREE” and both are contributors to the book “Neem – A Tree For Solving Global Problems.”

I  received 51 positive powerful testimonials from Canada, United States, Bangladesh, India, South Africa, New Zealand, Senegal, Finland, France, Germany, United Kingdom, Portugal, Australia, Austria which you find on www.neemresearch.ca

In the book, there is one chapter about my own personal experience about psoriasis and neem I suffered from for over 40 years and with neem, I am now psoriasis free!

I authored 78 educational articles about health, healing, herbs, nutrition that have been published in English in health & women’s magazines in Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, North America, United Kingdom, Europe and online, in India and Canada (Punjab Journal) in Hindi and online.

WNO – WORLD NEEM ORGANISATION, MUMBAI, INDIA

 I am one of the 14 core-founding neem experts and researchers from Africa, Australia, Bangladesh, India, North America, Europe and The Middle East with the purpose 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 and create worldwide a NEEM WAVE under the banner “Neem – The Earth’s Savior!”

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

We are also looking for new members and more information can be obtained from www.worldneemorganisation.org

The United Nations declared the neem tree as “the tree of the 21^st century!”

Here is one of the best educational links about the neem tree, https://neem.world

I will attend as speaker the 1^st World Neem Organisation Seminar Neem – Eco-Friendly Solution For Sustainable Development & 2^nd Global Neem Trade Fair, December 3, 4, 2018 in Bangalore, India.

 Ferlow Botanicals celebrates this fall their 25^th anniversary in the natural health products industry and our son Peter and his wife Ruth is now in charge of the company after I retired in 2013 and founded NEEM RESEARCH to promote and protect the miraculous versatile medicinal neem tree, the benefits and healing power which offers better plant, human, animal, and environmental health!

 Klaus Ferlow, author/publisher, Honorary Master Herbalist (HMH), www.dominionherbalcollege.com, Herbal Advocate (HA), Canadian Herbalist’s Association of BC., www.chaofbc.ca, founder of Ferlow Botanicals, Vancouver, B.C., and NEEM RESEARCH, West Vancouver, B.C., core-founding member of the World Neem Organisation, Mumbai, India, Health Action Network Society, National Health Federation, International Herb Association, United Plant Savers, Ayurveda Association of Canada, co-author of the book “7 Steps to Dental Health,” author of the book book “Neem – Nature’s Healing Gift to Humanity,  email: [email protected], www.neemresearch.ca,  https://www.ferlowbotanicals.com

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