Only the true witchy herbalist seems to enjoy bitter. Cos she KNOWS that's where the medicine, the healing and the real magic lies. Over time, people have learned to sidestep bitter and are almost afraid of it. Recoil at the very thought of it. And so many of the healing properties of bitter plants that heal without having to ingest them have, therefore, also been sidestepped and forgotten in our comfort-driven-sweeter-please world.
Neem. It's definitely not the bitterest plant in the world, but it's in the top 10. An ancient remedy for all manner of things from cancer and parasite infestation to malaria whilst being a phenomenal and effective contraceptive. In Thailand, however, people generally only know young neem leaves as a side dish for curries. Most Thai houses and villages have a neem tree handy (called "sadao" in Thai) but its medicinal uses and Ayurvedic history are largely unknown here.
Neem oil, which is extracted from the seeds, has a huge number of health and healing uses, as do medicines brewed from the leaves and taken internally. But I want to focus here simply on the neem leaves and what they do externally for the skin.
- The crushed leaves made into a paste and applied to the skin are known in Ayurveda (for thousands of years!) to help remove scars and blemishes;
- Neem leaves are celebrated for their ability to help even out skin pigmentation;
- Being naturally anti-fungal, anti-inflammatory and anti-bacterial, neem leaves help to treat and heal acne, fungal conditions and also skin infections;
- Neem leaves help manage both over-active sebum production (oily skin) and gently moisturize dry skin;
- Being naturally anti-inflammatory, neem leaves help reduce redness, puffiness and irritation;
- Neem leaves are wonderful for soothing irritated, itchy skin and are often prized by people struggling to manage either psoriasis or eczema;
- Neem leaves are used widely in India to treat itchy skin conditions like scabies, and also to help heal skin ulceration;
- Neem leaves are used as a frontline treatment for itchy skin;
- Neem leaves help reduce the visible appearance of aging in the skin.
If you have a neem tree handy, you can simply make a tea from the leaves and apply to the skin with clean cotton or freshly washed hands. Or you can dry the leaves carefully in the shade on a hot day, crush them and mix the powder with water - apply to the skin and leave on for 20-30 min before rinsing off with pure, clean, cool water.
My organic Thai herbal business, Pure Thai Naturals is working with the indigenous displaced Karen refugee community along the Thai Burma border to harvest and solar-dry neem leaves as a social enterprise. We have a new line of products being released in the coming weeks which feature neem leaves: a Body Scrub, Thai Herbal Clay Face Masque and a Face Scrub, all made with solar dried organic neem leaves, Thai ginger and lime. Completing our new neem line (for now) is a gorgeous new Body-Massage oil made with Neem Seed Oil, Ginger and Lime in a base of pure virgin coconut oil, moringa oil and Thai rice bran oil.
My 13 year old daughter (
I will be featuring our new neem leaf products here on steem, complete with links to our new online store. And yes, you WILL be able to pay in steem dollars and have them happily shipped to almost anywhere (except Australia and New Zealand due to their stringent plant quarantine laws). :) You can also follow our facebook business page at Pure Thai Naturals to stay in touch with our new product developments.
I'm EXCITED that ancient plant wisdom CAN be made convenient and available in a modern world; and especially excited that producing these products using magnificent neem leaves from along the Thai-Burma border, we will be creating work and opportunity for some very disenfranchised, vulnerable people. Stay tuned as we will be inviting people to join us in this fabulous social enterprise in the coming week.
"Nature itself is the best physician" Hippocrates.