Neem, also called 'Village Pharmacy'

A neem plant at Mantri backyard, planted by Mrs & Mr Nambiar(G-001), the first resident of our complex.Residents have since planted four other neems at Mantri's.  

What do we do when we get a chain mail forwarded into our Inbox ? Most of us, most of the time, reach for 'delete' button. But when I got this one on 'the many wonders of neem'  I couldn't trash it . But I didn't wish to blog about it either without a cross-check,  without doing some Google search for endorsement .
Google search took me a website about motherhood where someone wrote  - My mother in law once visited our home and saw the Neem tree. She said it is known in Kenya to treat '40 diseases'.
Another web reference on neem had this to say: Neem extracts have been approved by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency for use on food crops. It has been proven in various research studies  that Neem is non-toxic to birds, beneficial insects or humans and protects crops from over 200 of the most costly pests.
Following is the edited version of  the  'forwarded mail'  I saved for sharing. Thank you, E R Ramachandran, a blogger friend who sent me the mail.
1) Neem is fast growing, evergreen, has medicinal attributes to treat 40 different ailments. All parts of the tree is used for treating illness - leaves, fruit, seeds and even the bark contain medicinal properties.
2) People call it  'Divine Tree, “Village Pharmacy”, “Heal All” and “Nature’s Drugstore”.
3) Diabetes: Neem has been found to have reduced insulin requirement by as much as 50% without altering the blood glucose levels. Take 3 to 5 drops internally each day.
4) Neem  cleanses blood, stimulates antibody protection and strengthens the immune system.
5) As a mouth wash it treats infections, mouth ulcers, bleeding sore gums; even helps prevent tooth decay!
6)For pink eye the juice of neem leaves can be used as eye drops, warm 5-10 ml and apply several drops.
7) Jaundice - mix 30 ml of neem juice with 15 ml of honey, take it on empty stomach for seven days.
8) For burning sensations, excessive sweating, add 5 to 10 drops of neem oil in a glass of milk before going to bed.
9)Psoriasis - 2 capsules,taken three times daily after meals with a glass of water.     Another treatment for psoriasis, eczema, skin ulcers, fungal conditions, cold sores and athletes foot, is to mix 1 tablespoon neem oil and 4 ounces of olive oil. This should be applied at least twice daily to the affected areas.
10) Acne problems -  take 2 capsules twice daily.
11) Moles and warts removal - one drop of undiluted neem oil should be directly applied to the mole or wart and then covered with a small bandage. The procedure should be repeated daily using fresh oil and clean bandage.
12)Sinusitis - plain pure neem oil can be used as nasal drops. Use two drops twice daily, morning and evening.
13)Athletes foot - soak feet in warm water with 15 ml of neem oil.
14) Earaches - warm some oil and apply a few drops into the ear.
15) Hemorrhoids - apply some neem oil to a cotton ball and gently rub for about a week. If preferred, a paste can be made by adding a small amount of olive oil or Aloe Vera oil until desired consistency is reached.
16) Prevent hair loss - mix a few drops of neem oil with coconut or olive oil and massage into scalp.This can even prevent hair graying!
17) Cuts and abrasions - Neem helps. Increases blood flow which aids in creating the collagen fibers that helps the wounds to close.
18)Burns, sunburn - neem oil can kill the bacteria, reduce the pain and stimulate the immune system.
19) Head lice - neem oil should be massaged into the scalp and left on over-night. Shampoo your hair as usual the next morning.
20) Neem detoxifies body, helps maintain circulatory systems, digestive and respiratory systems and helps keep the urinary tract free of infections.
21)Lab studies incidcate neem can treat symptoms of food poisoning associated with both salmonella and staphylococcus. Neem extracts kill the salmonella bacteria and flush it out of your system, reducing the severity and length of the ailment.
22) Chicken pox - neem paste applied directly to the sores caused by chicken pox, will relieve itching and reduce scarring.
23) Neem tea taken twice weekly can even help prevent colds. If you already have the symptoms associated with a cold they can be lessened by drinking neem tea three times a day.It will help alleviate the fever, cough, aches and pains, sore throat, fatigue and nasal congestion.
24) Neem has anti-fungal properties that have been shown to aide in the treatment of athletes foot, yeast infections, thrush and even ringworm.
25) In treating hepatitis, 80% of test subjects showed improvement. Neem extract can  block the infection that causes this virus.
26) Drinking neem tea during an outbreak of influenza helps alleviate symptoms and speed up the recovery.Neem has ability to work around viruses and prevent them from even infecting the cells.
27) Neem based powder used for jock itch will reduce itching, dry the area and kill the fungus.For severe cases a neem lotion may be more effective.
28)The length and severity of an outbreak of mononucleosis can be decreased by drinking neem tea twice a day for two weeks.
29) Shingles - neem cream should be applied to the affected area at least three times a day. Severe cases should also be treated with neem tea after each meal, but tea should not be consumed for more than two weeks at a time.
30) Thrush can be treated with neem tea, it can reduce inflammation, pain and speed healing.
31) Children under the age of 12 should not drink neem tea, for children this young it should only be used to gargle.
32) Secondary bacterial infections in the nasal passages and respiratory system can be decreased by inhaling steam from boiling the leaves.
33) Study on neem shows cholesterol levels can be brought down when taken for a month in either the capsule form or the extract.
34)Scientific studies show that neem reduces blood clot, heart irregularities and even reduce blood pressure. Results can be seen within one month on a regimen of extract or capsules.
34) Neem increases production of T-cells in body to fight infections.
35) Neem oil on the skin is known to actually rejuvenate the skin; promote collagen and will work to treat many skin conditions including acne. Acne can be cleared up within days by taking two neem capsules twice daily.
36) Neem will help in fighting chronic fatigue.
37) Headache - neem powder should be applied to the forehead, neem oil should also work.
38) Inflammation, pain and swelling of the joints associated with arthritis can be greatly relieved with the use of neem.
39) Clinical research has shown remarkable effects in the reduction of tumors.
40) Neem is effective in treating gastritis, indigestion and heartburn.Blood disorders such as blood poisoning, kidney problems and poor circulation have been benefited by the use of neem.
Neem is being studied as a treatment for AIDS, cancer, allergies, diabetes and both male and female forms of birth control!
Neem oil should be stored in a cool dark place, if the oil solidifies it can be placed in warm water to bring back to liquid form.

Poolside planting at Mantri on OMR

 

 Most Mantri residents missed out on Saturday's cozy family-like social gathering. The occasion was  community tree-planting. Advik, barely six months, marked his presence on clubhouse poolside as his mother Anuja planted a mango tree named after Advik, the second child to be born at Mantri Synergy. His sister Aadya, experienced in tree-planting, was there to help her mom do the planting.

And we had Pramud,a surprise visitor from Bangalore who came with his parents visiting Mantri's where they own an apartment. At our community planting, held after a long gap, we celebrated the first elected members of Mantri Synergy apartment owners association.

Treasurer Mrs Indumathy, secretary Mr R Vasudevan, and president Mr Giri Sundaram planted a sapling each.. Vice-president Mr Harinarayan expressed his inability to be present in view of his prior commitment out of town. We plan to get him plant a sapling sometime soon.

 

Resident horticulturist K S Arvind, with his gardening crew, volunteered their planting expertise and labour. Mr Arvind helped us identify spots for digging, and also advised us on the choice of sapling to be planted on each spot - two mango and guava were planted on the railings side of the lawn, while the two sapota plants flanked the park benches.

Sunday Santhai, a club for like-minded Mantri residents to trade ideas, info. and unvarnished gossip, thought of the tree-planting 'do' with a twin agenda - 1) to insure sympathy/support of the community for our crazy plans; and 2) to get some shade on the poolside lawns with tree-planting.    
Mr K Santharam (left in the photo) citing a Balachander movie (which one, would you know ?) writes -  It is not necessary that you should leave only your children after death. You can leave trees as well. They will live for several years like your children and the posterity will ever remember you.
Thank you,  Mr Santharam (A-202) for giving a lofty edge to an idea by 'a crazy foursome'  that met at our first Santhai.

NASA Srinivas flowers

Nasa Srinivas, the shenbagum  planted in June last, has started flowering at Mantri Synergy. The plant has been named after schoolboy Srinivas, on his return from NASA Space training center at Huntsvile, Alabama.  Son of  Sunitha and Sriraj (D-1202),  Upplili Srinivas studies in Ooty, and was sponsored by his school for a NASA conducted space camp for school students from the world over..

At Mantri Synergy we have a community tree-planting programme in which residents  celebrate with a sapling family events such as child birth, birthday, wedding anniversary, start of schooling of one's child, graduation, job placement of one's daughter, or any happening in the family about which you have reason to feel good about. Mrs and Mr Sriraj happily agreed to my suggestion that they celebrate the return of their son from NASA. The shenbagum he planted is named after NASA Srinivas. The schoolboy, and even his parents,  have moved from  here, but Srinivas grows with us at Mantri complex, and has started flowering for our benefit.

Tapping Wind/solar power on OMR

A roof-top windmill fitted on Hindustan University campus

 Those of us in Mantri Synergy, and neighbouring Ouranya Bay, Victoria Towers or Bella Tuscany and other OMR communities don't need experts to say we come under 'a wind zone'. We experience it. We also know big wind turbines over 100 metres in height wouldn't work in our place. We could try micro wind turbines, say 15-metre tall, as they plan to do, for powering street lights on ECR. Chennai Corporation is reported to have commissioned a study for tapping wind/solar energy with hybrid models.

 Residents asociations on OMR could put their heads together to explore possibilities for putting in place hybrid micro systems for tapping wind/solar power. So that we could make wind/solar powered common area a reality at Mantri Synergy in two or three years from now.

 Experts reckon that effective solution to energy problem has to be found ,not in the availability of technology, but in reducing its expense and widening it accessibility. The proposed wind/solar powered street-lighting pilot project in Sholinganallur and some parts of ECR could serve as model for us to adopt in Mantri and other communities. Bringing down the cost is a challenge. Initial capital cost is high, but subsidy is available from the central and state govts. OMR residents association (an umbrella body of neighbourhood member associations of apartment owners) could be set up to look into subsidy options and also to work on a model project report for community level renewable energy programme.

 By way of reference material I would like you to watch these video talks: 1) Bunkar Roy on his 'barefoot movement' - 19.08 mins. It is a fascinating study on how a village school in Rajasthan has trained rural women to be solar electrical engineers for electrification of villages, not only in Rajasthan, but also in Afghanistan, Sierra Leone and other developing countries from where even unlettered grandmas received technician training for six months in Bunkar Roy's barefoot college.
2) MIT professor Donald Sadoway on the missing link to renewable energy - 15 mins. video talk. He is into developing battery for grid-level storage of wind/solar energy, at the lowest possible cost. The focus of Prof.Sadoway's invention is in bringing down the cost of huge storage battery.

 The photo at the top of this post signifies 'a tip of the wind turbine', to coin a phrase, (like 'tip of an iceberg'), of the work that might well be in process at the university engineering workshop. We could tap their experience/expertise in developing a wind/solar power model for Mantri Synergy.

RQ-4: Social code, enforced or evolved ?

Received a mail from a resident voicing the concerns of those who are not blog savvy - some moms and the elderly. The e-mail spoke of a group of youngsters moving about Mantri complex - drenched in colours, and far from sober - hooting and shouting on Holi evening - 8.15-8.30 p m. Later, the group - all boys - was seen leaving our complex in bikes and cars. Outsiders, are they ?
Recently, a 'D' block lift got stuck with two women and an infant inside, one evening. Internal mike/alarm in the lift didn't work. Delayed response,and further time lag in fixing the lift - 30 mins, in all - worked up emotions. The security staff, and PropCare faced the ire of residents; a few of them are said to have shouted at the staff, using abusive words. A security man said he was physically dragged and shouted at.
A while back, residents woke up late in the night,to loud bursting of fire-crackers from a Mantri terrace. It was not Diwali.
Thought of putting together these instances, not to nit-pick or apportion blame, but to engage and interact, online, on social norms that we need to adopt. The relevant by-law of Mantri Synergy Owners Association says, "An owner (or his tenant) shall take care not to cause any excessive noise through the use of musical instrument, radio, television etc as to disturb the peace of co-owners/residents".
Question: Should the social norms we adopt be written into by-laws, or evolved through convention and socially-correct practices.