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history the first indication that Neem was being used as
a medical treatment was about 4,500 years ago. This was the
high point of the Indian Harappa culture, one of the great
civilizations of the ancient world. Excavations at Harappa
and Mohenjo-Daro in northwestern and western India date to
that period found several therapeutic compounds, including
Neem leaves, gathered in the ruins.
Among the most ancient surviving documents that have been
translated are the Caraka-Samhita (approximately 500 B.C.)
and Susruta Samhita (approximately 300 A.D.). These books
have been traced to earlier works dating to 2,000 B.C. and
1,500 B.C. respectively, and the foundation of the Indian
system of natural healing, Ayurveda. In these ancient texts
Neem is mentioned in almost 100 entries for treating a wide
range of diseases and symptoms, most of which continue to
vex humanity. Long revered for its many healing properties,
Neem came close to providing a cradle-to-grave health care
program and was a part of almost every aspect of life in
many parts of the Indian subcontinent up to and including
the modern era.
The Neem seed kernel is very rich in fatty acids, (Shelton,
1962) often up to 50 percent of the kernel's weight. Neem
seed oil is very bitter with a garlic/sulfur smell and contains
vitamin E and other essential amino acids.
Neem oil is excellent moisturizing oil that contains compounds
with historical and scientific validity as medicines. Use
of the oil for cosmetics and medicines has been limited
by its strongly bitter taste and sulfur/garlic smell. Only
when it was made into soaps was it acceptable use by most
people. It is no wonder the leaves have been substituted
for the oil to get the benefits of Neem.
To bring the many therapeutic effects of Neem oil to all
the people that could benefit from them requires a major
change in Neem oil's quality. From the picking of the fruit
to filling the oil into drums, careful attention to quality
is the only way to get the best oil possible. It is now known
that if the Neem seed is not dried and stored properly and
the oil is not expressed in a hygienic way the oil will be
very dark, have a foul odor and may contain dangerous contaminants.
The best method for obtaining quality Neem oil with a majority
of the active compounds intact is cold pressed. In cold pressing
the oil is lighter in color with milder odor (Ramakrishna,
et al, 1993). There is also the elimination of any potential
residual solvents in the oil that could pose health hazards
to the consumer. The downside is that high quality cold pressed
Neem oil is more expensive to produce than solvent extracted
oil and is much harder to obtain. Few processors are willing
to forego the loss of any of the oil that could have been
extracted by solvent and have quit using cold presses.
A better method requires the collection of seeds specifically
for the manufacture of quality health and beauty aid products.
Light green kernels from fresh seeds yield a light oil with
only a slight odor and a tolerable bitter taste. To get this
high-quality oil, Neem fruit has to be picked from the trees
rather than gathered off the ground.
The fresh fruit then
has to be taken to a facility where it is washed to remove
the fruit from
the seeds and the clean
seeds quickly air-dried. Dried seeds are then de-husked and
the kernels cold pressed. The kernels should only be pressed
once to obtain "virgin" oil, guaranteeing only
the oil is removed leaving the waxy and tar-like substances
behind. The light Neem oil must then be stored in new drums
for shipment to the manufacturing facility. This method produces
high-quality Neem oil is suitable for use in any health and
beauty aid product.
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