Traditional medicinal knowledge about Neem Mad in Chhattisgarh, India

Research Note - Pankaj Oudhia
© 2001,2002,2003 Pankaj Oudhia - All Rights Reserved

Every year during rainy season specially, we frequently hear news regarding milk yielding Neem trees from different parts of Chhattisgarh. Milk from Neem tree? Everyone notice this news and within no time the natives gather around such trees and start worshipping it. They consider it as a gift of God. Many natives start the collection of milk and by diluting it with water, try to distribute it among other natives. The natives have no hesitation to collect this natural gift. They have deep faith in nature and God. Taking advantage of this faith, many persons start charging money for this milk. Yesterday local newspaper published a news about such Neem trees near the Raipur city and reported that the natives have started its worship.

As member of Andh Shradha Nirmulan Samittee, a non-governmental organization engaged in social awareness among natives, I got the opportunity to visit the said place. For the first time in life, I saw the Mad of Neem Trees. I am hearing the word 'Mad' since the year 1994, through the traditional healers and natives. I have collected a lot of information on traditional medicinal uses of this Mad through the ethnobotanical surveys in different parts of Chhattisgarh. Yesterday, when I saw it practically, oozing out from Neem trees, I decided to write a separate article focused on this Mad.

Neem (Azadirachta indica, family Meliaceae) is a common roadside tree in Chhattisgarh having small, white and sweet scented flowers. According to reference literatures, it is a handsome tree with dense rounded crown of bright green foliage; stem short and stout, deep rooted, usually evergreen except in dry localities and periods of extreme drought; Bark thick, brown to dark gray with deep longitudinal furrows, bitter in taste; New leaves appear in March-April in Chhattisgarh conditions; Leaves imparipinnate, 20-40 cm long, glabrous; leaflets 9-17, sub-opposite, lanceolate, unequal sided, deeply serrate, acuminate, bright green and shining above, sub-sessile or with minute petioles. Flowers greenish-white, Sweet-scented, 5 mm long, in axillary panicles, Fruits are drupes, 1-2 cm long, ovoid-oblong, generally one-seeded, greenish yellow when ripe. All parts of Neem are used as medicine both internally and externally in treatment of many common as well as complicated diseases. The reference literatures related to different indigenous of medicine in India are full of information having detailed medicinal properties and uses of this important tree but surprisingly not much has been write no utilities of Mad.

According to the traditional healers, in rainy season, the trees secret whitish material look likes milk, in large amount. This observation is common in all trees as compared to the new trees. During rainy season, the traditional healers of Chhattisgarh aware of this secretion visit to Neem tree rich forests in search of such trees. They keep big vessels with them for the collection of Mad. Most of the plant parts of Neem are bitter in taste but Mad is mild sweet in taste. You will be surprised to know that the traditional healers collect this Mad with patience and use in treatment of many common diseases both internally and externally. The healers store this Mad in earthen pots and in cool places. The mad collected once can be used round the year, if stored well. I have listed out 30 diseases in which this Mad is used. Its external use is preferred as compared to the internal use. It is considered as one of the promising remedy in treatment of old wounds and carbuncles. According to the traditional healers, this secretion is used many times as last hope and in most of the cases, it protects the life of patients.

The traditional healers of Chhattisgarh use it in treatment of different types of cancers. Its effectiveness in treatment of cancer and its rare availability have forced the traditional healers to develop its safe storage method. Although the traditional healers of Chhattisgarh are unable to give scientific explanation that why this secretion takes place but the researchers and tree experts have many theories. Many believe that this secretion is a reaction of tree to the attack of enemies specially the micro-organisms. In rainy season, due to high wind, abrasions are common in trees. These abrasions are the entry points for the micro-organisms. Many researchers claim that due to high water table in rainy days, many weak plants absorb the water but fail to accumulate it. Due to the pressure of water it oozes out by rupturing the cell wall. As it contains cell sap the taste of secretion is sweetish. It is not a common phenomenon and occurs very rarely. I believe in first theory but I feel that the exact scientific explanation is essential, for the future generations. Yesterday, when during visit to Mad secreting trees, I asked to the natives that why they are collecting the Mad. They replied that they will use the Mad for bath. It is considered as beneficial to skin and a boon for the patients having skin troubles. I have also collected the Mad. I want to test its efficacies in crop fields for medicinal crops. As the Mad is limited, after collecting more samples, I am planning to conduct detailed allelopathic studies on medicinal and aromatic crops also. Through our organization ASNS we are trying to provide scientific explanation to the natives responsible for this oozing. Also we are awaring them that donot be fool to buy it at very high rates and be aware of adulteration. The natural forests are very rich in natural population of Neem trees.

As the healers aware of medicinal properties and uses of Mad are limited, every year thousand liters of Mad go waste in forest. Through this article I would like to attract the attention of concerned researchers to focus their studies on this aspect also. I am proud to write that this article is a first document on Neem Mad, and its traditional uses in Chhattisgarh, India.

Thank you very much for reading the article.