In India, the tree is variously known as "Divine Tree," "Heal All," "Nature's Drugstore," "Village Pharmacy" and "Panacea for all diseases." Products made from neem have proven medicinal properties, being anthelmintic, antifungal, antidiabetic, antibacterial, antiviral, anti-fertility, and sedative. It is considered a major component in Ayurvedic medicine and is particularly prescribed for skin disease.All parts of the tree (seeds, leaves, flowers and bark) are used for preparing many different medical preparations.
Neem oil is used for preparing cosmetics (soap, shampoo, balms and creams), and is useful for skin care such as acne treatment, and keeping skin elasticity.
Besides its use in traditional Indian medicine the neem tree is of great importance for its anti-desertification properties and possibly as a good carbon dioxide sink.
Practictioners of traditional Indian medicine recommend that patients suffering from chicken pox sleep on neem leaves.
Neem gum is used as a bulking agent and for the preparation of special purpose food (those for diabetics).
Aqueous extracts of neem leaves have demonstrated significant antidiabetic potential.
JAGGERY
Jaggery or “Gur” or whole sugar is a pure, wholesome, traditional, unrefined, whole sugar. It contains the natural goodness of minerals and vitamins inherently present in sugarcane juice & this crowns it as one of the most wholesome and healthy sugars in the world. It Mexico & South America, it is also known as panela.
Jaggery, being a wholesome sugar, without doubt is rich in the vitally important mineral salts: 2.8 grams per 100 grams, that is to say 28 grams per kilogram, while only 300 milligrams per kilogram is found in refined sugar.
Magnesium strengthens the nervous system & potassium is vital to conserve the acid balance in the cells and combats acids and acetone. Jaggery is very rich in iron, which, a composite of hemoglobin prevents anemia.
CALCULATION BASIS—1g sugar (carbohydrate)= 4KCAL
Parameters Jaggery (Gur) Per 4g (1tsp) Per 100g
Total Calories (KCal) 12.32 308.0
KJ) 51.8 1293.0
Protein (g) Trace Trace
Carbohydrate (g) 3.08 77.0
Fat (g) Trace Trace
Sodium (mg) Trace Trace
Total Sugars (g) 3.08 77.0
Dietary Fibre (g) ---- ----
Vitamins (I.U) >32.0 >800.0
Minerals (mg) >80.0 > 2000.0
Transfat (g) ---- ----
*approximate values; as figures vary batch to batch and campaign to campaign
Manufacture of sugar from cane juice employs a potpourri of chemicals as sulphur dioxide, lime, phosphoric acid, bleaching agents & viscosity reducers. Jaggery is processed the natural way & no chemicals are added at any stage of its processing.
Jaggery is often called the 'medicinal sugar. So much so, you can become an emergency doctor with Jaggery. It is also very useful in health problems like --
Dry Cough, Cough with Sputum , Indigestion, Constipation
Ancient medical scriptures dating back to 2500 years state how it purifies the blood, prevents rheumatic afflictions and disorders of bile and possesses nutritive properties of high order.
(Sushruta Samhita, Chapter 45, sloka 146)
The preventive action of jaggery on smoke-induced lung lesions suggest the potential of jaggery as protective agent for workers in dusty and smoky environments- paper presented by scientists of Industrial Toxicology Research Centre at a Workshop held in Lyon, France.
[Environ Health Perspect, 102(Suppl 6): 211-214 (1994)]
According to an experiment, Jaggery treated rats showed enhanced translocation of coal particles from lungs to tracheobronchial lymph nodes.
Hence, it fights pollution too! No wonder Jaggery is regularly consumed by thousands of industrial workers / traffic policemen who are exposed to higher levels of pollution. It helps them breathe easier and counter pollution naturally.
