Autumn for neem

Flower power

As temperatures soar, the neem trees are in full flower in northern India. In the plains of Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh and Odisha, the forests are filled with the scent of mahua flowers. Everyone should have dishes cooked from these flowers at least once every season to beat the heat and keep ailments at bay

The inside story

The idea that food has therapeutic value is not a new one. Ayurveda, for instance, recommends diet regimes based on seasons and on an individual's constitution (see box: Take cues from traditional wisdom). And it's not just this ancient system of medicine. Traditional communities in most countries had dietary practices that placed a premium on nutrition.

What's in a neem?

THE 10-year period from 1985 to April 25, 1995 - accordingto relevant dat'abases - has been marked by a veritable delugeof us and European patents on neem-related products. Thedatabases also include information on patents which werefiled through the Patent Cooperation Treaty (PcT), a uN bodyfunctioning under the World Intellectual PropertyOrganization.

Neem gains honour as India's wonder tree

NOW THAT "neemania" has gripped scientists in the West and neem (Azadirachta indica) is being hailed as the wonder tree that can solve global problems from locust swarms to AIDS, Indian scientists are jumping onto the bandwagon. And, after Western scientists proved neem-based pesticides are safer than synthetic ones such as DDT and can be commercially produced, Indian bureaucrats are pressing manufacturers to get in on the act.

Letters

Literacy Panorama

Neem, traditionally ours

Now that “neemania” has gripped scientists in the West and neem (Azadirachta indica) is being hailed as the wonder tree that can solve global problems from locust swarms to AIDS, Indian scientists are jumping onto the bandwagon. After Western scientists proved that neem-based pesticides are safer than synthetic ones such as DDT and can be commercially produced, Indian bureaucrats are pressing manufacturers to get in on the act.

Letters

Honey, set the limit

Non-toxic cancer treatment

a protein found in neem leaf boosts immune response and helps kill colon cancer cells, said researchers of Chittaranjan National Cancer Institute, Kolkata, and Burdwan University, West Bengal. In the presence of a cancer specific antigen (a type of protein found in human colon cells), the protein in neem works better to rev up production of specific immune cells and subsequent generation of

Push for neem-based fertilisers

the Union Ministry of Chemicals and Fertilizers is deliberating on a mechanism to promote neem-coated fertilizers. The move is an attempt to prevent soil fatigue caused by imbalanced and excessive use of urea, and increasing crop yields. With the government set to promote neem-coated fertilizer, its manufacturers recently approached the government with a demand for subsidy or permission to increase the maximum retail price (mrp) of its product.