வேப்ப மரம் வேம்பு . வேப்ப மரம் இந்தியா, இலங்கை, பர்மாபோன்ற நாடுகளில் வளரும் மிகவும் பயனுள்ள ஒரு மரம். இதன் மருத்துவ பண்புகள் கருதி, ஒரு மூலிகை என்றும் வகைப்படுத்தலாம். வேப்ப மரம் நன்றாக வளர்ந்து நிழல் தர வல்லது. அதன் இலைகள்கிருமிகளை அழிக்கும் அல்லது அணுகவிடா தன்மை கொண்டவை என்று கருதப்படுகின்றது. வேப்பம் பூ இல் இருந்து வேப்பம் பூ வடகம், பச்சடி, ரசம் என்பவை செய்யலாம். வேப்ப எண்ணெய் மருத்துவ ரீதியாக பாவிக்கப்படுகின்றது.
Use:
| Scientific classification | |
|---|---|
| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| Division: | Magnoliophyta |
| Order: | Sapindales |
| Family: | Meliaceae |
| Genus: | Azadirachta |
Use:- The twigs are also used as toothbrushes. One end of a twig is chewed to turn it into soft bristles to clean the teeth by brushing.
- Toiletries: Neem oil is used for preparing cosmetics such as soap, shampoo, balms and creams as well as toothpaste.
- Toothbrush: Traditionally, slender neem twigs (called datun) are first chewed as atoothbrush and then split as a tongue cleaner.[23] This practice has been in use in India, Africa, and the Middle East for centuries. Many of India's 80% rural population still start their day with the chewing stick, while in urban areas neem toothpaste is preferred. Neem twigs are still collected and sold in markets for this use, and in rural India one often sees youngsters in the streets chewing on neem twigs. It has been found to be as effective as a toothbrush in reducing plaque andgingival inflammation.[24][25]
- Tree: 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.[citation needed]
- Neem gum is used as a bulking agent and for the preparation of special purpose foods.
- Neem blossoms are used in Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu and Karnataka to prepare Ugadi pachhadi. A mixture of neem flowers and jaggery (or unrefined brown sugar) is prepared and offered to friends and relatives, symbolic of sweet and bitter events in the upcoming new year, Ugadi. "Bevina hoovina gojju" (a type of curry prepared with neem blossoms) is common in Karnataka throughout the year. Dried blossoms are used when fresh blossoms are not available. In Tamil Nadu, a rasam (veppam poo rasam) made with neem blossoms is a culinary specialty.
- Cosmetics : Neem is perceived in India as a beauty aid. Powdered leaves are a major component of at least one widely used facial cream. Purified neem oil is also used in nail polish and other cosmetics.
- Bird repellent: Neem leaf boiled in water can be used as a very cost-effective bird repellent, especially for sparrows.
- Lubricant : Neem oil is non-drying and it resists degradation better than most vegetable oils. In rural India, it is commonly used to grease cart wheels.
- Fertilizer : Neem has demonstrated considerable potential as a fertilizer. Neem cake is widely used to fertilize cash crops, particularly sugarcane and vegetables. Ploughed into the soil, it protects plant roots from nematodes and white ants, probably as it contains the residual limonoids.[citation needed] In Karnataka, people grow the tree mainly for its green leaves and twigs, which they puddle into flooded rice fields before the rice seedlings are transplanted.
- Resin : An exudate can be tapped from the trunk by wounding the bark. This high protein material is not a substitute forpolysaccharide gum, such as gum arabic. It may, however, have a potential as a food additive, and it is widely used in South Asia as "Neem glue".
- Bark : Neem bark contains 14% tannin, an amount similar to that in conventional tannin-yielding trees (such as Acacia decurrens). Moreover, it yields a strong, coarse fibre commonly woven into ropes in the villages of India.
- Honey : In parts of Asia neem honey commands premium prices, and people promote apiculture by planting neem trees.
