Nimba. Vern. Nim, Beng. Hind.

This useful tree is indigenous to India and is cultivated all over the country for the sake of its bark, leaves and fruits. These have been used in Hindu medicine from a very remote period. The bark is regarded as bitter, tonic, astringent and useful in fever, thirst, nausea, vomiting and skin diseases. The bitter leaves are used as a pot-herb being made into soup or curry with other vegetables. The slightly aromatic and bitter taste which they impart to the curries thus prepared, is much relished by some. The leaves are moreover an old and popular remedy for skin diseases. The fruits are described as purgative and emollient and useful in intestinal worms, urinary diseases, piles etc. The oil obtained from the seeds is used in skin diseases, and ulcers.

The bark is used in fever in combination with other medicines for this disease as for example, in the following compound decoction called Amritάshtaka.2 Take of nim bark, gulancha, root of Picrorrhiza Kurroa (katuki), tubers of Cyperus rotundus (mus-taJca ), seeds of Holarrhena antidysenterica ( indrayava ), leaves of

Momordica dioica (patala), ginger and red sandal wood, each quarter of a told, water half a seer, boil till reduced to one-fourth. This decoction is given with the addition of honey and long pepper in fever supposed to be caused by deranged phlegm and bile and attended with vomiting, nausea, thirst and lassitude.

The fresh juice of the leaves is given with salt in intestinal worms, and with honey in jaundice and skin diseases. The juice of nim leaves and of emblic myrobalans, quarter of a told each, are recommended to be given with the addition of clarified butter in prurigo, boils and urticaria.1 Nim enters into the composition of several compound preparations used in skin diseases, such as the Pancha tikta ghrita, Pancha nimba gudikά, Pancha kashaya, etc.

Pancha tikta ghrita.2 Take of nim bark, leaves of Momordica dioica (patala), Solanum Jacquinii (kantakάri), gulancha, and bark of Adhatoda vasica (vάsaka), each eighty tolas, and boil them in sixty-four seers of water till it is reduced to one-fourth. To the strained decoction, add four seers of clarified butter and a seer of the three myrobalans in the form of a paste, and prepare a ghrita in the usual way. This preparation is given in doses of three to six drachms in chronic skin diseases.

As an external application to ulcers and skin diseases, nim leaves are used in a variety of forms such as poultice, wash, ointment and liniment.3 A poultice made of equal parts of nim leaves and sesamum seeds is recommended by Chakradatta for unhealthy ulcerations.1

The following preparation of nim oil is prescribed by several writers for application to suppurating scrofulous glands with numerous openings. Take of the oil of nim seeds, four seers; orpiment, realgar, marking nut, cardamoms, aloes wood, sandal wood, leaves of Jasminum grandiflorum (jάtipatra ), and of Lim-nanihenwn cristatum (tagarapάdukά), each eight tolas, in the form of a paste, and water sixteen seers. Boil them together and prepare an oil in the usual way.2