FROM THE INTERNET

Message received via mail

To,
Dear Mng. Trustee,

We greet you again in the good name of our Lord & Saviour, thank you for the information on Neem which you send us - it is truly a wonder tree !

The interest of this wonder tree is very special particularly when it says "Grow Your Own Medicine", which will in itself will create an atmosphere of curiosity to all being who will know of its existence at this point in time there is no agricultural promotion about neem which gives our Tjubaniwai Foundation a better position to be its research mechanism here in Fiji.

Let me just take us a step behind in reality when we receive the information package on 01/03/05 after reading it we try and make out what kind of tree is this, so with my two grandson we start to survey our own area.

I went to the Forest Department to ask them to identify any area in our district where they know of that grow neem trees. No was the answer. It did not hinder our survey searching until we identify three (two young plant and one matured) the fruits of the matured tree start turn yellowish green and are falling on to the ground already.

We have pick and experiment all avenues and made a plot sowing 250 seeds on Saturday 26/03/05 after they germinate successfully, the way forward now is to establish a nursery grow as many pot plant as possible and transplant into a 29 acres property for our Tjubaniwai Foundation pilot project.

We hope to extend the nursery to meet the local demands of "Grow Your Own Medicine" promotion to all local and overseas investors also our local version of Hollywood and Bollywood, which now on its early tender first phase of development called YAQARAWOOD STUDIO CITY for international film directors shooting their movies here in Fiji.

Mr. Jim Rokeva,
Tjubamwai Foundation,
P.O. Box 602,
Sigatoka, Fiji.
Message received via email

To,
Neem Foundation

The medicine man in West Africa, where I have a place to live, gave me neem leaves when i had breast cancer. It helped me a lot and let me
feel good also during chemo therapie.

When my mother got cancer of the uterus and she couldn’t have an operation anymore because of severe heart problems, she took neem as well. The result was that her cancer disappeared. Since several years I take neem leaves in the form of powder back to my country for people with different kind of diseases.

I now want to plant new neem trees in Africa and I would like to be informed about the right way to do that and about all the possibilities of neem and the way to make it and to use it, for the benefit of the people there and in my country.

I want to inform you how I used the neem. I wash the leaves and I dried the green leaves in a place in the shadow and than I have them made powder.

From this concentrated powder, I take half a little teaspoon 0.25 gms, twice a day, for 4 months at least. Than two month only twice a week the same portion, and finally once a week during one month.

One of my clients who is also taking the neem, has a friend who has a dog with cancer. The dog had surgery but the cancer came back.

The doctor said, nothing could be done anymore. My clients friend who is very close with the dog, was very sad and my client decided to give her neem for the dog, who ate it with the food for about 3 months now.

Yesterday, I got the news that the cancer is gone!

I would like to know how to make oil from flowers and how to use the bark of the neem. I am planting new neem trees in Africa.

With best wishes,
Marije Hendrikx
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Mode of Action of Neem Oil Products:

The principal active ingredient is Azadirachtin. Other ingredients include deacetylazadirachtinol, meliantriol, vepol, salannin, sulfur compounds etc.

Azadirachtin (main ingredient in neem oil) is a repellant to adult leafminers and is a systemic insect growth regulator (IGR) on larvae. An IGR is a juvenile hormone that prevents insects from reaching maturity and reproducing. These simultaneous effects gives neem oil an edge over other expensive synthetic pesticides which work only one way.

(1) Antifeedant through mouth.

* Primarily it inhibits the activity of sensory receptors of mouth parts, distorts normal probing, feeding and intake of food.
* Ingestion of active ingredients through food leads to starvation and death.

(2) Dermal action: It enters thru the cuticle of the insects and inhibits chitin synthesis, thus causing desiccation and death.

(3) Repellent Effect: Due to change in locomotor and settling behaviour of insects, in some cases mating as well as sexual communication is disrupted.

(4) Growth Disruptive Effect: By inhibition of the normal growth of the insect by interfering in the moulting cycle. It suppresses the activity of ecdysone so the larvae does not moult, but remains at the young stage and dies.

(5) Effect on survival and reproduction by oviposition deterrent action: When the female comes to an egg laying period of its life cycle, the egg laying is prevented.

(6) Effect on endocrine system: Neem preparations are accumulated in the neurosecretory system and by penetrating the blood brain barrier, are concentrated in the corpus cardiacum, resulting in the reduced turnover of neurosecretory proteins.

Neem Products - like neem oil, neem cake etc.
Do not have an immediate knock-down effect like most of the synthetic chemicals. For quicker kill (immediate knock down)

The following are the alternatives:

(i) For non-organic farming using neem products with traditional synthetic chemical type insecticides (like Piperonyl Butoxide) a synergy (increased effect by multifold) is well documented.

(ii) For organic farming adding sesame oil or Pyrethrins (extracted from Chrysanthemum flowers) to (in 1:1 ratio) neem oil increases the potency several fold plus immediate knock down effect.

Effective against those insects that have now become resistant to chemicals and doing more damage.

Effective against those pests that live concealed and well protected in the plant parts.

Neem oil has both contact and systemic action in plants. When it is applied to the soil plants absorb through their roots and distribute (translocate) it through-out the plant (the bio-insecticides remain active within the plant tissues for 3 weeks). When applied to the plant foliage, it needs repeated applications periodically (the bio-insecticides degrade by sun within 24 hours).

State of Connecticut,
University of Connecticut (IPM)
http://www.hort.uconn.edu/

Azadirachtin in neem oil can act as a feeding deterent against a number of insect pests including beetles. It reduces the level of the insect hornone ecdysome disrupting the insect's molting process so that the immature larvae cannot develop into adults. Due to it's IGR properties, it is more effective against immature stages of insects. Adults are not killed by the growth regulating properties of Azadirachtin but mating and sexual communication is disrupted which results in reduced fecundity. Neem oil prevents the germination and penetration of some fungal spores. More than 60 insect pests may be affected by Azadirachtin including aphids, beetles, caterpillars, lace bugs, leafhoppers, leafminers, mealybugs, psyllids, thrips and whiteflies.

State of Hawaii - University of Hawaii
Approved Organic Control

In research tests, neem treated soil was found to be toxic to oriental fruit flies & medflies. This suggests potential for soil treatment to inhibit fruit fly larvae development in fields. The National Organic Standards Board has approved use of neem in certified fields.
State of Colorado
Colorado State University
Colorado Organic Certification Act (COCA)
Friendly Pesticides for Home Gardens

Neem oil is a botanical pesticide derived from the seeds of the neem tree in India. It contains two main compounds called Azadirachtin and Salannin, that have insecticidal activity, and other compounds with fungicidal activity.

Neem oil controls gypsy moths, leafminers, sweet potato whiteflies, mealybugs, caterpillars, loopers etc.

Neem oil is used on ornamentals, foliage plants, trees, scrubs and food crops. Neem oil works as insect growth regulator - treated insect cannot molt to it's next stage and dies, deters egg laying, appetite loss etc.

Australia
National Standard for Organic and
Bio-Dynamic Produce:

Permitted Materials for Plant Pests and Disease Control: Neem oil and neem extracts
Permitted Materials for Animal Pests and Disease Control: Neem oil and neem extracts

Australia
University of Queensland / Gatton College / School of Land & Food (http://www.newcrops.uq.edu/)
Dr. Rob Fletcher

Azadirachtin does not kill pests but it breaks life cycles and deters feeding, hatching, ecdysis (moulting), etc. The most efficient use of neem oil for pest control has been found to be against chewing and sucking insects. No other insecticidal products have the rapidity of systematic activity of azadirachtin (neem oil). The relative toxicity of neem oil to non-targeted organisms is low.

Six Insect Pests Control - Six insect pest were listed as controllable at differing rate and concentrations of azadirachtin. Among the tropical pest species were locusts, 3 lapidopterous pests of cotton, 1 type of bug and 2 aphid species of cotton and corn.

Field experiments in northern New South Wales  indicate neem oil is very effective against wood-borer Agrianome Spinicollis. New Zealand's DSIR has reported good control of wood-carpet moth species. Research also reveals that when neem oil is used to coat wood, it is capable of termite (Micracerotemes turneri) feeding.

Researchers at the University of Auckland (Dr. G. Grandison) has confirmed Indian and European findings that neem oil cake has high efficacy against pathogenic crop nematodes (in rice farming), especially Meloidogynejavancia, Meloidogyne spp and Pratylenchus spp.

Neem oil has also been tested in animal applications against fleas (Ctenocephalides felis), human applications against headlice (pedicularis humanis capitas) and to minimize ticks and lice level in livestock. It is effective in controlling and preventing tick attack on cattle and horses, as well as giving relief from fly attack to the head and rear of cattle and sheep respectively.


Worldwide Activity on Neem:

Hawaii state senate passed a resolution supporting research and development of this vital tree. East West Centre in Honolulu, Hawaii planted several trees.

Because the tree is a tropical species it is difficult to grow in USA except Florida, Arizona, Texas, Hawaii etc.

More than 70,000 neem trees have been planted in Florida, Puerto Rico and Mexico.

Australian Government spent millions of dollars to plant neem trees (seedlings from India) on thousands of acres to meet the domestic demand 15 to 20 years from now. A century or two ago Indian immigrants introduced neem trees in Caribbean Nations.

The tree is now grown in Suriname, Guyana, Trinidad, Tobago, Barbados, Jamaica etc. on a large scale. Haiti planted 200,000 neem trees (thru USAID program). A century or two ago, British and Indian Immigrants took neem tree to Africa.

The World Bank has Board of Science and Technology for International Development which has special division for neem tree.