vEpa, the neem tree, is our heritage. It is part of the family heirloom and passed on from one generation to the other. You find a neem tree at least in one out of 5 houses, either in front of the house or backyard. Occassionally a swing will be hanging from a strong branch of the neem tree and kids will be swinging on it - a good recreation for adults in the hot summer months under the cool shadow of the neem tree and play-spot for the kids. Early morning, adults go to the tree, cut a couple of tender branches (twigs), and use them as tooth brushes - a gift of mother nature - natural tooth brush.
Vepa is a part of Telugu culture and Andhra Tradition. Our new year starts with Vepa Puvvu. Ugadi paccadi, a mixture of sweet and bitter (Vepa puvvu), represents the experiences of human life and the struggle for survival. Vepa pikka is still being used as an ingredient in Andhra Avakaya (i.e. the dried seeds of Vepa).
The powder of dried Vepa leaves is eaten along with rice (especially at the beginning of a meal) - supposed to cure all the ailments and a prventive measure. Vepa leaf decoction and powder are used as antihelmintic (to control the worms in the GI tract) in rural Andhra. Some of us may even recollect their days of childhood - being chased by mothers who forced them to eat Vepa leaf powder. Vepa leaf is also a very good disinfectant and considered as a natural antibiotic. Secondary infections, like bacterial, are controlled by Vepa leaf (either paste or powder or fanning with fresh leaf) during viral infections, e.g. smallpox and chickenpox and boils. Vepa decoction is given for common fevers.
Devils and Saitans are believed to be repelled by Vepa - those Bootavaidyulu use a broom of Vepa branches and beat up the person mercilessly in order to kick out the harbored devil (soul of another dead indivual) in a healthy individual. Usually this individual feels the pain of Vepa roDDa beatings and shouts for help but his cry is araNya rOdana. People around the dayyampaTTina manishi and also the BootavaidyuDu keep a deaf ear to his cry. Finally the dayyampaTTina manishi gets exhausted and falls flat on the floor. Then the BootavaidyuDu will comb his mutache (miisa'lu trippukoni) and declare that the devil has left his body. It is apparant that Ammavaru or Peddamma or Paiditalli or Durgamma or Polelamma or Jejemma or Ammalagannamma loves Vepa. Usually one can observe a huge neem tree in front of Peddamma's Temple.
Termites eat everything that has cellulose in it. ta'Ta'ku pustaka'lu (palm leaf writings) were preseved with vEpa leaves. Vepa is a good insect repellent. The leaves contain certain insect repellent and insecticidal substances. In certain parts of India (Andhra) repeated termite infestations are controlled by keeping Vepa branches in places where termites build tunnels.
E. O. Wilson in his latest book called "Biodiversity" mentioned that Indians plant neem tree in front of the house as they feel that the tree does good to the house. That is not a blind belief. It is true that the natural products of neem tree act as insect repellents and insecticides. A chemical of neem plant, called "Azadirachtin" is one of the best plant insecticides available.
Unfortunately under the GATT (General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade), the Indian farmers will be forced to pay royalty for the use of this pesticide from neem, Azadirachtin - the reason is that one of the chemical companies of the US got patents for the pesticide of neam tree. That neem tree is the nature's gift to Indian farmers. The pesticide is prepared from the seeds of Vepa tree.
Indian Cosmetics companies have been manufacturing cosmetics and health care products from neem tree such as the most famous Neem Toothpaste, Neem soap, and Margo soap. A number of skincare creams contain Vepa extracts. Vepa is a very good skin care agent - especially antiseptic. The paste of Vepa leaf (vEpa'ku noori, a' mudda nalugupimDitO kalipi, vamTiki paTTimcukuni, O ardha gamTa EmDalO koorconi, a' taruva'ta sna'nam cEyaDam O a'nava'yitii. muKyamga' ga'li jallina taruva'ta) is applied on the skin before taking a bath (especially after chicken pox has subsided).
The oils of Vepa tree have excellent pharmaceutical applications. They are used as spermicides in birth control - this was known to Indians hundreds of years ago. Vepa is also used in leprosy treatment. Ayurveda contains several phamacological and pharmaceutical uses of neem. Unfortunately the uses and applications of neem were not well preserved and the Govt. of India did not pay much attention to this wealth of India. Indian has finally lost its wealth - the neem Tree (Vepa). Neem may grow all over India but in these days of growing science and biotechnology, it is not impossible to grow Vepa any where (here in US), extract the chemicals from the plant, and sell them.
Botanically:
Family: Meliaceae
botanical name: Azadirachta indica
Hindi, Bengali: Nim
Sanskrit: Nimba
Tamil, Telugu, Malayalam : Vepa
Every tissue of vepa (bark, leaf, root, flower, fruit, seed) has medicinal values. The oils are used in treating skin diseases and rheumatism. The Vepa fruits (berries) are used as purgative. Interestingly the berries taste slighty bitter and sweeter. Several birds eat those berries.
Telugu New Year (Samvatsaradi) is also called "vEpapoopamDaga" (According to Brown). Telugu pandits call Vepa cettu as Nimbavrukshamu. Other birds also eat Vepa berries and defecate on the roofs of tall buildings. Following the monsoon, those seeds germinate on the roofs and cause a nuisance for the landlords. Writers who write historical novels always describe the ruins of palaces with a sentence that states "the Vepa trees growing on the broken walls of the palaces" and this is considered as a bad omen to the estate and town. One may see this in the Vizianagaram palace.
The Vepa tree may die but the dead wood and dried parts (leaves and branches) will not lose their bitter properties. The old proverb "cimta caccina pulupu ca'valEdu" can be modified as "vEpa caccina' cEdu ca'valEdu - manishi perigina' picci kudaralEdu". Coming to madness, the bitter nature of Vepa is always used to describe somebody's picci - "va'LLa ta'taga'riki vEpaka'yamta verraitE manavaDiga'riki velakka'yamta vumdi". Telugu poets used Vepa in their poetry to describe good and evil, whenever appropriate.
e.g. vEmana says:
vEmu ba'lupOsi vEyEmDlu pemcina
jEdu viDici tiipi jemdabOdu
Ogu guNamu viDici yucita~nuDagu neTlu
viSvada'Bira'ma vinuravEma.
In another poem Vemana also compares the medicinal properties of Vepa with the most arduous (impossible) tasks becoming possible upon drilling and exercise:
vEmu cekkadinna visharOgamulu pa'yu
dEha ka'mti kalugu dRuDhamu kalugu
dinaga tinaka nadiye tiiyaga' numDunu
viSvada'Bira'ma vinuravEma.
Surprisingly the name vEmana and vEmana's poetry have close affinities with vEpa ceTTu (neem tree). In my opinion "vEmana" means "cEdu ka'du" (not bitter) i.e. vEmana's poetry is not bitter but sweet. In other words one should vEmana as "na vEma". I recollect some paintings of vEmana wherein vEmana sitting under a vEpa ceTTu.
A son approched his father (who was strict - military style) and asked him "na'nnaga'roo! na'ku peLLi ka'va'lamDii. tomdaraga' amma'yini cooDamDii!". Then the father replied "EmiTii? niika', peLLa'? peLLa'm ka'vala'? sarE! rEpu madhya'nnamE nii peLLi". The son was happy and said "amma'yini coosEsa'ra' na'gurimci? evara' amma'yi? amdamga' vumTumda'?" The father said "a'! cooSa'Sa'nu. vEpa' va'ri ammayi". Here vEpa' va'ri amma'yi may mean two things: (1) daughter of Vepa Jagannadham or (2) beatings with vEpa betta'm. This vEpa tree also entered the list of last names among Andhrites.
---PALANA