Leaves
The opposite, pinnate leaves are 20–40 centimetres (7.9–16 in) long, with 20 to 31 medium to dark green leaflets about 3–8 centimetres (1.2–3.1 in) long. The terminal leaflet is often missing. The petioles are short. The leaves are also used in Pakistan to give baths to children suffering from skin diseases.The leaves are used in this manner that first they are washed thoroughly. Then 5-10 leaves along with the branch are boiled till the water turns green The water is then used for varying purposes. Elders find it useful in controlling high blood sugar level and is said to clean up the blood. Neem is also used to give baths to the Muslim dead. Neem leaves are dried in Pakistan and placed in cupboards to prevent insects eating the clothes. Neem leaves are dried and burnt in the tropical regions of Pakistan to keep away mosquitoes. These leaves are also used in many Indian festivals (by making them into garlands).
Read more about this topic: Azadirachta Indica
Famous quotes containing the word leaves:
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—Walter Bagehot (1826–1877)
“The winds awaken, the leaves whirl round,
Our cheeks are pale, our hair is unbound,
Our breasts are heaving, our eyes are agleam,
Our arms are waving, our lips are apart....”
—William Butler Yeats (1865–1939)
“They may bring their fattest cattle and richest fruits to the fair, but they are all eclipsed by the show of men. These are stirring autumn days, when men sweep by in crowds, amid the rustle of leaves like migrating finches; this is the true harvest of the year, when the air is but the breath of men, and the rustling of leaves is as the trampling of the crowd.”
—Henry David Thoreau (1817–1862)