Neem: this living pharmacy could help you ward off nasty bugs--and cancer.(virtual living pharmacy)

Imagine a 24-hour pharmacy carrying one natural product--neem. It's not that far-fetched when you take into account that in India the neem tree is known as "the virtual living pharmacy."

Upon further investigation, the nickname fits. Every pan of the neem tree--bark, leaves, fruit, seeds--may be used to treat skin disorders, malaria, periodontal disease, blood and circulatory problems, digestive disorders and infectious diseases, according to a review of the tree's medicinal properties published in the May 2005 issue of Current Medicinal Chemistry--Anti-Cancer Agents. By being antiviral, antibacterial and immunostimulating, neem helps combat the body's three greatest challengers. Good luck finding something like that at your pharmacy.

While centuries of use have found that neem can protect the body externally and internally, modern science has been putting its abilities to the test. Over the past two decades neem has been the subject of more than 200 scientific studies. Among the most recent findings:

* Neem extract causes prostate cancer cell death, making it a potential treatment for the disease, according to a December 2005 Journal of Ethnopharmacology study.

* A new flavanone (a natural compound with antioxidant properties) named azharone exists in neem flowers, according to a study ...