Full Transcript Neem and the Microbiome 0:00 The reason that Neem works great topically is because it works at the skin microbiome level. 0:05 The reasons it work great internally is it because of the gut microbiom level, so it's all about microbiomes and what goes on there. 0:12 Your skin is not sterile, I'm sure you know that, it is an ecosystem. 0:15 And when the ecosystem gets out of balance, acne shows up, fungal issues appear or reappear, odor shows and inflammation shows, 0:24 any kind of skin inflammation that you can imagine tends to be worsened when microbiome is disrupted in a negative way. 0:32 Neem helps to reduce the overgrowth of these negative organisms. 0:36 It helps the calm inflammation and it helps actually support the barrier and help to repair the skin barrier that protects your skin. 0:45 Welcome to Vitality Radio, the podcast that helps you make sense of natural supplements and thrive without pharma drugs. 0:52 I'm Jared St. 0:53 Clair. 0:54 I grew up in a health food store and spent over 40 years now figuring out what works and what doesn't, so that you can make confident, 1:01 informed decisions about nutrition, supplements and your health. 1:07 Some of the most powerful herbs in natural health aren't the popular ones like ashwagandha, echinacea, elderberry, dandelion root. 1:16 They're the ones nobody's talking about and a lot of people have never even heard of. 1:20 Today, we're going to change that, at least for one of them. 1:23 Today we're talking about the herb neem, also often known as neam oil because that's probably the most common way to use it, 1:30 but it can be used internally. 1:32 It can used externally and it comes in a variety of different things, different ways to us it.
What Neem Is and How It Works 1:36 Creams, ointments, oil, gel, soap, and capsules that you take internally, so there's a lot of options with this and its not just another anti-microbial herb. 1:47 Its actually pretty unique. 1:50 And I really feel like you need to know more about it. 1:52 In fact, as I was researching this to make sure I had all the details straight, I learned a lot myself, actually. 1:58 A very, very cool herb is neem. 2:00 I'm going to call it a terrain shifter. 2:03 And if you understand what that means, it changes how you approach skin issues, gut issues candida, and even detoxification. 2:12 What nemoil actually does is. 2:15 Not quite like I said, most other antibacterials, it doesn't really kill bacteria, kill yeast, killed parasites. 2:24 That's the model for so many other herbs like oregano oil and things like that. 2:28 And there's nothing wrong with that sometimes we need killers. 2:30 However, shifting the terrain is a different story and it's much more gentle. 2:35 and although neem is very powerful, It's powerful in different ways because what it does is it actually changes the environment that these organisms live in. 2:44 the pathogenic organisms. 2:46 And when you change the environment, you don't have to kill everything. 2:49 You just make it hard for the wrong things to survive. 2:52 Uh, You're just making the neighborhood a little less hospitable, very much like spore probiotics do, but in a very different way and neem and spores are 3:02 a match made in heaven. 3:02 I'll get into that in. 3:04 There are some compounds in neme that you. 3:06 Don't need to memorize the names. 3:07 In fact, they're a bit tough to say some of them. 3:09 Nimbiden azadirachtin and one most of us have heard of quercetin. 3:13 Now, again, you don't need to memorize those. 3:16 What you need know is what they do. 3:18 They disrupt microbes without nuking everything. 3:21 Research has shown that Neem has activity against Candida species. 3:25 There are multiple studies starting about 2016 that prove that. 3:29 Certain pathogenic bacteria and even biofilm forming organisms. 3:34 But here's the difference. 3:35 It's not a carpet bomb like for your microbiome like antibiotics would be. 3:40 it applies pressure and that pressure slows reproduction, weakens structure, reduces dominance of these pathogenic things, 3:49 and it breaks biofilms. 3:51 And that's huge because microbes don't just float around in your body. 3:54 They build protective shields to keep you from killing them off. 3:59 Biofilmes are A beast, as you may know, if you've read much about this, seen much, about, or you dealt with it yourself. 4:06 And I've talked about biofilms, especially recently on the bioseidon episode that I did. 4:12 But the interesting thing about it is that biocidin is a great tool for this. 4:16 If you listen to those shows and I'll link to them in the show description, because they kind of goes hand in hand with this I love biocide. 4:22 But biocide is also very expensive. 4:23 One thing that's kind of cool about neem oil is it sneaks in at a much lower price and in many cases can be every bit as effective at disrupting biofilm 4:33 formation and breaking down existing biofilms. 4:35 And there's multiple clinical studies on that going all the way back to 2011. So you're not just attacking microbes.
Topical Neem Uses for Skin and Scalp 4:42 You're actually exposing them. 4:44 Think of it like tearing down the bunker so that you can see the enemy so their immune system and actually see what's in there and then go after it. 4:51 So your really creating a situation where your immune. 4:55 System is more capable of knocking out the bad stuff because the biofilms are gone and now they're exposed and we can get after them Another thing that's 5:06 really cool about Neem that makes it pretty unique is that it's actually a pretty powerful anti-inflammatory, not the way that most anti inflammatories 5:14 work though. 5:14 It works within the immune system to help balance inflammation by reducing something known as NFKB. 5:24 kill and then inflammation spike and symptoms get worse, you get rebalanced and inflammation calms and the symptoms improve. 5:33 It modulates the immune system, which makes it great for people who have hypersensitive immunity, autoimmune issues, things like that. 5:43 A NEME helps your immune system recognize threats better, respond more efficiently to those threats and avoid overreacting to these threats. 5:51 This is why it's useful in chronic skin issues, particularly chronic autoimmune skin issue, gut imbalances and recurring problems that just seem to recycle 6:02 on you on a regular basis. 6:04 So what is the big idea here? 6:06 It really is this terrain shifting. 6:09 The simplest way to understand neem is that most herbs attack the invader and neam changes the environment. 6:17 If weeds are growing in your yard, you can keep pulling weeds forever, or you fix the soil. 6:23 Neam is more about fixing the soils. 6:25 So topical use is the most common way that neame is used. 6:29 And as I mentioned at the top of the show, lots of stuff, soap and ointments and creams and lotions, all kinds of things are available. 6:36 The reason that Neem works great topically is because it works at the skin microbiome level. 6:41 The reasons it work great internally is that it's all about microbiomes and what goes on there. 6:48 Your skin is not sterile, I'm sure you know that. 6:51 It's an ecosystem. 6:52 And when the ecosystem gets out of balance, Acne shows up, fungal issues appear or reappear, odor shows, up and inflammation shows. 7:01 Any kind of skin inflammation that you can imagine tends to be worsened when the microbiome is disrupted in a negative way. 7:08 Neem helps to reduce the overgrowth of these negative organisms. 7:13 It helps the calm inflammation and it helps actually support the barrier and help to repair the skin barrier that protects your skin. 7:22 So what are the best forms? 7:24 There's a brand that I really, really like. 7:26 And one of the reasons I like this brand. 7:27 Well, there's two reasons. 7:28 One is they're just a neem company. 7:30 That's what they do, which I think is really really cool. 7:33 The company's called TheraNeme, has another kind of parent brand name that doesn't matter, but it's actually owned by my friends over at Solaray, 7:41 the better being company. 7:42 And Theraneme is a cool brand because it is dialed in focused. 7:48 This is what we do line of products. 7:51 One of the products that I think is the most universal and makes a lot of sense for a lotta people is The Maximum Strength Neme Soap. 7:57 Think of it as kind a daily reset. 7:59 If you've got acne-prone skin, you know, breakouts, in fact, planning on I've never used neem soap before actually planning I'm bringing a bar home myself 8:08 because when I shaved my head, I often get little bumps and stuff like that. 8:12 I want to see what it does for that so I'll be testing it out myself. 8:15 Awesome for any kind of excessive body odor. 8:18 This soap is and any kinda general microbial balance is kind Of a baseline tool you can use every day if you want. 8:24 If you need it for certain things like That. 8:27 There's also a cream and this is more restorative but also hydrating so great for any of the dry irritated inflamed conditions eczema type symptoms daily 8:37 use for barrier support and really helping with that skin microbiome there's also a meme combined with aloe gel this is great itching type stuff, 8:48 excess sun exposure, any kind of irritated skin. 8:50 And frankly, I think the gel or the cream, depending on if you're looking for more moisturizing or more soothing, you may have to experiment with both, 8:57 but very fast relief with this stuff. 8:59 Then neem ointment is going to be the most heavy duty besides just the pure neam oil. 9:04 People use it for fungal patches, stubborn issues on the skin, cracked skin things like that, very targeted. 9:10 people might also use the oinment for nail fungus and things that. 9:13 But you can also the oil for that The oil is the most potent way to do it though. 9:18 Just pure oil in a dropper form. 9:21 It's by far the strongest topical tool, but you can kind of, it can be a little harsh and be little strong. 9:27 So I always recommend that you dilute it properly, probably about a one to 10 dilution, about 10% neem oil to some kind carrier oil. 9:34 Coconut oil makes sense, olive oil make sense. 9:37 You can use grape seed oil, jojoba oil anything along those lines. 9:41 Jojob oil would mirror the skins natural oils the most closely. 9:45 Olive oil you probably already have in your pantry and also has some nice mild anti-microbial benefits, so you can do that. 9:51 And a liquid coconut oil makes sense as well. 9:53 So 1 to 10 dilution for most people, 1-20 dilutions makes a lot of sense for someone who has very sensitive skin. 10:00 Test it out slowly and I do recommend, especially if you have sensitive to spot treat, right? 10:05 Just do a little bit on your hand somewhere or maybe a bit more of a sensitive, thinner skin area. 10:10 You can put it on and just see what that does before you go bigger with it. 10:14 Where to use it? 10:15 Nail fungus is one of the primary uses. 10:18 And I love neem oil combined with tea tree oil in something like coconut oil or jojoba oil, or something. 10:26 Or tea, which is much more gentle than neme can actually be used along with neeme oil on like a one to 10 ratio. 10:32 If you want to just use pure oils, you can test that out. 10:35 Excellent for athlete's foot. 10:37 Awesome for anything along those lines. 10:39 any kind of small kind your shampoo or conditioner, and you just kind of experiment with how much is effective for flaky scalp,
Internal Neem for Gut Health 11:03 itchy scalp dandruff, those types of things. 11:06 And neem does have a pretty strong smell to it, but you can add a little bit of a better scent, a lemon oil, lavender oil if you like lavender tea tree 11:15 or something like that. 11:16 Although some people don't love, I like the smell of tea trees, not everybody does. 11:19 So you cant scent it with another essential oil. 11:21 If you'd like as well. 11:22 I don't think it's like super harsh, but it does have a strong smell to it. 11:26 It doesn't linger though, in my experience anyway, not for very long. 11:29 So really, really great for the scalp microbiome, the skin microbiomes on the feet, any of those areas. 11:35 Absolutely love it now and underrated use. 11:37 But one of the best uses is in dental use, some people use a little bit of neem oil and add it to their mouthwash. 11:44 Some people put a drop on their. 11:46 toothbrush and then put toothpaste on top of it. 11:50 There's a lot of ways that you can do that. 11:52 You can gargle with it again, cut it with something, but you gargled with in a mouthwash or something like that, this is going to help to reduce oral bacteria, 11:59 support gum health and disrupt plaque biofilms in the mouth without nuking the mouse. 12:05 I really, really like Neem as a dental use thing. 12:10 And I don't think I've ever talked about it on vitality radio before. 12:14 After only doing it for 19 years, you'd think I'd have talked about everything, but it is a never ending well of information out there. 12:21 Now, so that's where the external use stuff is. 12:25 I'm sure there's a hundred other applications I didn't mention, But that gives you a pretty good idea of some of the ways that you can use it. 12:30 What does it do internally? 12:31 Well, you can take Neem in a capsule form. 12:33 The one that we care here at Vitality is by Solare. 12:35 We may even bring in couple of additional ones before this show airs, but they'll all be linked in the show description. 12:40 But we love the Solaret brand. 12:42 Great quality, 460 milligrams per capsule of pure Neam leaf. 12:47 And it does the same thing. 12:48 It reduces fungal overgrowth. 12:50 Specifically, there's excellent research on it for Candida. 12:53 That helps to apply pressure to pathogenic bacteria, breaking down gut biofilms, and lowering gut-driven inflammation. 13:00 And this often actually when used internally shows up externally in skin improvement. 13:06 Why? 13:07 Because the skin is often a mirror to what's going on in the gut and or the liver and so neem internally. 13:15 In fact, if you've got a chronic thing externally that you want to use the neam for, let's take fungal infections of the toes, 13:22 for instance, toenail fungus. 13:24 That's not a toenails problem. 13:26 That is almost always a gut problem that is presenting as a toenail problem, at least that's been my experience. 13:31 So taking Neem internally as well as using the oil externally makes a lot of sense. 13:36 Now, let's talk about Candida. 13:38 Candid is something I think most people are familiar with, listen to shows like this, but it's a yeast where we are eating too much sugar in many cases, 13:46 the microbiome is imbalanced, you've got an overgrowth of Candidas, biofilms are present protecting it, and the immune system is often dysregulated. 13:54 Neem addresses all four of those things because it has direct antifungal pressure, has a direct biofilm disruption, reduces fungal adhesion, 14:06 and calms inflammation. 14:08 It doesn't just kill yeast, it actually makes the environment unfriendly to it, as I said at the beginning. 14:15 So the strategy is really when you're taking it internally, clear the pathogens, rebuild the gut so that we have a really, 14:24 really great, not just solution to the problem in the short term, but then rebuilding the system to where we're not going to have recurrence of the problems 14:33 in long term. 14:35 So let's just say that you're going after candida. 14:37 Now, this could also be used for various other things, SIBO and things like that as well. 14:42 But let say candita and I'll give you a specific protocol that can make a lot of sense. 14:46 The neem oil or the neme capsules from Solare and then adding in a systemic enzyme like I love Candex, C-A-N-D-E-X from Pure Essence Labs for this. 14:56 What happens is basically Candida has a tough outer cell wall. 15:00 It's tough to kill, tough, to break down. 15:02 Candex includes two enzymes that go in and break the cell walls itself. 15:06 That weakens the structure of the yeast, making it much easier for Neem to then do its job. 15:12 So they're a really good tag team there. 15:14 Think of it as Candax softening the target and Neam finishing the job, Take the Candex on an empty stomach every time, at least an hour before your meal 15:24 or two hours after your meals. 15:26 Just on its own is best. 15:28 And then take Neem with meals just because it's a little easier on the stomach if you take it with meal. 15:31 Although some functional medicine doctors will recommend taking it on empty-stomach and you can experiment with empty stomach. 15:37 Most people aren't going to have a problem with an emptied stomach with Neam and it can be a lot more effective that way. 15:43 So you can determine based on your gut and your sensitivity level, whether you want to take it on a full stomach or an empty stomach, 15:48 but it works well both ways. 15:50 You can add other things that are anti-candida like berberine, caprylic acid, oregano, things like that. 15:56 But neem on its own with systemic enzymes. 15:59 can be extremely effective. 16:00 Now, what about die-off? 16:02 We hear about Die-Off when we're fighting off something like Candida, SIBO, parasites, things like that, and binders can a really great solution. 16:10 You can decide how you want to do this. 16:12 Do you wanna add a binder right out of the gate? 16:15 Do you want to test neem and candex or just neme on its own initially and see how sensitive you are to it? 16:21 And if it's bothering you at all, what is die off? 16:23 It's basically when microbes break down, they release toxins. 16:26 This creates symptoms. 16:28 Sometimes it can be headaches. 16:30 fatigue, sluggishness, and things like that. 16:33 If you're experiencing those things, when you start with Neem, throw in biotoxin binder from Cellcore. 16:38 That's fantastic. 16:39 You can do more simple binders if you want, like charcoal in capsule form can be very effective there and it's certainly less expensive than the biotoxin. 16:46 Binder, humic acid, fulvic acid. 16:48 There's a few different ways you can go and we'll have those links as options in the show. 16:53 A lot of people aren't going to experience die-off, especially if they start small, with like 460 milligrams once a day for a few days, 16:59 then twice a days for few, days then three times a for days. 17:03 Working your way up, if you really are going after something in a targeted and powerful way to about four to six capsules per day, 17:11 depending on what is comfortable for you, but is also giving you results. 17:16 And then in that process, you're also simultaneously building the gut by adding spore probiotics vital spores, my favorite, 17:25 of course, it's my formula, I developed it, and I love it.
Candida, Die-Off, and Dosing Strategy 17:28 But it neem isn't going to kill this stuff. 17:30 So you can take it at the same time, you'd be rebuilding and strengthening the biome with the probiotic at same as you're knocking out the pathogens with neme, 17:39 or the neeme and the candex depending on if you know what you are going after. 17:43 And neame can be used for SIBO, can use for candida, It can be used for a whole bunch of different gut disrupting organisms. 17:51 And it does have mild anti-parasitic benefits as well. 17:55 So don't think of it as a parasite cleanse, but you can think about it is parasite maintenance, which I really, really like. 18:01 You can do it for month here and a month there throughout the year, just as kind of a let's tamp this stuff down, better safe than sorry type of thing. 18:08 All right, so that's how you would use it internally. 18:11 Who should think about Neem internally? 18:14 Anybody with chronic skin issues should look at topical as well as internal and really experiment with both. 18:20 As I mentioned, Candida, SIBO, bloating and gut imbalances that you're not sure why they're happening, recurring fungal problems outside of Candita, 18:29 anything in those categories makes a ton of sense. 18:33 If it has to do with a biofilm, then it makes ton sense, What to expect when you're using Neem. 18:40 If it's working, your skin starts to improve, digestion can improve. 18:44 Less bloating, less sugar cravings, so less inflammation in the gut and less information on the skin. 18:50 And if you go too fast, you can expect possibly a little bit of die off, fatigue, brain fog, temporary flare ups, that kind of thing. 18:58 That's where you either add in a binder or you reduce your dose or both. 19:02 So in closing, neem is one of those herbs that changes how you think about anti-microbial things. 19:10 Because again, it's not a carpet bomb for the gut. 19:12 It's, not, a, carpet, bomb, for, the, skin, is not what your dermatologist is going to recommend. 19:17 Is not with your doc is gonna recommend some powerful antibiotic. 19:20 Okay. 19:21 it, fixing the environment. 19:23 So the right things thrive and the wrong things do not. 19:27 If you, think, about, I mentioned at the very beginning of the show, if you. 19:30 Think about your lawn. 19:31 If you've got a lawn out there and you got weeds or your garden or whatever it is, think of the weeds as the pathogens and neem as. 19:42 The product that fixes the soil so that those pathogenic things, those weeds are not growing. 19:48 like they used to. 19:50 This is about getting the body restored and balanced so they can do what it was designed to do in the first place. 20:07 really just let's learn about how to use a herb and how do you use it right and why I might wanna use that. 20:12 I hope you enjoyed this first episode on Neem. 20:15 If you have questions, call us 801-292-6662.
Who Should Use Neem and Final Takeaways 20:18 Visit one of our stores, Bountiful or South Ogden, if you're local. 20:21 And if not, jump on our website, vitalitynutrition.com. 20:24 There will be links to all the things that I talked about in the show description. 20:28 Thank you so much for listening to me. 20:29 My name is Jared St. 20:30 Clair and this has been Vitality Radio. 20:33 Thanks for listen to the Vitaly Radio podcast. 20:36 If this episode helped you, follow the show, share it with someone, and explore trusted education and resources at vitalitynutrition.com. 20:45 See you next time. 20:48 Hello, everyone. 20:49 I hope you enjoyed this week's episode of Vitality Radio. 20:53 Just a reminder that this podcast is for educational purposes only. 20:58 This podcast has not been evaluated by the FDA. 21:18 Thank you.
Comments