Krimishatru/krimiripu. The meaning of the term is “ghoŕanim” or “mahánimba” [“margosa”]. In the world there are different varieties of margosa. Some are very bitter, some less bitter and some are not bitter at all (such as curry leaves). In certain regions of India where [[cassia trees]] do not grow, people use curry leaves instead of [[cassia]] leaves. The variety of margosa mainly found in India is margosa indica. This variety of margosa is used as a bitter food or bitter medicine. In the spring, margosa leaves are a highly beneficial medicine. They serve as an antidote to skin diseases, remove poison from the blood and function as blood purifiers.

Vasante bhramańam pathyam
Athavá tiktabhojanam

[A morning walk in spring and eating bitter food is like a convalescent therapy.]

As a medicine, margosa indica has both external and internal applications. The juice of margosa leaves may be used as a poultice or bandage on an affected part of the body. Margosa oil, margosa ghee and margosa juice are extremely good medicines for skin disease. The oil extracted from margosa seeds is also a very good medicine. The margosa fruit is also used as food by birds and poor people. The most bitter variety of margosa available in India is called “ghoranim” in Bengali, “bakayan” in Urdu and “mahánimba” in Saḿskrta. The margosa tree is quite large, the leaves are pointed and the fruits are round. The medicinal value of the most bitter variety is immense, but it should not be used as a food because it is extremely bitter. If margosa is used excessively or taken continuously for many days, it may cause blood dysentery. Just as pigeons and sparrows are attacked with blood dysentery after eating wheat grains continuously for several days, mahánimba also causes blood dysentery in human beings.

The air of the margosa tree destroys the harmful effects of bacteria. It can also fight against negative microvita. This is the reason why margosa is also recognized as one of the five sacred trees (paiṋcavati). In olden days, people liked to perform spiritual practices sitting in an environment free from the pernicious effects of disease and germs. That is why they would plant paiṋcavati – nimbá (margosa), bilva (wood apple), shalmali (silk cotton tree), bat (banyan indica) and ashvatha (Indian fig tree) – in and around the place of meditation or spiritual practice. Some people of course use ámlakii (wood sorrel) as a substitute plant. In paiṋcavati, mahánimba may be planted instead of ordinary margosa.

Krimisamkosa. Krimi + sam – koshá = krimisamkosa. One can spell this word with either “sha” or “sa”. Krimisamkosa means “a kind of epidemic which causes large scale destruction to plants and trees”, or it may also mean “the type of bacteria that causes the epidemic”. Epidemic plant diseases are the worst enemies of plants and trees. Once an epidemic breaks out, farmers become extremely helpless and frustrated because there are very few medicines which can completely or successfully eliminate it. Banana plants, potatoes and egg plants are affected most by epidemic diseases. Effective, high quality medicines may be used in such an epidemic, but in the absence of such medicines, two to three feet of the diseased part of the plant should be cut off and burnt to ashes some distance away, and the ashes should be buried under the earth. The diseased parts should not be burnt in the same place where the epidemic first broke out. It may be that the epidemic is caused by a variety of microvita which are not easily destroyed by the normal heat of fire. In an area or tree prone to disease, insecticide should be used once before and once after the flowering of the plant. This will greatly reduce the possibility of an epidemic attacking the plants.