Neem oil

Neem can tolerate very high levels of pollution and can recover from damage even if most of its foliage is harmed. Neem is one of the best plant species for reducing urban pollution as it has a high capacity for absorbing pollutants, especially particulate dust, CO2, oxides of sulphur and nitrogen. Neem also has a relatively high efficiency of capturing CO2 and is a good choice of plant for capturing SO2 as well as CO2 because of its thick foliage canopy and a very high leaf surface area.

This makes Neem well suited for green belt initiatives.

Neem is also known for its drought resistance.

Products made from neem have proven medicinal properties, being anthelmintic, antifungal, antidiabetic, antibacterial, antiviral, anti-fertility, and sedative. Neem is considered a major component in Ayurvedic medicine, particularly for skin related problems. Neem also has important agricultural and nutritional uses.

The Neem Plant, Neem Oil, Neem Paste, and other Neem extracts are used in traditional Indian medicine for a variety of uses. Some of these uses are now being demonstrated scientifically.

Neem has many medicinal uses including:

• Neem leaves can sooth the skin of patients with chicken pox;


• Teeth cleaning can be acomplished by chewing slender Neem branches. Neew twigs are still collected and sold in markets in India for this purpose;


• A preparation from Neem branches can be ingested to relieve fever;


• Neem leaf paste is applied to the skin to treat acne;


• Neem is known for its effectiveness in treating head lice infestations in humans;


• A tea made of boiled neem leaves, sometimes combined with other herbs such as ginger, can be ingested to fight intestinal worms;


• Neem oil is used in sprays against fleas in cats and dogs;


• Neem leaf extract is thought to be helpful as malaria prophylaxis although, currently, no comprehensive clinical studies are available to confirm or repute this, and;


• Extracts of Neem leaves have demonstrated significant antidiabetic potential.

Neem has certain benefitial therapeutic uses primarily relating to skin care. Neem oil is used to prepare cosmetics such as soap shampoo, balms, and creams. Margo soap contains Neem as a primary ingredient. Neem oil is also used to treat skin ailments such as acne and to preserve and enhance the elasticity of skin. Neem oil is used as an effective means of repelling mosquitoes.

Neem is a source of environment-friendly biopesticides. Neem derivatives repel nearly 500 pests worldwide, including insects, mites, ticks, and nematodes, by affecting their behaviour and physiology rather them killing them. Neem products are cheap and non-toxic to higher animals and most insects considered benefitial to crops. Neem is particularly well-suited for pest control in rural areas.

Neem products are unique in that they do not kill pests but rather alter the behaviour of pests in such a way as to disrupt the insects feeding, breeding, or other biological processes. Since the Neem product must be ingested to affect the pest insect the deterrent affects of Neem is limited to insects that feed on plant tissue. Insects that feed on nectar or other insects, such as butterflies, bees, and ladybugs, hardly accumulate significant concentrations of neem products.

Neem is considered to be effective in the treatment of scabies although scientific evidence is stil preliminary. Neem is recommended in cases of sensitivies to permethrin, a known insecticide which might be an irritant. The scabies mite has yet to develop a resistence to Neem making Neem an effective alternative in persistent cases.

The shoots of the neem tree, which are quite tender, as well as the flowers are eaten as a vegetable in India. Neem flowers are popular in a dish called "Ugadi Pachadi," which is a souplike dish made in the South Indian States of Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka. Neem flowers are also used in another souplike dish in Tamil Nadu, Southern India, called "Veppampoo Rasam," or "Neem flower juice."

Neem is also used in parts of mainland Southeast Asia, particularly in Cambodia, Laos, Thailand, Myanmar and Vietnam. Neem tends to be quite bitter and so the food is not always enjoyed for its flavour but is regarded as good for one's health. In Myanmar, young Neem leaves and flower buds are boiled with tamarind fruit to soften its bitterness and eaten as a vegetable and pickled neem leaves are eaten with tomato and fish paste sauce.

In general, Neem gum is a rich source of protein.

• See The Neem Foudation to learn more about the role Neem can play in protecting the environment


• For more information on therapeutic and medicinal uses of natural products see this article on Lavander Oil


• For more on Southern India see this guide to Pondicherry, a city and region in the South of India