Latin name- Azadirachta indica

English name- Indian Lilac/Neem

Sanskrit name- Nimba, Arishta, Picumarda

Therapeutic use-

Products made from neem trees have been used in India for over two millennia for their medicinal properties: neem products are believed to be anthelmintic, antifungal, antidiabetic, antibacterial, antiviral, contraceptive and sedative.

Neem oil is also used for healthy hair, to improve liver function, detoxify the blood, and balance blood sugar levels, and is considered to have no side effects.

In traditional Indian medicine and Ayurveda it is  recommend that patients with chicken pox sleep on neem leaves and advised to take bath in the decoction made up of neem bark .

Nimbidin, a major crude bitter principle extracted from the oil of seed kernels of A. indica demonstrated several biological activities e.g. anti-inflammatory activity, Antipyretic activity, significant hypoglycaemic effect , antiulcer effect etc.

Gedunin , isolated from neem seed oil has been reported to possess both antifungal  and  antimalarial activities.

Neem oil and the bark and leaf extracts have been therapeutically used as folk medicine to control leprosy, intestinal helminthiasis, respiratory disorders, constipation and also as a general health promoter.

Neem oil has been shown to possess immunostimulant activity by selectively activating the cell-mediated immune mechanisms.