The History of Neem

Neem, whose botanical name is Azadirachta indica, is a slow-growing evergreen tree in the mahogany family that reaches 40 to 80 feet in height. Neem's life span is 200 years. Beginning at age 10, neem produces a sweet, yellow fruit less than 1 inch long. All parts of the tree have been used in Ayurvedic medicine for 5,000 years. Neem is native to southern India and northern Myanmar and is cultivated worldwide.

Ancient Veterinary Medicine

In India, ancient Sanskrit writings mention neem as veterinary treatment to be administered in feed or applied as liniments, oils, powders or liquids. Neem was given for fever, inflammation, pain, mucus, worms, and mites or ticks. After the semi-mythical battle of Mahabharata, wounded elephants and other animals were treated with neem poultices. For example, for rinderpest, a viral eye infection, a paste of ground neem and fine clay was dissolved in water and allowed to steep before the liquid was mixed with turmeric and applied to the eye.

Purana

The Sanskrit word for neem was "nimba," which means "good health." All parts of the tree were used, including leaves, twigs, bark, root and wood, with applications for various diseases. The Sanskrit Purana texts, some of which date to the fourth century A.D., recommend the use of neem for ulcers, bacterial and skin infections, pain, and constipation as well as an anti-inflammatory, a liver stimulant, a digestive aid and a blood purifier. Ancient texts said that nimba was a cure for all illnesses.

Unani

The Unani texts, which originated with Muslim doctors in Byzantine Greece, also recommend neem as a cure-all that is free of costs. The Unani recommends neem for inflammatory conditions, arthritis, gas, worms, wounds, leprosy, bile or phlegm, white patches on the skin, blood purification and as an antiseptic.

Outside India

Western medicine and technology ignored neem until 1928, when two Indian scientists published a report of neem used as a pesticide during a locust infestation. That same year, colonial administrators introduced the neem tree to Nigeria from Ghana, where neem was planted beginning in 1917. Neem was planted in Sudan for wood, firewood, shade and oil for lamps in 1916. By the 1960s, neem plantations were thriving in Africa and neem pesticides were studied for Western agriculture.

Corporate

Indian farmers have made infusions of ground neem seeds for use as pesticides for 2,500 years. In 1992, W.R. Grace, a chemical corporation based in Florida, was granted a U.S. patent for Neemix, a neem-based pesticide stabilized by a proprietary process. W.R. Grace's product differed from the traditional product only in that the patented process produced a two-year stabilized shelf life. The patent was challenged on the argument that corporate patenting of a traditionally used natural product is biopiracy. However, dozens of patents have been granted for stabilized neem products.