Neem Oil 100% Organic from the Neem Tree

Purpose:

Broad spectrum leaf coating

Sizes:

How it Works:

Neem or Margosa is a botanical cousin of mahogany. It belongs to the family Meliaceae. The latinized name of Neem - Azadirachta indica - is derived from the Persian: Azad = Free, dirakht = Tree, i - Hind = of Indian Origin which literally means: 'The Free Tree of India'.

Neem is an attractive broad-leaved, evergreen tree which can grow up to 30m tall and 2.5m in girth. Its trunk usually straight is 30-80 cm in diameter. Its spreading branches form a rounded crown of deep-green leaves and honey-scented flowers as much as 20m across.

CHEMISTRY OF NEEM

To give a brief background, chemical investigations of neem were undertaken by Indian pharmaceutical chemists in 1919, whereby they isolated acidic principle in neem oil, which they named as 'margosic acid".

However, real chemical research originated in 1942 with isolation of three active constituents, viz, nimbin, nimbidin and nimbinene. In 1963 an Indian scientist extensively examined the chemistry of the active principles of neem. Following the discovery of neem kernel, its chemistry has grown considerably.

Several compounds have been isolated and characterized. The main feature is that most of them are chemically similar and biogenetically derivable from a tetracyclicterpenes. These are also called liminoids (azadirachtin, meliantrol, salanin etc.) bitter principles and occur in other botanical species as well (Rutaceae and Simaroubaceae).

The unraveling of high complex structural features and biogenetic interrelationship represent classic piece of work on natural product chemistry.

HISTORY OF USAGE

Neem - the legendary medicinal tree of India, has grown with the human settlement all over the country and has been an integral part of the Indian way of life for centuries. The history of the Neem tree is inextricably linked to the history of the Indian civilization.

The Neem tree has for a very long time been a friend and protector of the Indian villager. For ages Indians have trusted this tree to fortify their health and remedy scores of diseases. It has been used for a far wider array of uses than any other tree!

The Neem tree (Azadirachta indica A. Juss) was probably India's best kept secret ! Ancient India was envied for its Black Pepper, Cardamom, Saffron, Turmeric, Sandalwood, Silk etc. and these prized ingredients were sought after and taken across the seas to Europe for centuries. The British Raj also failed to grasp the significance of the presence of this tree in every nook and corner of India (barring the Himalayas and the costal regions). Perhaps, if they had known about the wonderful array of uses of the Neem Tree, it would have become a worldwide phenomenon ages ago!