The National Research Council in the United States has placed the neem tree in their top ten list of plants to be studied and used for the sustainable development of the human race and the planet. With mankind’s pervasive development of resistance to antibiotics in healthcare and the use of synthetic and toxic pesticides in agriculture, organic products are urgently needed for their positive environmental impact.

Neem’s Cytoadhesive Properties A Source of Hope for Cancer, HIV and Malaria Treatment

Researchers at a cancer institute  in India have highlighted neem leaves’ ability to inhibit the growth of tumor cells. Instead of targeting the cancer cells directly, the protein – Neem Leaf Glycoprotein (NLGP) – modulates cells that are responsible for providing immunity to the body present within the tumor environment and its peripheral system. What makes NLGP special is that it modifies the milieu of cells surrounding the tumor and spurs the immune cells towards a normal state that is debilitating for cancer cells.Neem extracts have also been shown to sensitize cancer cells to immunotherapy and radiotherapy, and enhance the efficacy of chemotherapeutic agents.

Neem leaves start clear antiretroviral activity in humans suffering with AIDS.  Exhibiting significant improvements in CD4T cell levels,  reduced levels of anemia and an average weight gain of six pounds, the HIV/AIDS patients in the study did not experience any adverse effects from the neem treatment during the study or follow-up periods.

Alongside the leaves’ cytoadhesive properties, neem cake’s use as an effective pesticide has been studied in various regions  of Africa where malaria is widespread and access to conventional medicines is restricted. One of neem’s components, gedunin, is as effective as quinine against malaria – a parasitic infection responsible for 550,000 deaths worldwide annually. Neem induces the severe degeneration of follicle cells in mosquitoes during the breeding process and there are also documented effects on other  insects by inhibiting their metamorphosis and forcing a  disruption of their growth and reproductive abilities. Neem extracts also increase the state of oxidation in red blood cells, which in turn prevents the development of the malaria virus while the leaves contain a compound (Irodin A) that is toxic to resistant strains of malaria. Neem’s efficacy, effectiveness and its environmental credentials mean that it offers a low cost alternative to many existing larvicides.

Neem as an Organic Alternative to Synthetic and Toxic Pesticides

Traditionally, the agricultural industry has relied on chemical pesticides for its crops, but 98% of pesticides sprayed end up on a different destination to that  intended, resulting in the pollution of plant life, animals, insects, and water.  It also ends building up harmful toxins in the atmosphere.The neem tree fulfills the requirements for low carbon agriculture, and serves as an attractive organic cattle feed and fertilizer. Its use as an organic pesticide feeds into the demand for organic foodstuffs, a market estimated to be worth US$105 billion this year.

The Extension Toxicology Network, a co-operative of the University of California, Cornell and Oregan State University, state that the active ingredient in neem, azadirachtin, is an organic alternative to synthetic and toxic pesticides. Rather than acting as a poison, normally the case with many other  pesticides, azadirachtin is taken up by insects much like a natural hormone and acts on them by introducing antifeedant, repellent and growth inhibiting behavior. Neem oil is also proving to be an effective fungicide for the prevention and control of many plant diseases such as powdery mildew, black spot, down mildew, rust, leaf spot and botrytis.

The oil can also be used as a systemic insecticide via application of a dilution or extract to the soil. When the azadirachtin is absorbed through the plant’s roots, it becomes a component of the plant tissue in a way that completely incapacitates large leaf-eating insects like leafhoppers or grasshoppers.

Neem has yet to make the leap to mainstream use as a conventional medicines or pesticide, but as society looks for alternative, non-synthetic methods for the health and agricultural sectors, neem is proving itself as a valuable option.