The Tree of the 21st Century
The neem tree (Azadirachta Indica) is an evergreen and part of the Meliaceae (mahogany) family, celebrated for its remarkable healing properties as far back as 5,000BC by the Harappa and Mohenjo civilizations. Described in ancient Indian Ayurvedic texts as ‘Sarva roga nivarini’ (the universal healer of all ailments) and ‘Nimba’ (giver of good health), neem’s name is ‘Arista’ in Sanskrit – meaning ‘perfect, complete and imperishable’. Fast-forward to the present day and neem is becoming renowned for its contributions to sustainable agriculture, as well as for its applications in the medicinal and environmental sectors worldwide.
Nearly two years old, the neem tree above is well on its way to producing 60 pounds of fruit each year
Though known for centuries in rural settings across Asia as the ‘Village Pharmacy’, and while research into neem has been underway in India since the 1920s, it was only in 1959 that a German entomologist in Sudan made a groundbreaking observation.…