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. A locust plague ravished near his area of study ravished all in its path, with exception of the neem tree. This discovery sparked global interest in neem, inspiring several of the world’s most prominent institutions to examine the tree’s agricultural and medicinal applications.

Over the past twenty years several thousand papers have been published on the agricultural and medical properties of neem, further cementing the tree as a proven solution to three critical spheres of our own survival.

Agriculture

Traditionally, the agricultural industry has relied on chemical pesticides and fertilizers for its crops, but 98% of these agrochemicals sprayed end up on a different destination to that intended. This results in the pollution of plant life, animals, insects and water while building up harmful toxins in the atmosphere. Nitrate fertilizers and nutrient boosters that increased crop production throughout the Green Revolution have also caused havoc in many costal areas, creating oceanic “dead zones” where life cannot be sustained. In the United States alone, such pervasive use of synthetic agrochemicals led to $9.6 billion in damages throughout 2014 from groundwater contamination, pesticide resistance, crop losses and impacts to public health.

One of neem’s main active ingredients, azadirachtin, acts as growth regulator and feeding deterrent. As a pesticide, neem oil extract does not kill instantly and indiscriminately, but attacks and disarms only harmful insects, bugs and diseases. This leaves pollinators, beneficial insects and related fauna to provide the invaluable services the world, and agriculture, so desperately need. Studies have been made to ensure the honeybees also remain unaffected by neem, thus helping deter the colony collapse disorder that has threatened crops all over the world.

Neem also serves as an organic fertilizer, strengthening the organic content in the soil by reducing its alkalinity and producing organic acids on decomposition. Being completely natural, neem is compatible with soil microbes, nurtures healthy bacteria and ensures stronger texture, higher water holding capacity and aeration in the soil, all contributing towards better root development.

Medicine

A tree with mul­ti­ple ben­e­fi­cial prop­er­ties, neem based med­ica­tions are play­ing an increas­ingly impor­tant role in fight­ing infection across agriculture and healthcare. Neem sourced prod­ucts are being inves­ti­gated across a broad spec­trum of areas, includ­ing car­dio­vas­cu­lar dis­ease and tuber­cu­lo­sis, while the oil has anti­sep­tic prop­er­ties, mak­ing it effi­ca­cious against a vari­ety of skin dis­eases, sep­tic sores and infected burns. With over 200 compounds found to be effective against inflammation, infection, fever, skin disease and dental illness, neem is a clinically proven solution to a variety of ailments.

Innovation is necessary in medicine to treat the variety of diseases that affect us every day, and renowned institutions such as the Mayo Clinic, Oxford University and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology are currently investigating the extensive health benefits of neem:

Neem also shares its medicinal benefits with the animal kingdom. Used as an additive in livestock feed, neem com­petes with the more widely used artificially for­mu­lated antibiotics in agriculture and reduces the imminent threat of Antibiotic Resistance.

Environment

Every year more than 10 million acres are degraded. The reduction of chemical pesticide and fertilizer use will help slow down the desertification process, ensure soil rehabilitation and reduce erosion. Neem trees also help filter out ground and air pollution around cities and towns. The wood is strong and plague resistant making the tree ideal for reforestation projects.

Over the last 40 years, more than one billion acres of tropical forests have vanished, equivalent in size to over half of the continental United States. The pace of deforestation is so great it accounts for 15% of global carbon dioxide emissions annually. By utilizing available atmospheric CO₂ in photosynthesis, trees and forests provide a simple and effective natural ‘sink’ for man-made pollutant activities, and are now considered fundamental to managing climate change. A hardy, drought resistant tree, with a thick foliage, single trunk, very high leaf surface area and wide canopy, neem provides a good platform for maximum CO₂ fixation, able to provide a shield against other pollution components.

Increasing food pressure, aggressive climate change and dangerous levels of pollution are all compounding reasons to evolve strategies for a sustainable living, and the neem tree is a legitimate response to the challenges that have so far characterized the 21st Century.