A large, evergreen tree, with long, spreading branches forming a broad crown. The bark is grey and rough; the leaves are alternate, the leaflets 8-19, glossy and bluntly serrate; the flowers are white or pale-yellow, small, scented, numerous and found in long, axillary panicles; the drupes are yellow on ripening, aromatic, oblong and smooth, with a single ex-albuminous seed.

Astringent, tonic, alterative, purgative, emollient, anthelmintic, antiperiodic, anti-diabetic, antibacterial and antiviral.

Herbal Monograph
PIER
Azadirachta indica

Beta-sitosterol, kaempferol, myricetin, quercetin (flower); gedunin, nimbidin (seed); hyperoside, quercitrin, rutin (leaf); linoleic acid, oleic acid, palmitic acid, stearic acid (fruit); nimbin, nimbinin, tannin (stem bark); scopoletin (plant)

To treat skin diseases, rheumatism, stomach worms, gastric ulcers, urinary discharges, tumours, piles, toothache, arthritis, leprosy and sprains; used in Ayurveda practice to relieve cough, asthma, piles, tumours and urinary discharges.

Neem seed oil is more problematic and should be kept out of reach of children because of a report of Reye's syndrome–like symptoms in a few infants who consumed 5 ml of the oil and ultimately died (Sinniah et al., 1982). Neem should be avoided in pregnancy

Sinniah D, Baskara G, Looi LM, Leong KL. Reye-like syndrome due to margosa oil poisoning: Report of a case with postmortem findings. Am J Gastroenterol 1982;77:158–61.