This document provides information on the neem tree (Azadirachta indica), including its nomenclature, biological source, cultivation, collection, macroscopic and microscopic properties, chemical constituents, pharmacological uses, and commercial applications. Key points include: neem has been used for centuries in Ayurvedic and Unani medicine and has a wide range of medicinal properties; it is native to India and parts of Southeast Asia; and extracts from neem leaves, bark, and seeds have demonstrated anti-inflammatory, anti-microbial, anti-parasitic and other pharmacological effects.

1. Azadriachata indica
(Neem)
Shailendra Shah
Department of pharmaceutical
science,pokhara university

2. Introduction
• Azadirachta indica, commonly known as
neem, has attracted worldwide prominence in
recent years, owing to its wide range of
medicinal properties.
• Neem has been extensively used in ayurveda,
Unani and homeopathic medicine and has
become a cynosure of modern medicine.
• The medicinal utilities have been described
especially for neem leaf.

3. Fruits Tree

4. Nomenclature
Kingdom : Plantae
Division: Magnoliophyta
Class: Magnoliopsida
Order : Rutales
Sub order: Rutinae
Family : Meliaceae
Genus : Azadirachta
Species : A. indica
Scientific Name : Azadirachta indica
Others name :Nimba, Aristha(sanskrit)

5. • Biological Source: Neem consists of the fresh
or dried leaves and seed oil of Azadirachta
indica.
• Habitat: It grows mostly in the tropical and
semi tropical regions as a wild plant. It is
generally found below 3500m altitude. The
tree is native to India, Nepal, Bangladesh and
Pakistan, also found in Malaysia and China.

6. Cultivation
Neem can be cultivated by the simple means. It can
be grown by vegetative means-shoot cuttings.
Seeds fully ripen are collected then put in nursery
for growing. Neem requires hardly any irrigation.
A little irrigation will give good growth for seedlings.
It starts flowering from 3rd to 5th year. It May
reach up to 50 feet tall. It may grow at minimum
rate of 18 inches per year where rate of rainfall is
low.

7. Collection
• Collect mature green yellow fruits. Avoid
brown, completely green or damaged fruits.
• Collect fruit directly from the tree. Do not
collect fallen fruits.
Fruiting time: june-august

8. Macroscopy
Leaves:they are alternate, exstipulate, leaflets 7-
17;alternate or oppsite, very shortly stalked,
1-1.5cm long.
Color: dark green
Odour: typical
Taste: bitter
shape: lanceonate

9. Bark: The outer bark is thick hard “woody” and
entire portion is fairly externally dark brown.
Bark varies in thickness according to age and
place from where it is taken.
Odour: characteristic
Taste: bitter

10. Microscopic properties
Leaf
• They have dorsiventral leaf.
• Covering and glandular trichome on both
surfaces.
• Covering trichomes are uniseriate,3-4 cells long
having collapsed cells acute apex and warty (hard
rough lump growing on ) cutical.
• Glandular trichomes are short, unicellular stalk
and bicellular or unicellular head.
• It have anomocytic stomata (irregular celled).

12. Fruit:Pericarp well differentiated into epicarp,
mesocarp and endocarp; epidermis more than one
layered; squarish to rectangular cells containing
yellowishbrown contents and oil droplets; mesocarp,
many layered of loosely packed cells with large
elongated sclereids scattered in outer layers;
endocarp of two distinct layers, outer of closely
packed lignified stone cells, inner fibrous, loosely
packed, lignified.

13. • Seed: Seed kernel shows a thin brown testa, of
isodiametric stone cells overlying integument of
loosely packed parenchymatous cells; cotyledon
consisting of parenchymatous cells containing
abundant oil droplets.

14. Medicinal uses of neem
• Anti-inflammatory, analgesic and antipyretic activities:
The chloroform extract of stem bark is effective against
carrageenin-induced paw oedema in rat and mouse ear
inflammation. Inflammatory stomatitis in children is
cured by the bark extract. Antipyretic activity has been
reported in neem oil. A methanol extract of the leaves
exerts antipyretic effect in male rabbits.
• Immunostimulant activity: The aqueous extract of leaf
also possesses potent immunostimulant activity as
evidenced by both humoral and cell-mediated responses.

15. • Hypoglycaemic activity: Aqueous extract of neem leaves
significantly decreases blood sugar level and prevents
adrenaline as well as glucose-induced hyperglycaemia. A
significant hypoglycaemic effect was also observed by
feeding neem oil to fasting rabbits.
• Antiulcer effect: Neem leaf aqueous extract produces
antiulcer effect in rats exposed to restraint – cold stress
by preventing mucus depletion and mast cell
degranulation. An aqueous extract of neem bark has
been shown to possess highly potent antiacid secretory
and antiulcer activity.

16. • Antifertility effect: Neem oil proved spermicidal against
rhesus monkey and human spermatozoa in vitro. In vivo
studies showed that intravaginal application of neem oil
prior to coitus can prevent pregnancy. The effect is
possibly due to activation of cell-mediated immune
reaction.
• Antimalarial activity: Neem seed and leaf extracts are
effective against malarial parasites. Recently, neem seed
extract and its purified fractions have been shown to
inhibit growth and development of drug sensitive and
resistant strains of the human malarial parasite P.
falciparum.

17. • Antifungal activity: Extracts of neem leaf, neem oil and
seed kernels are effective against certain human fungi,
including Trichophyton, Epidermophyton, Microsporum,
Trichosporon, Geotricum and Candida.
• Antibacterial activity: Oil from the leaves, seeds and bark
possesses a wide spectrum of antibacterial action
against Gram-negative and Gram-positive
microorganisms, including M. tuberculosis and
streptomycin resistant strains. In vitro, it inhibits Vibrio
cholerae, Klebsiella pneumoniae, M. tuberculosis and M.
pyogenes.

18. • Antiviral activity: Aqueous leaf extract offers antiviral activity
against Vaccinia virus, Chikungemya and measles virus in vitro.
NCL-11 inhibits plaque formation in different antigenic types
of Coxsackie virus B at a concentration of 1 mg/ml at 96 h in
vitro.
• Anticarcinogenic activity: Neem may exert its
chemopreventive effect in the oral mucosa by modulation of
glutathione and its metabolizing enzymes. The neem leaf
extract exerts its protective effect in Nmethyl-N′-nitro-N-
nitrosoguanidine (MNNG) (a carcinogenic material)-induced
oxidative stress has also been demonstrated by the reduced
formation of lipid peroxides and enhanced level of
antioxidants and detoxifying enzymes in the stomach.

19. • Hepatoprotective activity: The aqueous extract of neem leaf
was found to offer protection against paracetamol induced
liver necrosis in rats. The elevated levels of serum aspartate
aminotransferase (AST), alanine aminotransferase (ALT) and
gamma glutamyl transpeptidase (GGT) indicative of liver
damage, were found to be significantly reduced on
administration of the neem leaf aqueous extract.
• Antioxidant activity: The antioxidant activity of neem seed
extract has been demonstrated in vivo during horsegrain
germination, which is associated with low levels of
lipooxygenase activity and lipid peroxides. An antioxidant
principle has also been isolated, which is a potent inhibitor of
plant lipooxygenases.

20. Chemical constituents
• Various parts of plant is used for various
therapeutic and commercial purposes due to
presence of different types of chemicals in
different parts of this plant. Some of them being :
• leafs: quercetin, nimbosterol, nimbin.
• Flowers: nimbosterol, kaempferol, melicitrin.
• Bark: nimbin, nimbidin, nombosterol, margosine.
• Seed: azadirachtin, azadiradione, nimbin, vepinin,
vilasinin, fraxinellone.

21. Fig:Azadirachtin

22. Fig:Quercetin

23. Fig:Nimbin

24. Fig:Nimbosterol

25. Pharmacopoeal standards
Foreign mattaer nil
Total ash 9.7%
Acid insoluble ash 1.7%
Water soluble ash 7.7%
Alcohol soluble extractive 8.18%
Water soluble extractive 13.5%

26. Traditional uses
• Neem is known to have antipyretic properties
and it has been used traditionally for a long time
to lower high fever.
• An extract obtained from the leaves or bark has
both antibacterial and antiviral effect, with little
or no toxicity.
• The extract has been used internally as a
treatment for asthma, sore throat, tuberculosis,
eczema, jaundice, stomach ulcers, diabetes,
arthritis, and rheumatism.

27. • The bark is bitter and has astringent properties and a
decoction made from it can be used as a remedy for
hemorrhoids.
• A juice, or an extract from the leaves, can also be used
externally on wounds, boils, rashes, acne, ringworm,
chicken pox, herpes, eczema and psoriasis, and as eye
drops.
• The branches can be chewed on to clean the teeth,
strengthen the gums and prevent gum inflammation.
• The oil has astringent and anti-inflammatory properties
which can make it helpful in the healing of wounds and
other minor skin injuries and to ease muscle and joint pain

28. Commercial value
• Neem has high commercial value. Its every
part has commercial importance as each part
has medicinal as well as domestic use.
Nowadays pharmaceutical companies use
neem for productin of the dugs. Its
consumption and price is heavily raising.
• Various organization in their initial projects
priced neem oil at 15$ a litre and the price
rised to $48 a litre, in past few months.

29. Formulations
• NATURE NEEM OIL(100% cold pressed pure neem oil):
Nature Neem oil is used in the preparation of bio
pesticides and insecticide and effective against a
number of insecticide-resistant pest and doesn’t harm
the beneficial insects.
• TOTAL CARE (neem oil water soluble): neem oil for
pesticidal applications.
• NUTRAZA(neem organic fertilizer): neems organic
supplements in pellets and liquid.
• NEEM GUARD
• Nature Neem Ayurvedic Soaps ,Neem baby oil, Neem
face pack etc.

30. References
• Biswas K,Chattopadhyay I, et.al(2002) Biological
activities and medicinal properties of neem
(Azadirachta indica), Department of Physiology,
Indian Institute of Chemical Biology, page(1336-
1343)vol82.
• Ram H.Y.M and Nair N.M.B(1993),Neem botany
in: Neem Research and Development Society of
Pesticide Science New Delhi(India)p6-26.
• Puri H.S.(1999),Neem: The Divine Tree
Azadirachta indica, Hartwood Acaedemic Press,
Armsterdam.