For centuries, the Neem tree has been known in India as the ‘Village Pharmacy’ due to its many and varied healing properties.  It is now helping us to protect crops against insect pests, people against disease-carrying mosquitoes, and is the source of a large number of natural medicines.  It was this wealth of benefits that led the National Research Council (USA) to call it ‘A Tree for solving Global problems’.

The Neem Tree was largely unknown to the rest of the world until 1959 when a German scientist witnessed a locust swarm in Sudan.  After the swarm had passed the only tree left untouched by the locusts was a Neem Tree.  On closer investigation it was concluded that the locusts did indeed land on Neem Trees, but they always left without feeding.

Since this discovery, there has been worldwide scientific interest in Neem and intense research into its many properties.  As a result, we now know that the Neem Tree contains many natural active ingredients which make it resistant not only to locusts but also to more than three hundred different types of insects, as well as fungi, bacteria, and even viruses.  These chemical defenses are not only useful in protecting Neem trees but can also be used as the basis for natural medicines.

Leaves from the Neem tree are renowned for their healing and soothing properties and can be used to ease a variety of skin conditions, complaints and wounds. In India, Neem leaf poultices and infusions were widely used in the treatment of skin diseases (Click this link if you would like to go to Skin and Scalp products).

Neem oil is traditionally used for a variety of skin and nail complaints and is also a powerful insect repellent.   The oil was extensively tested in Edinburgh, on the Highland midge, by a team of leading experts who concluded that midges have highly sensitive antennae and could detect Neem oil from the air. The scent of Neem oil prevents the midges from biting (Click this link if you would like to go to our Insect Repellent products).
 
Finally Neem Seed Extract, the highly concentrated extract from Neem seeds, is an extremely powerful method of eliminating insects, particularly head lice (Click this link if you would like to go to our Headlice products).