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Neem oil, also known asmargosa oil, is avegetable oil pressed from the fruits and seeds of the neem (Azadirachta indica), a tree which is indigenous to theIndian subcontinent and has been introduced to many other areas in the tropics. It is the most important of the commercially available products of neem, and its chemical properties have found widespread use as apesticide in organic farming.
Azadirachtin is the most well known and studiedtriterpenoid in neem oil.Nimbin is another triterpenoid which has been credited with some of neem oil's properties as anantiseptic,antifungal,antipyretic andantihistamine.[1]
Neem oil has a history of use inAyurvedicfolk medicine.[2][3]
Formulations that include neem oil have found wide usage as abiopesticide for horticulturists[4] and fororganic farming, as it repels a wide variety of insect pests includingmealy bugs,beet armyworms,aphids,cabbage worms,thrips,whiteflies,mites,fungus gnats, beetles,moth larvae, mushroom flies,leaf miners,caterpillars,locusts,nematodes andJapanese beetles.[5][6]
When sufficiently diluted and not concentrated directly into their area of habitat or on their food source, neem oil is not known to be harmful to mammals, birds, earthworms or some beneficial insects such as butterflies,honeybees andladybugs. It can be used as a householdpesticide forants,bedbugs,cockroaches,houseflies,sand flies,snails,termites andmosquitoes both as a repellent and as a larvicide.[3]
Neem extracts act as anantifeedant and block the action of the insect molting hormoneecdysone.Azadirachtin is the most active of these growth regulators (limonoids), occurring at 0.2–0.4% in the seeds of the neem tree.[7]
The ingestion of neem oil is potentially toxic and can causemetabolic acidosis,seizures,kidney failure,encephalopathy and severe brainischemia in infants and young children.[2][8][9] Neem oil should not be consumed alone without any other solutions, particularly by pregnant women, women trying to conceive or children.[2] It can also be associated with allergiccontact dermatitis.[10]
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