Neem
Azadirachta indica A.Juss.
Neem (Azadirachta indica) is a drought-tolerant mahogany-family tree; its bitter leaves, flowers and bark contain azadirachtin — used as a natural pesticide and medicine; young shoots are boiled and made into bitter neem salads in southern Vietnam.
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Neem (Azadirachta indica), also called margosa or Indian lilac, is an evergreen tree of the mahogany family (Meliaceae), native to the Indian subcontinent and Indochina. It grows 15–30 m tall with a thick trunk, grey-brown bark with longitudinal fissures and a broad rounded crown. The imparipinnate leaves, 20–40 cm long, carry 8–15 pairs of lanceolate to slightly falcate leaflets with serrate margins and a characteristic bitter taste. The small cream-white flowers form axillary panicles with a faint honey scent. The ovoid drupe, 1.5–2 cm long, ripens greenish-yellow and holds an oil-rich seed.
Updated by lebachungtdh@gmail.com · 10/10/2026
Every part of the tree contains limonoids such as azadirachtin, nimbin and salannin — bitter compounds with anti-insect, antibacterial and blood-sugar-lowering effects — earning neem the title of miracle tree in Ayurveda and South Asian daily life. In Vietnam, especially the south, young shoots and flowers are boiled with dipping sauce or made into bitter neem salad (gỏi sầu đâu); seed oil serves as a natural pesticide, and twigs are traditional toothpicks and toothbrushes. The tree tolerates drought extremely well, adapts to poor soils, and is planted for shade, soil improvement and erosion control.
Updated by lebachungtdh@gmail.com · 10/10/2026
Life cycle
From seed to productTree
A tree 15–30 m tall with a broad crown.
Leaves
Pinnate leaves, bitter taste.
Flowers
Cream-white flowers, honey-scented.
Fruit
Drupes with oil-rich seeds.
Distribution & origin
Share of recorded occurrences by region- South Asia (India, Pakistan, Bangladesh)45%
- Indochina (Vietnam, Thailand, Myanmar, Cambodia)25%
- Other Southeast Asia10%
- Africa & Middle East (introduced)10%
- Tropical Americas & others10%
Chemical composition
Relative content in agarwood resin- Triglycerides & fatty acids70%
- Other substances (vitamins, aromatics)20%
- Water5%
- Limonoids (azadirachtin, nimbin)2%
- Protein & nitrogen compounds1.5%
- Unsaponifiable matter1.5%
Uses
- Medicine: leaves, bark and oil for skin diseases, fever, diabetes and toothache; used in Ayurveda and Southeast Asian folk medicine
- Pesticide: azadirachtin is a natural, low-toxicity insecticide; neem oil and leaf extracts protect crops
- Food: young shoots and flowers boiled with dipping sauce or made into bitter neem salad (gỏi sầu đâu), served with braised fish — a southern Vietnamese staple
- Other: twigs for toothpicks and toothbrushes; termite-resistant timber; planted for shade, soil improvement and erosion control
Properties
- Form
- Evergreen tree
- Taste
- Characteristically bitter
- Hallmark
- Azadirachtin insecticide
- Uses
- Medicine, pesticide, neem salad
Habitat & conservation
Neem is native to the Indian subcontinent and Indochina and is now planted across the tropics and subtropics. It favours hot climates, tolerates drought extremely well, prefers deep well-drained soils and thrives on poor and coastal sandy soils. In Vietnam it is common in the south, especially the Mekong Delta: young shoots and flowers go into soups and the bitter salad gỏi sầu đâu; the tree is also grown for shade and timber.
Conservation
Assessed by IUCN as Least Concern (LC). Mahogany family (Meliaceae), genus Azadirachta.
References
- 1Plants of the World Online — Azadirachta indica A.Juss. — Kew Science, 2026
- 2Azadirachta indica (neem) — mô tả, phân bố, sử dụng — Wikipedia tiếng Anh, 2026
- 3Sầu đâu — đặc điểm, công dụng — Wikipedia tiếng Việt, 2026
- 4印楝 Azadirachta indica — 形態、藥用 — Wikipedia tiếng Trung, 2026
- 5Nguồn ảnh: Mokkie (CC BY-SA 3.0) / Nkpelawuni (CC BY-SA 4.0) / Sindugab (CC BY-SA 4.0) — Wikimedia Commons,
- 6Nguồn ảnh: Palash90 (CC BY-SA 3.0) / Mukesh721 (CC BY-SA 4.0) / Amizhthamathi Ponnuswamy (CC BY-SA 4.0) — Wikimedia Commons,