Azadirachta indica

Botanical Name – Azadirachta indica

Common Name – Nimba (Sanskrit), Neem, Limbosi (Hindi), Kadulimba (Marathi), Kahi Bevu (Kannada), Veppu (Malayalam), Limdo (Gujrati)

Distribution – Punjab, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Jharkhand, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Gujarat, Maharashtra, Telangana, Orrisa, Andhra Pradesh, West Bengal, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka

Habit

• Medium sized deciduous tree
• Fast-growing
  
  

Habitat

• Dry deciduous forest, Scrub and open forest
  
  

Specific properties

• Preferred for land restoration
• Drought resistance
• Tolerates high level of pollution
• Fire tolerant
• Good for planting in farms (agroforestry)
• It is state tree of Andhra Pradesh
  
  

Ecology

• Birds and bats feed on fruits
• Bees and birds feed on pollen and nectar of flowers
• Leaves used as forage for ruminants and rabbits
• Larval host plant of Indian jezebel, Painted sawtooth
• Bees make hive on this tree
  
  

Uses

• Its fruit, seeds, leaves, roots and bark all have medicinal properties such as anti-inflammatory, antibacterial, antiviral, antifungal, antitumor, antiparasitic, antioxidant, anticancer, and anti-snake venom
• People clean their teeth with neem twigs, smeared skin disorders with neem leaf juice, taken neem tea as a tonic, and placed neem leaves in their beds, books, grain bins, cupboards, and closets to keep away bugs
• About 700 herbal preparations based on neem are found in traditional medicines
• It is used to treat skin diseases, leprosy, ulcers, gastrointestinal problems, oral care, urinary track problems, hair problems, diabetes, blood pressure, cholesterol and to rid the body of all forms of parasites
• Oil from seeds is used in cosmetics (Soap, shampoo) to help clear and rejuvenate skin, as insecticide, lubricant, and ingredient for medicines against TB, diabetics etc
• Green Manure
• Herbal pesticide
  
  

Propagation

• Seeds
• Root suckers
• Cuttings