Neem
Azadirachta indica
A tropical tree used as a bitter traditional leaf/twig and as an agricultural insecticide (azadirachtin). Not a salad green and not ‘sweet neem’ curry leaf.
GROW → HARVEST → EAT → DRY → POWDER → CAPSULE → GUMMY — forms are not equivalent. Food first.
Identity
What it is
A tropical tree used as a bitter traditional leaf/twig and as an agricultural insecticide (azadirachtin). Not a salad green and not ‘sweet neem’ curry leaf.
Edible portions
Safety Not treated as food on this site.
Growing
- Climate. 10–12
- Light. Full sun, heat
- Soil. Well-drained, drought-tolerant
- Planting. A large tropical tree. Invasive concern in some regions.
Traditional uses
Traditional use Bitter traditional uses; agricultural pesticide extracts
AAA interpretation Traditional use is not automatically evidence, and evidence is not automatically a shopping recommendation.
Safety
- Not food-first produce. Neem oil is a pesticide product with its own label rules. Curry leaf is Murraya, not neem.
Next steps
Sources
- USDA PLANTS Database — taxonomy and range (verify current entries)
- No USDA FoodData Central nutrient profile is attached here. That is not a claim that the plant contains no nutrients.
- State cooperative extension growing guides — verify for your region
Honest incompleteness is preferred to fabricated completeness. If a section is missing, no record for it is attached here — not a claim that the plant lacks that characteristic, and not that it was omitted as a secret.
Internal quality class B. Good foundation: enough unique information to exist as its own destination.