ABSTRACT
Neem, botanically known as Azadirachta indica A. Juss, belongs to the Meliaceae family. Neem essential oil is usually prepared from the seed kernels and is well known for its high insecticidal and medicinal value. The interesting feature of neem essential oil is that it is potently aromatic and viscous, and predominantly constitutes fatty acids, along with hydrocarbons. Neem essential oil from flower and leaves is a minor source of volatile oil, composed mainly of caryophyllene. Azadirachtins are the most celebrated and studied active principles of neem oil due to their deterrent, antiovipositional, antifeedant, growth-disrupting, growth-regulating, fecundity, and fitness-reducing properties against insects and various kinds of arthropods. Neem oil is recognized as a powerful biopesticide and may offer a solution to global agricultural, environmental, and public health problems. Neem has undergone extensive research as a bioinsecticide from the past three decades, specifically in the United States and other European countries.
