ABSTRACT
Azadirachta indica A.Juss. is a tree of the Mahogany family (Meliaceae) and is known by different names around the world. A synonymous Latin name is Melia azadirachta Linn. Melia is the Greek name for “ash”—and the name was given by Linnaeus because of the resemblance of the leaves to those of an ash tree.* In India, the tree is called neem (from the Sanskrit nimba, synonymous with arishta, which means “relieving sickness”—see Figure 6.1). The Spanish and Portuguese called it margosa, and in Swahili in East Africa it is known as mwarobaini, which means “of 40,” reflecting the popular belief that the plant can cure 40 diseases (see Figure 6.2). The Latin name is derived from the Persian “azad darakht i hindi,” which means “free tree of India” (National Research Council, 1992).
