Neem leaves
The leaves, seeds, bark, and oil of the neem tree have a long history of use throughout India and Asia for medicinal purposes, repelling insects, and as a topical agent for skin rashes or conditions such as lice, scabies and eczema. Neem is now widely used internationally due to its low toxicity, but some precautions should be noted.
Children
Neem oil is not recommended for internal use in children. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) lists an extract of the neem tree known as margosa oil on its poisonous plant database due to the occurrence of childhood deaths after ingestion. FDA data indicates that children who ingested neem oil exhibited symptoms similar to that of Reye's syndrome, a potentially fatal disease.
Adults
Not enough data exists to prove the safety of internal use of neem for pregnant and lactating women. In addition, neem is sometimes used in holistic medicine as a dietary supplement, however this is not approved by the FDA.
Plants
Neem oil is an effective, non-chemical pesticide, however not all plants can tolerate this treatment. To avoid leaf burn, neem oil should be used in either the early morning or evening hours on days where the outside temperature is 85 degrees or below. In addition, certain plants and flowers, such as orchids, gardenia, crown of thorns, and Jade plants, are too delicate for neem oil use. The oil may affect the plant's ability to get light from the sun, potentially causing wilting and eventual plant death.
Tags: neem tree