An Ancient Tree

There's been much ado about the yew tree of the Pacific Northwest, the bark of which is a source of the anticancer drug taxol. But this is only the tip of the iceberg among plants promising solutions to human problems. Few plants offer the range of medicinal and pesticidal chemicals as does the neem, Azadirachta indica, a tropical evergreen tree in the mahogany family (Meliaceae).
Neem is native to arid Asian broadleaf and scrub forests. Like other mahoganies, its wood is heavy and durable, resistant to termites and fungi, and useful for fuel, furniture, and building. Neem excites natural product chemists because its bark, leaves, fruit, flower, and seed have a wider range of biologically active triterpenoid chemicals than any known plant. Also, 4,000 years of safe use dating back to India's Vedic period increase the likelihood of neem products passing tough twentieth century regulatory scrutiny.