The vast majority of growers have used neem oil on our plants at some point. in some cases out of necessity and in others as a method of prevention. On this occasion, we will talk about what neem and neem oil is, where it comes from, how it is obtained, and why it is used for various therapeutic purposes.
The natural habitat of the neem tree is India, Vietnam, Burma and Nicaragua. Although currently it can also be found throughout Asia, Africa, America, Australia and on islands in much of the Pacific.
Originally from the subtropical and tropical climate, it is highly resistant to lack of water and dryness. Regarding its size, neem can measure from fifteen meters to thirty-five meters in height, while in diameter it can measure from fifteen to eighteen meters (when it reaches its full development).
Its trunk is straight, with a strong, hard cracked bark that has shades of reddish brown to gray. Its leaves have two tones, the young leaves being purple and very asymmetrical, while the mature leaves have a not so asymmetrical appearance and are toothed, in addition to having a greenish tone.
Its foliage and branching are very broad and exuberant, having the particularity that it maintains leaves all year round (it is evergreen) except when faced with an adverse situation. In this case they are completely removed.
It does not resist temperatures below five degrees of temperature, but, on the other hand, it is capable of withstanding high temperatures of up to 36 degrees or even a little more. It produces white flowers and yellow fruits called drupe, which have an appearance and shape very similar to that of a nut, from which the oil and seeds are extracted.
Also known as Nimba in many places, its leaves, seeds, fruits, roots and stem have been used since ancient times for various curative or preventive purposes, such as an insect repellent and pesticide. All its medicinal and agricultural properties and applications are highly valued.
However, all these properties are based on the knowledge and traditional medicine of our ancestors, but currently and for some time now, research and studies are being carried out by scientists who are really interested in the neem tree. , due largely to the insecticidal properties it has, although without leaving aside the medicinal uses it can offer.
Neem oil extraction methods and processes
The methods or processes used to obtain neem oil from extraction are of different types and offer us different qualities, as well as different compositions of the final resulting oil. There are three methods for extraction; extraction of oils through the use of solvent products, cold or hot pressing and extraction with hexane.
The parts of the tree used to extract neem oil are its seeds and fruits (drupes), these are similar to nuts (with a size of about 15mm to 30mm by about 10mm to 16mm) and inside these fruits are They find the seeds. Each fruit usually houses one seed inside, although sometimes it contains two or three seeds. The first two extraction processes mentioned above are the most used of all, since the best oil, the highest quality, is obtained from them, with cold pressing being the method that obtains the highest quality in the main composition of that oil. resulting from the extraction.
The hexane extraction process is used to take advantage of the remains or by-product that remains after cold or hot pressing, which is called cake, from which the remains of oil that may remain after pressing are extracted. This oil that may remain in the cake is usually the one generally used for making soaps.
The result of oil extraction using solvents or cold or hot pressing is a vegetable oil with a light dark brown appearance and color, with a strong bitter aroma reminiscent of peanut butter and in some cases even garlic.
The main composition of neem oil is made up of triglycerides, triterpenoids and azadirachtin, also nimbidol, nimbin, nimbidin, and quercetin, among others. The first two components are directly responsible for the strong bitter smell that comes from neem oil when used.
