Other Proposed Uses - Respiratory Diseases - Skin Diseases The
neem tree has been called "the village pharmacy" because its
bark, leaves, sap, fruit, seeds, and twigs have so many diverse
uses in the traditional medicine of India. This member of the
mahogany family has been used medicinally for at least 4,000
years and is held in such esteem that Indian poets called it
Sarva Roga Nivarini "the One That Can Cure All Ailments."
Mohandas Gandhi encouraged scientific investigation of the neem
tree as part of his program to revitalize Indian traditions,
which eventually let to more than 2,000 research papers and
intense commercial interest. At least 50 patents have been filed
on neem and neem-based products in the United States for control
of insects in food and ornamental crops. However, the Indian
government and many nongovernmental organizations have united to
overthrow some patents of this type, which they regard as "folk-
wisdom piracy." One fear is that if neem is patented, indigenous
people who already use i