Neem oil is pressed from the seed of the neem tree (Azadiracta indica Juss.) This tree, native to eastern India and Burma, is known by several names including "village pharmacy" "cornucopia," "wonder tree" and "the veritable gold mine." Neem leaves, stems, seeds and oil have been used for medicinal purposes and pest control in India for more than four thousand years. In fact , its Sanskrit name, arishta ,means "reliever of sickness".

Because neem products are used for human consumption and midication,exposure to neem in the process of treating plants with neem oil poses no threat to humans or other higher animals. Moreover, neem is not harmful to beneficial insects, affecting only those insects feeding on plants treated with neem. Neem biodegrades in a matter of weeks when exposed to sunlight or in soil.

Numerous tests have shown neem oil to be effective as an insecticide, miticide, fungicide, nematacide, and as an insect antifeedant and repellant. An insect antifeedant is a substance that discourgages insect feeding but does not directly kill the insect.