According to history the first indication that Neem was being used as a medical treatment was about 4,500 years ago. This was the high point of the Indian Harappa culture, one of the great civilizations of the ancient world. Excavations at Harappa and Mohenjo-Daro in northwestern and western India date to that period found several therapeutic compounds, including Neem leaves, gathered in the ruins.

Among the most ancient surviving documents that have been translated are the Caraka-Samhita (approximately 500 B.C.) and Susruta Samhita (approximately 300 A.D.). These books have been traced to earlier works dating to 2,000 B.C. and 1,500 B.C. respectively, and the foundation of the Indian system of natural healing, Ayurveda. In these ancient texts Neem is mentioned in almost 100 entries for treating a wide range of diseases and symptoms, most of which continue to vex humanity. Long revered for its many healing properties, Neem came close to providing a cradle-to-grave health care program and was a part of almost every aspect of life in many parts of the Indian subcontinent up to and including the modern era.

The Neem seed kernel is very rich in fatty acids, (Shelton, 1962) often up to 50 percent of the kernel's weight. Neem seed oil is very bitter with a garlic/sulfur smell and contains vitamin E and other essential amino acids.

Neem oil is excellent moisturizing oil that contains compounds with historical and scientific validity as medicines. Use of the oil for cosmetics and medicines has been limited by its strongly bitter taste and sulfur/garlic smell. Only when it was made into soaps was it acceptable use by most people. It is no wonder the leaves have been substituted for the oil to get the benefits of Neem.

To bring the many therapeutic effects of Neem oil to all the people that could benefit from them requires a major change in Neem oil's quality. From the picking of the fruit to filling the oil into drums, careful attention to quality is the only way to get the best oil possible. It is now known that if the Neem seed is not dried and stored properly and the oil is not expressed in a hygienic way the oil will be very dark, have a foul odor and may contain dangerous contaminants.

The best method for obtaining quality Neem oil with a majority of the active compounds intact is cold pressed. In cold pressing the oil is lighter in color with milder odor (Ramakrishna, et al, 1993). There is also the elimination of any potential residual solvents in the oil that could pose health hazards to the consumer. The downside is that high quality cold pressed Neem oil is more expensive to produce than solvent extracted oil and is much harder to obtain. Few processors are willing to forego the loss of any of the oil that could have been extracted by solvent and have quit using cold presses.

A better method requires the collection of seeds specifically for the manufacture of quality health and beauty aid products. Light green kernels from fresh seeds yield a light oil with only a slight odor and a tolerable bitter taste. To get this high-quality oil, Neem fruit has to be picked from the trees rather than gathered off the ground.

The fresh fruit then has to be taken to a facility where it is washed to remove the fruit from the seeds and the clean seeds quickly air-dried. Dried seeds are then de-husked and the kernels cold pressed. The kernels should only be pressed once to obtain "virgin" oil, guaranteeing only the oil is removed leaving the waxy and tar-like substances behind. The light Neem oil must then be stored in new drums for shipment to the manufacturing facility. This method produces high-quality Neem oil is suitable for use in any health and beauty aid product.