Culinary Herbs & Leaves

Neem Leaf Extract

Azadirachta indica

Neem leaf (Azadirachta indica), sầu đâu in Vietnamese, grows on a tree of ten to fifteen metres bearing alternate pinnate leaves twenty to thirty centimetres long, each made up of six to fifteen pairs of smooth, lance-shaped leaflets with bluntly toothed edges and lopsided bases. Scented white flowers hang in short sprays from the leaf axils, and red drupes follow. The tree grows wild and is planted for shade through the delta provinces, and is common around Hà Tiên and Châu Đốc. Young leaves and flowers appear in February and March, and the leaves are dressed into a salad. Every part is bitter, and insects seldom attack the timber.