Neem buying: The best way to buy quality neem products

December 20, 2008

Looking for neem? Have you ever been shopping for top quality neem products but did not know where to start? Neem based products are getting more attention these days and are being made available, but right now are for the most part only found on the web or in health food shoppes and specialty stores. Because it is hard to find these products it is easy to grab the first thing you stumble upon just because it says neem on it. But here are a few tips that will help you make an educated choice before purchasing an inferior product:

Know How The Oil Was Extracted There are several methods that are used to extract the oil from the seeds. As you have probably figured out, not all extraction process produce the same quality oil. The best extraction method that produces the most desirable neem seed oil is called cold pressing. Cold pressing neem oil is the best, as the majority of the active compounds remain intact. Cold pressing is also the first and most accepted method of extraction. It uses a mechanical device that squeezes the oil out of the seeds. Always make sure to buy only cold pressed neem oil where possible.

A second method uses superheated water and high pressure. Though this method yields more oil than cold pressing, a lot of the active compounds in the neem oil may be made useless by the heat used in the process.

The third technique is the one that most processors use because it gets the most oil. The technique is called solvent extraction, and usually hexane (white gasoline) is the solvent that is used. Even though this method extracts just about all of the oil from the dried seeds, the harsh chemicals kill nearly all of the active compounds in the neem seed oil. Besides this and the fact that the chemical is poisonous, it is highly recommended to look for products that do not contain neem oil that was extracted using them.

Watch Out For Additives Most bath and beauty items these days contain chemicals to “enhance” them, so to speak. However, some of these additives are known to potentially cause unwanted side effects. Two of the most common compounds found in most products today are Lauryl Sulfates (SLS) and Parabens. SLS’s are often used as foamers, because they are cheap and work particularly well. Many inexpensive neem oil and soap products have many of these additives as well. However, these chemicals have proven to cause allergic reactions in some people. In fact, the USFDA encourages developers of these products not to use them.

Parabens are often used for preserving, and though there has been no scientific evidence that they are potentially harmful, they are becoming more and more controversial. Some organizations feel they should be avoided in order to err on the side of safety.

Buy Only Products That Contain Certified Organic Ingredients Of course, organic ingredients are always more desireable than ones that are not. These ingredients are all natural, and have not been exposed to man-made chemicals, fertilizers, plant growth regulators, pesticides or similar chemicals. Look for labels that list only organic ingredients. If a producer uses them, they will always state this (it’s a selling point) somewhere on the product.

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Neem buying: The best way to buy quality neem products

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