"Niem" or "Neem" - Which is right?
The many names of the neem tree
When we founded our company "Niem-Handel" 30 years ago, the word "neem" did not even exist. At that time, the term "neem" and the "neem tree" were only known to a small group of experts and certainly also to some plant lovers and nature enthusiasts.
German speakers tended to pronounce "neem" with a long "e" and not as "ie" like English speakers.
We therefore decided without further ado to Germanise the word "Neem" in order to pronounce it correctly. This resulted in the German spelling "Niem" or Niembaum, Niemöl, Niemsamen etc.
In this way, even in the early days of "Niem" / "Neem" in Germany, everyone knew how to pronounce the tree and the raw materials: Namely the same as in India, Sri Lanka, Pakistan and Bangladesh, the countries of origin of the "neem tree".
Thanks to international publications and the growing online market, the written form "Neem" has also become established in German-speaking countries in recent years. We are therefore also gradually adapting our products and texts to this established form.
In principle, however, both forms are still correct: "Niem" and "Neem". Both words describe the tree native to the Indian subcontinent, which incidentally has many different names there and around the world.
Here are the official botanical names
| Botanical name: | Azadirachta indica A. Juss. |
| Botanical synonyms: | Melia Azadirachta L. Melia indica (A. Juss) BRANDIS Antelaea azadirachta (L) ADELB. |
Trivialnamen / gebräuchliche Namen:
| India: | Neem, Nim, Nimb, Nimba, Limba, Limbo, Vembu, Vepo, Veppam (und weitere ca. 100 verschiedene Namen!) |
| Pakistan: | Nimmi |
| Myanmar: | Tamarkha |
| Sri Lanka: | Kohomba |
| Thailand: | Sadao India, Kwinin, Dao |
| Indonesia: | Nimba, Imba, Mimba |
| Iran: | Azad-darakht-i-hindi (= Free tree of India) |
| Kenya und Tanzania: | Mwarobaini (Swahili = The tree that provides medicine for 40 diseases) |
| Germany, CH, A: | Niem, Nim, Neem, Niembaum, Neembaum, Indischer Flieder, Indischer Zedrach, Groβblättriger Zedrach |
| Great Britain: | Neem, Indian Lilac |
| France: | Azadira d´Inde, Azadirac, Lilas de Indes, Margousier |
| Spain: | Nim, Margosa |
| USA and Canada: | Neem |
| Latin America: | Nim |