If you’re looking for clinical evidence, save your money. But if you’ve been taking neem and noticed that your vision has improved, please let us know.
I made a comment last month about my eyesight improving to the point where I no longer need glasses (after 40 years of wearing them) and posted a review from another customer who’d seen the same thing. We got so many questions about it that I promised to do a deep dive into the research and see what I could find.
THIS REPORT IS PROVIDED FOR EDUCATIONAL PURPOSES ONLY. THESE STATEMENTS HAVE NOT BEEN EVALUATED BY THE U.S. FOOD AND DRUG ADMINISTRATION. NEEM TREE FARMS DOES NOT SELL PRODUCTS THAT ARE INTENDED TO DIAGNOSE, TREAT, PREVENT OR CURE ANY DISEASE.
After spending two weeks with “Dr. Google,” I couldn’t find much research, and absolutely nothing by the usual standards of the peer-reviewed documentation that we try to report on. The lone peer-reviewed report on improved vision came from the Journal of Chemical and Pharmaceutical Research but it didn’t list the citations you would expect so we couldn’t go back to the original research. It did recommend neem leaf juice applied topically for night blindness and conjunctivitis with no supporting documentation.
I’d expected to see something that tied back to neem’s antioxidant properties because antioxidants have been linked to reducing the risk of serious eye diseases like macular degeneration and cataracts. That makes the most sense to me, but I couldn’t find any credible links, so we’re back to assuming not proving they’d be effective. (On top of that, some researchers are questioning the value of all antioxidants in terms of improving vision or preventing illness.)
Some reports mention neem as an antibacterial and antiviral, but that wouldn’t explain why some people are able to give up glasses after decades of wearing them. And there were a number of generic reports (mostly from international websites selling neem) saying that “research has shown that neem can improve night vision, relieve visual fatigue and protect the eyes from glaucoma, cataracts and macular degeneration.”
Again, no documentation, so we’re pretty much back to where we started. I probably wouldn’t have published this article if we hadn’t gotten so many comments on that first mention so we’re tossing it back out there!
Anybody else who has given up their glasses after decades of wearing them?
Ironically, the only article on neem and vision at the National Institutes of Health library reports on an Indian woman who drank five ounces of neem oil in a suicide attempt and temporarily lost her eyesight so there is some connection between the active ingredients in neem and vision.
17 Comments
I hadn’t even noticed till I saw the title of your article. I am a devout reader, but had stopped reading – even my Bible – due to a chronic eye infection in my right eye. (I worked as a chemical tech in college and had a serious caustic and heat burn to my eye when the substance I was distilling blew up. I was stunned because I suddenly realized that my vision IS better and I AM leaving my glasses off a lot more often! As I sit here, I am able to read my laptop easily. I have been praying about this because I NEED my Bible in the dark days as we see our wonderful country going downhill fast. Thank you for drawing my attention to it. I’ve only been using Neem for a month, so I expect my vision to continue to improve.
So, how do you take the Neem? As a tea? Adding leaves to salad? Taking it in tincture form? How about the oil, how do you take the Neem?
Most people I know take three of the Six-Way Capsules per day, my sister takes about six drops of the neem supercritical extract. Oil is never taken internally.
How you you use the extract if not taken internally?
Hi Doris,
I personally wouldn’t use the extract externally, but it’s a better choice than the oil he was using directly in his eye.
Vicki
Thank You, Vicki!!!
I don’t see the drops on your site? Do you still sell them?
We do! Here’s the link!
https://neemtreefarms.com/shop/supercritical-neem-leaf-barks-combo/
Plant base product research for improved eyesight and eye health has been done by Bosch & Lomb Inc. resulting in their marigold based PreserVision (R) AREDS 2 formula ( not evaluated by the FDA ) . The key ingredients are Lutein (marigold flower extract), Zeaxanthin Isomers (marigold flower extract) , vimains E,C, Zinc zinc Copper. Reading about their extensive research and determining if similar chemicals are in Neem may help your quest. So might talking to them.
Thank you! I’ll definitely look into this!
For those of you who want to find available research on neem or any other substance, you need to change your search methods (and use other search engines in addition to google). Do not use a search engine to find a substance. Use them to find links to the researchers. My main go to is the NIH (National Institutes of Health). Once I pull up their site I search for whatever plant I’m interested in at the time. Here is some of what they have on neem (you’ll have to copy & Paste the links to your browser) I also highly suggest that you save links from sites you trust to your bookmarks/favorites tab : https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/30061479 – https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/30179391/
I have suffered from chronic pain in my right temporal region and in my right eye for at least 5 years. I have had migraines since I was a child but I got used to it. The pain in the eyes and in my temples eventually led me to the ophthalmologist who ruled out glaucoma but said I had early cataract in the right eye. To allay my concerns about surgery, the doctor said I should wait until the vision fails in about ten years.
Then an age mate talked about how her vision improved significantly after using neem seed oil, obviating the need for cataract surgery. I decided to try the neem seed oil, as I didn’t like the discomfort in my head and eyes.
I have used the oil for seven days now and I seem to notice that my vision is clearer, especially in the right eye in which the vision has been blurry. I must admit that I have to use the oil drops for at least one more month to see better results.
The side effects of the oil are worth mentioning; namely: biting irritation under the eyelid, dryness of the eyes as if there is sand on the eyeball, swelling and self-limiting tears.
Emilio Ovuga, retired professor of psychiatry.
Dear Emilio,
We would never recommend neem oil applied directly to your eye! Please consider using a supercritical extract around your eyes where it can be absorbed slowly, and taking the Six-Way Neem Capsules so your body can work from the inside out. I think that will limit the side effects but still provide the results you’re looking for.
Please call me at 813-689-2616 if you have questions.
Vicki
Hi Vicki,
Thank you for sharing your experience about the improvement in your eyes. Your blog/article implies that it was the neem capsules that made that improvement. I’m wondering if you also followed other protocols that could have been involved in the improvement of your eyesight. If so, please comment. Thank you kindly.
Nothing else changed. I do take some other supplements but I’ve been taking the same ones for decades. I never took much neem because I have idiopathic itches that concerned me as a precursor to an auto-immune disease but Covid scared me enough to start taking large doses. I’m just hopeful that enough people try it to say it really does make a difference.
Just a story I have read a lot of stories about herbs cures different things for the body. Myself I grow different herbs alway goggle for possible medical benefits it seems to work for me. I recently went to get my eyes check and by being black the first thing they look for is glaucoma and the second thing that comes out of there mouth is that you are going to need surgery without even check my pressure anyways they took my pressure and I also check the body language and the facial was like I got one anyways The numbers did come back high double digits so setting up with there connections was a must. I was given eye drops and a you going to be blinds in weeks or a month or two so I was to to come back after two days and I did but before I came back I was hearing about this Neem tree I knew of Neem because I sprayed it on my citrus trees the stuff really works so I google it for medical benefits for glaucoma and to my surprise they had a pretty good comment about improving eye site and most of all it reduce the pressure for glaucoma and it did especially for mine it drop down to single digets the doctor could not believe it and still insist on surgery. But luckily for me I also have been going to John Hopkins and when you go to there eye clinic they spend time on you and the procedure that they do in Florida is not a successful one do your home work the Neem tree is good to me and I rather take the herb rather than just five or ten percent in a pill.
Wow! I’ve seen neem improve vision but never heard of it reducing the pressure of glaucoma. Thanks so much for writing us.