Most Nigerians know Dongoyaro as that bitter tree people boil for malaria, use as a chewing stick, or plant around their homes for shade.
But this same tree can make insects “forget” how to eat, naturally protect crops without chemicals, preserve wood from termites for years, and has earned a reputation as one of the most useful trees on Earth?
The best part?
Almost every part of the tree - from its leaves to its seeds and bark has a purpose.
Interesting facts about Dongoyaro( Neem Tree)
• Dongoyaro, also known as the Neem tree (Azadirachta indica), gets its popular Hausa name from dogo yaro, meaning “tall boy”, because of its fast, upright growth.
• The tree produces a natural compound called azadirachtin that disrupts the growth and reproduction of many insect pests, making it one of nature’s most famous pesticides.
• Instead of relying on a single chemical, neem contains many different bioactive compounds that help protect the tree from insects and disease.
• Long before modern toothbrushes became common, people used neem twigs as chewing sticks because they release natural antibacterial substances while you chew them.
• The tree thrives in extremely hot, dry conditions and is widely planted in parts of Northern Nigeria to help fight desertification.
• Crushed neem leaves and seeds have been used traditionally to protect stored grains and farm soils from certain pests.
• Neem wood is naturally resistant to many insects, including termites, which makes it valuable for outdoor use.
• The tree has been used in traditional medicine for centuries across Asia and Africa, earning the nickname “the village pharmacy.”
• Neem seed oil is very concentrated and should be used carefully, especially around children and animals.
• Unlike many harsh chemical pesticides, neem products are generally considered less harmful to many beneficial insects and other animals when used appropriately.
• Farmers often plant neem around homes and farms because it provides shade, improves the environment, and helps reduce pest pressure naturally.
• The United Nations once described the neem tree as one of the most promising trees of the 21st century because of its potential in agriculture, health, and environmental protection.
• A mature neem tree can survive drought, poor soils, and intense heat that would stress many other trees.
A Neem tree can live and produce fruit for up to 200 years!
Neem tree is one of the wonders of nature, when next you see Neem tree or Dogoyaro say a silent thank you bcs it's a wonderful tree beneficial for mankind.
Happy Weekend
Lanre NaijaFarmer
@Nig_Farmer DOGONYARO is name shared by two different plants (trees)yet each has at least one or two different specific names in Nigeria.The two trees are not indigenous Nigerian/African trees yet they thrive well on any soil or climat.
@ShaykhSulaiman France is drowning who must clunch at any straw what with financial condition partly triggered the Russian influence on its former colonies like Mali Niger, Burkina faso,....in France is in mess . its support for Ukraine against Russia should be viewed from this perspective.
@SwitchNigeriaNG@dua_hub Only uneducated people call Muslims terrorists.hitler was not a Muslim, Netanyahou is not a Muslim,stalin was not a Muslim, Napoléon was not a Muslim,who threw atom bombs at Hiroshima and Nagasaki were not Muslims, the killers and maimers of Congolese people are not Muslims...
@SwitchNigeriaNG@dua_hub A desert cult that gave the world its first hospitals and how to run them, algebra/algorithm, TARRIFs(تعريف), taught the world the idea of zero, how to use drones warfare against and humble destabilize a superior tyrannic super power.
@ShehuSani The composition and constituents of Coca-Cola was changed officially in the eighties and the Coca-Cola company did not hide it when it was doing it.
In 1879, a simple Egyptian peasant woman named Mubarka Khafaji from a village in Kafr El-Sheikh married a farmer, Ibrahim Atta, who worked for daily wages. Due to financial hardship, he divorced her even though she was in the final months of her pregnancy.
Mubarka moved with her mother and brother to Alexandria, where she gave birth to her son, Ali Ibrahim Atta. She made a firm decision to do everything possible to raise and educate him in the best way.
She had countless reasons to despair and grow bitter toward men, but she did not. She could have forced her son into child labor selling tissues at traffic lights, but instead she worked as a cheese seller in the streets of Alexandria to support him.
She enrolled her son Ali in the Ras El-Tin Primary School. After he completed primary education, his father came to take him away to make him work with only a basic certificate.
But Mubarka’s dreams were much greater. She secretly moved her son from the roof of her house to the neighboring roof and fled with him to Cairo, enrolling him in the Khedivial School in Darb El-Gamamiz. She worked for a family in order to fund his education.
Ali excelled in his studies and was admitted to medical school in 1897, graduating in 1901.
Fifteen years later, Sultan Hussein Kamel fell seriously ill, and doctors were unable to diagnose his condition. Dr. Othman Ghaleb suggested the name of Dr. Ali Ibrahim. He successfully performed a critical surgery, after which he was appointed as the Sultan’s chief surgical consultant and personal physician, receiving the title of "Bey."
In 1922, King Fouad I granted him the title of "Pasha."
In 1929, Dr. Ali Pasha Ibrahim became the first Egyptian dean of the Faculty of Medicine at Fouad I University (Cairo University). He later became the university’s president.
In 1940, he was appointed Minister of Health. In the same year, he founded the Egyptian Medical Syndicate and became its first president. He also served as a member of the Egyptian Parliament.
His mother was: An uneducated, rural, divorced peasant woman.
Yet she raised a son who changed history.
The reform of any society begins with a mother.
Salute to every mother who is a true school of life.