Supplement
Neem is an evergreen tree from India whose leaves, bark and oil have long been used in traditional medicine, and its plant compounds have antibacterial and anti-inflammatory properties. People mostly look at it for gum health, and small studies found neem mouthwash lowered plaque scores about as much as chlorhexidine and modestly eased gum inflammation. Still, the evidence is limited, the trials were small, and evidence for skin uses like acne is very limited.
- Updated
- How we grade
- Best evidence
- Grade C
- Conditions studied
- 2
- Outcomes
- 3
- Graded outcomes
- 0021
Evidence by condition
- Strong
- Moderate
- Limited
- Very limited
| Grade | Outcome | Effect | Size | Studies | People | Studies list |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Plaque Reduction Neem mouthwash reduces plaque scores comparable to chlorhexidine in some studies | Improves (the measure goes down) | Small effect | 200 people | |||
| Gingival Index Modest improvement in gingival inflammation markers | Improves (the measure goes down) | Small effect | 180 people |
| Grade | Outcome | Effect | Size | Studies | People | Studies list |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Acne Limited evidence for acne improvement with topical neem | Improves (the measure goes down) | Small effect | 60 people |
Key findings
- Plaque ReductionImproves (the measure goes down)
- Gingival IndexImproves (the measure goes down)
- AcneImproves (the measure goes down)