Neem

Neem produces over 140 biologically active compounds, making it one of the most chemically prolific plants on Earth. Its flagship molecule, azadirachtin, disrupts insect molting hormones so precisely that affected larvae cannot develop into adults. But azadirachtin is just one weapon in an arsenal that includes nimbin, salannin, and dozens of limonoids, each targeting different pest pathways. No single compound does everything; the cocktail does. Insects that evolve resistance to one compound face a dozen others.

This layered defense strategy has made neem a cornerstone of traditional medicine across South Asia for millennia and a growing ingredient in modern consumer products. Unilever's Ayush product line uses neem as a key ingredient, drawing on the same biological principle: the tree's chemical complexity confers credibility that a single synthetic active ingredient cannot replicate.

The business parallel is defensive moat stacking. Companies that rely on a single competitive advantage, whether a patent, a brand, or a network effect, face the same vulnerability as a plant with one toxin. Competitors can eventually crack any single defense. Amazon, Berkshire Hathaway, and TSMC survive because they layer multiple moats: logistics and marketplace and Prime and AWS, or insurance float and capital allocation and permanent holding periods. Each moat is individually breachable. The combination is not. Neem discovered this principle roughly 50 million years before the first corporate strategy deck.