Herbs vs. Bugs

Article Tools

Image Gallery

Print

E-mail

Comments

RSS

Basils (Ocimum spp.) can be used as mosquito repellents by either crushing the leaves or applying the oil. The species found to be most effective include common sweet basil (O. basilicum), the sacred basil of India (O. tenuiflorum, formerly O. sanctum), and tree basil (O. gratissimum, formerly O. suave). Oil of juniper (Juniperus communis) can also fight off two mosquito species.

Another alternative is mugwort (Artemisia vulgaris), one of the most ancient of insect repellents. Europeans of the Middle Ages believed that it possessed wondrous virtues for fending off all manner of wild beasts and evil spirits. Since the time of Dioscorides in the 1st century A.D., this herb has been regarded as useful against moths. Today we know that mugwort is a repellent against the yellow-fever mosquito. I’ve not used it myself, but scientific studies indicate that mugwort can be effective either crushed onto clothing, applied as an oil on clothing, or burned as a fumigant.

Tansy is another traditional insect-repellent herb; growing it near the doorway of a home to discourage flies from entering is an old custom. If you can find its essential oil, by all means add it to my herbal insect repellant recipe. I omitted it from the formula only because it does not seem to be as readily available as the other oils, but evidence suggests that tansy’s reputation for repellency is earned.

An extract of sweet flag (Acorus calamus), especially in combination with an extract of turmeric (Curcuma longa) or pine (Pinus sp.), has been effective against yellow-fever mosquitoes. Many other plants have shown promise against mosquitoes; among them are yarrow (Achillea millefolium), sweet Annie, hyssop, German chamomile, bog myrtle (Myrica gale), lantana, marsh tea (Ledum palustre), sassafras, and sandalwood.

Flies

The ingredients of my herbal formula that might shoo off the common housefly are palmarosa, citronella, juniper and rose geranium. Preliminary tests have demonstrated some effectiveness in repelling various flies.

Other reported fly repellents include the oil of roots of sweet flag, extracts of the twigs of Kenyan myrrh (Commiphora boiviniana), and extracts of the roots of Mexican yellow chapote (Sargentia greggii). Other possibilities include bog myrtle, German chamomile, sandalwood, tomato and vetiver.

Apple-of-Peru (Nicandra physalodes) was touted at the turn of the century as the shoo-fly plant. This species, which has escaped in the American tropics but is still sometimes grown as a garden annual, contains chemicals that inhibit feeding in flies, but its ability to repel them has not been established.

Fleas

The oils of lemon and pine are included in the recipe in hopes that they’ll keep fleas from mistaking me for a dog. For use in flea pillows and bedding for your pets, I recommend the dried leaves of pennyroyal, fleabane and California laurel, mixed together with these two oils.

RSS | Comments | E-mail | Print