Do you know a natural way to keep mosquitoes at bay? Nature has provided us with some wonderful plants that can keep mosquitoes away from your house. Many studies have proved that there is no need to use any chemicals to repel mosquitoes, as the extracted oil of these plants acts as a repellent. Here we have some plants, such as lemon grass, basil, peppermint, marigold, and tulsi, that have been proven effective mosquito repellents.
1. Lemon grass: Cymbopogon citratus is famous for its fresh and pleasant lemon-like aroma. Research investigations have shown that it can provide protection against mosquitoes. It has active compounds like citronellol, geranial, geraniol, and neral. Studies define geraniol and neral as the two components that act as repellents. It also has medicinal properties to maintain high blood pressure and treat various illnesses like stomach spasms, cough, common cold, and fever.
2. Basil plant: Ocimum basilicum is a mint family lamiaceae plant native to India and known for its aromatic leaves. Research studies show that constituents present in the basil plant have a great potential to repel anopheles mosquitoes. Constituents are present in the basil plant. Studies also define that the essential oil of basil can provide up to 100% protection from Anopheles mosquitoes for several hours.
3. Marigold: Calendula officinalis of the Asteraceae family is known for its yellow-orange colored attractive flowers. Research has found that, apart from its medicinal values, it can also act as a mosquito repellent due to the presence of contents such as a-terthienyl in it. Due to the presence of this chemical in it, it is potent at repelling mosquitoes.
4. Peppermint: Mentha piperita is commonly found in everyone’s house and is native to the Middle East and Europe. It is easy to manage and grow, and its minty smell can effectively repel mosquitoes from the house and also show larvicidal properties. The research study found that extracted oil from this plant can be used to control mosquitoes and the use of extracted oil can repel mosquitoes naturally for up to 150 minutes. Additionally, it is also used to treat various digestive issues.
Tulsi: Ocimum sanctum, a holy basil commonly known as Krishna Tulsi native to India. In Ayurveda, it is mentioned as the mother of medicine of nature. It has been mentioned in many researches that in addition to its medicinal value, it is also a very good mosquito and insect repellent.
References:
1. Baldacchino, F., Tramut, C., Salem, A., Liénard, E., Delétré, E., Franc, M., Martin, T., Duvallet, G., & Jay-Robert, P. (2013). The repellency of lemongrass oil against stable flies, tested using video tracking. Parasite (Paris, France), 20, 21. https://doi.org/10.1051/parasite/2013021
2. Asadollahi, A., Khoobdel, M., Zahraei-Ramazani, A. et al. Effectiveness of plant-based repellents against different Anopheles species: a systematic review. Malar J 18, 436 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1186/s12936-019-3064-8
3. Kumar, S., Wahab, N., & Warikoo, R. (2011). Bioefficacy of Mentha piperita essential oil against dengue fever mosquito Aedes aegypti L. Asian Pacific journal of tropical biomedicine, 1(2), 85–88. https://doi.org/10.1016/S2221-1691(11)60001-4
4. https://www.rxlist.com/supplements/lemongrass.htm#:~:text=Overview,the%20common%20cold%2C%20and%20exhaustion.
5. Cohen M. M. (2014). Tulsi - Ocimum sanctum: A herb for all reasons. Journal of Ayurveda and integrative medicine, 5(4), 251–259. https://doi.org/10.4103/0975-9476.146554
(By Akashita Panjla)
