FRIDAY FACT: The USA Centers for Disease Control have now added oil of Lemon Eucalyptus (Eucalyptus citriodora) as a mosquito repellent, and reports show that this essential oil works as well as low concentrations of DEET and may last for up to six hours. Some good scientific research supports the effectiveness of oil of Lemon Eucalyptus against mosquitoes. For example, a number of studies demonstrates the potential for this essential oil used as not just as a repellent but also as an insecticide against 3 species of mosquitoes (Southeast Asian J Trop Med Public Health. 2011 Sep;42(5) Other studies have shown that oil of Lemon Eucalyptus has the longest repellency times compared to a number of other essential oils. Interestingly, the principal components of each of the essential oils tested suggested that limonene and camphor were the main components responsible for the repellent effects. (Bioresour Technol. 2008 May;99(7)
Posted on: Thu, 11 Jul 2013 22:43:15 +0000