I am taking a Medical Aromatherapy Course and will be finished with my coursework on Thursday! One of the most interesting things from today’s lesson was about Palma Rosa Essential Oil as a mosquito repellent.
This quote was taken directly from the study, published in the Indian Journal of Malariology in 1995.
Field studies were carried out to determine the relative efficacy of repellant action of vegetable, essential and chemical base oils against vector mosquitoes. Results revealed that essential oils viz. Cymbopogan martinii martinii var. Sofia (palmarosa), Cymbopogan citratus (lemon grass) and Cymbopogan nardus (citronella) oils are as effective as chemical base oil namely mylol.
The application of Palma Rosa (pure, 1 ml) reduced the feeding rate of the mosquitoes from 35.8% to 0.4% with caged mosquitos. For mosquitoes flying around outside, the Palma Rosa protected the (unlucky!) volunteers for a full 12 hours at a 96.3% efficient rate.
Elsewhere in Skeeter Beeter news, Bramble Berry’s synergy Bug-Be-Gone essential oil blend is getting some rave reviews. We just got this note from D. Harris:
Hi Anne Marie,
I would like to praise you on the Bug Be Gone Synergistic Blend. It helped put romance back into my marriage. I could not join my husband outside in our beautiful backyard at night because of the mosquitos and Deet didn’t work well for me and I can’t stand the smell. You sent me a bottle of Bug Be Gone courtesy of HSMG 2007 Conference. After using it I was able to sit outside under the stars with my husband. The smell is very nice and my husband likes it too.
That’s good news for all of us that like to stay bite free in the summer while keeping our skin as safe and healthy as we can. Nagging reminder: when using essential oils, always follow proper safety precautionsfor use and storing.
I’m glad that you found the post! I was working on a new “Digg It” function and it got a little confusing. Hopefully I’ll do better next time =)
Anne-Marie
Whoops!