Natural Mosquito Repellent

Nature's Herbal Natural Mosquito & Insect Shield is a full 8 ounces of long lasting protection against mosquitoes and other pests. Based on actual research studies at Iowa State University, in which Catnip oil was found to be 10 times more effective than DEET. Nature's Herbal Natural Mosquito & Insect Shield contains 100% pure Catnip oil (nepetalactone), 100% pure Pennyroyal oil (known to repel biting insects), 100% pure Rosemary oil and Pure Vegetable Glycerin, used to keep the product on the skin for up to 8 hours. This product far out-lasts and out-performs any other product on the market today.

New information, New Discoveries, There is no such thing as a Mosquito repellent!

Catnip Repels Mosquitoes More Effectively Than DEET

CHICAGO, August 27, 2001 — Researchers report that nepetalactone, the essential oil in catnip that gives the plant its characteristic odor, is about ten times more effective at repelling mosquitoes than DEET — the compound used in most commercial insect repellents.

The finding was reported today at the 222nd national meeting of the American Chemical Society, the world's largest scientific society, by the same Iowa State University research group that two years ago discovered that catnip also repels cockroaches.

Entomologist Chris Peterson, Ph.D., with Joel Coats, Ph.D., chair of the university's entomology department, led the effort to test catnip's ability to repel mosquitoes. Peterson, a former post-doctoral research associate at the school, is now with the U.S. Department of Agriculture Forest Service, Wood Products Insects Research Unit, in Starkville, Miss.

Peterson says nepetalactone is about 10 times more effective than DEET because it takes about one-tenth as much nepetalactone as DEET to have the same effect. Most commercial insect repellents contain about 5 percent to 25 percent DEET. Presumably, much less catnip oil would be needed in a formulation to have the same level of repellency as a DEET-based repellent.

Catnip is a perennial herb belonging to the mint family and grows wild in most parts of the United States, although it also is cultivated for commercial use. Catnip is native to Europe and was introduced to this country in the late 18th century. It is primarily known for the stimulating effect it has on cats, although some people use the leaves in tea, as a meat tenderizer and even as a folk treatment for fevers, colds, cramps and migraines.

(American Chemical Society original source.)