What makes citronella

Like many essential oils, citronella oil has certain benefits, and has been used in China and Indonesia for centuries to treat rashes, infections, and other health conditions. Today, citronella oil is probably best known as a natural insect repellant, but its uses and benefits extend beyond keeping bugs at bay. But does scientific research support these uses? A review of 11 studies looked at the effectiveness of various citronella preparations in preventing mosquito bites.

It concluded that using citronella oil together with vanillin found in vanilla beans provided mosquito protection for up to three hours. The study also found that DEET provided protection for a much longer period of time than just citronella oil on its own. A study compared the ability of DEET, citronella oil, and fennel oil to repel mosquitoes.

Researchers found that DEET had a protection rating of over 90 percent over six hours. Citronella and fennel oil had protection ratings of about 57 percent and 47 percent, respectively, after only two hours.

Another study assessed the effectiveness of several mosquito repellents, and concluded that citronella candles were of little use as a mosquito repellent. Several studies have found that citronella oil has certain antifungal properties that may help weaken or destroy certain types of fungi that can cause health problems.

A study evaluated the antifungal activity of citronella oil against a strain of fungus known as Aspergillus niger. This common fungus is thought to cause lung and sinus infections in people with weakened immune systems.

The study found that citronella oil had the ability to destroy the cell wall of the fungus and kill the organisms within the cell that can cause infection. This led the researchers to suggest citronella oil may have the potential to be used as a safe and environmentally friendly fungicide. An earlier study looked at the antibacterial and antifungal activity of ten essential oils and found that citronella oil was effective against all 12 fungi that were tested.

The same study found that citronella oil managed to inhibit 15 of 22 bacteria, while eucalyptus, lemongrass, peppermint, and orange oils were effective against all 22 bacterial strains. A publication from looked at the effectiveness of citronella and cinnamon oil in fighting Candida albicans , a fungus that can cause infections in the mouth and other parts of the body.

Both essential oils initially reduced the number of viable microorganisms. The authors suggest that a daily application of a solution of either oil may be effective in reducing this fungus. Based on recent research, citronella oil may have the potential to speed up the healing of wounds. This may be of particular importance for people with diabetes, as wounds tend to heal more slowly with this condition.

In a animal study , researchers looked at the effect that citronella oil had on the healing of Candida -infected wounds in a diabetic mouse model. The citronella oil had both an antifungal and anti-inflammatory effect. Reducing bites by half still means a lot of bites and you only need one bite from the wrong mosquito to catch a disease.

Interesting that you provide anecdotal story and dismiss others as not scientific. For example, if a citronella candle or intense burns for an hour is it more effective than if it burns 5 minutes?

What if conditions are windy? We have two grandkids that mosquitoes love. When they come to visit in the AM the mosquitoes would fly in queue to get a taste of their delicious young blood. Unfortunately, such anecdotal evidence does not change the scientific facts. The data I present in this blog is based on scientific research done with proper controls.

The reference I added does show some effectiveness of citronella candles, but certainly not complete control. For patio areas, I found that burning pinion wood in a pit is about the best.

If you Google you will find quite a few suppliers. Lowes seems to sell a brand of pinion wood. I also looked for someone who has tested pinion wood for combating mosquitoes, but did not find a reference.

As it burns it does give off smoke, as well as a pine-smell; both of which work as weak mosquito repellants, so I suspect pinion wood works to some extent. Is it better than other kinds of wood?? How do you take care of the plants in winter, do they come back in spring? Do they live all year round? That means DEET is less toxic than citronella oil, to the skin of rabbits. I live in mosquito country.

Picardin is certainly a good alternative, however, you might be overly concerned about DEET. Robert I for one, wish to thank you for your diligence in research and desire to educate by sharing your findings. Good read. But the burning question is does anyone know the most effective way to keep the blood sucking pests away from ones yard and patio safely? Good Question. I think it is really two questions; how do you keep them away from your yard, and secondly is a working method safe?

Any kind of spray, candles, etc that puts something in the air gets blown away by the wind. Deet, applied to skin is still the most effective option. Is Deet safe? I have not done extensive research on this question, but it is considered a relatively safe product. I think it is as safe as many of our home cleaners—my opinion.

I spend most days in the garden, and when the bugs are really bad I use it. I use the liquid rather than the spray, since most of the spray is lost and sprays are not good for the environment. There have been controlled studies in the use of lemon grass oil as a repellent for stable flies and Mosquitos and the results conclude that lemon grass oil is an effective repellent against the pests.

As the post says, research in North America does confirm it works, but reports from Europe disprove these findings. In science a fact is not a fact unless the research can be repeated. The following reference was done in the field and does show some relief from mosquitoes by reducing the number of bites in half.

Subjects got more than 1 bite a minute using citronella candles vs 2 without. Not nearly as effective as Deet. Born in mosiquito counrty the most natural way to control these blood suckers is with Dragon flyies. I have never seen dragon flies for sale. Even if you could buy them, they would not stay on your property.

Just like other insect such as lady bugs, they fly away fairly quickly. Buying beneficial insects only works in closed quarters like a greenhouse. Not entirely true. Predators will stay in an area until the prey falls below a level that will sustain them. You are right though about dragon flies — they are just too mobile, and can cover a large distance in a short time. Wow a great read.. Safe in what sense? As an individual whose career is guided by pharmaceuticals, I can say leaning on the cdc for determining what is safe or not is not always the wisest choice.

Most studies on this relate back to European waters, and for some more info I suggest a scholar search of deets impact on environment I have no links on hand, my apologies. Safe, like many terms, is relative to how it is applied to the subject at hand. It is not logical to think that DEET in ponds would keep larvae from growing.

So in some ways you have just contradicted yourself. However chemicals can be safe for insects and harmful to humans. I have not seen reports of DEET being a problem in water. Considering the fact that people use very small amounts I would be surprised if this is true.

Press here to subscribe. Garden Myths - Learn the truth about gardening. Citronella Plant Keeps Mosquitoes Away By on Mosquitoes are becoming a more important pest as new varieties move north in North America, and the incidence of diseases increases.

Cymbopogon citratus — lemongrass. If you like this post, please share This entry is filed under Pesticides and tagged citronella , mosquitoes. September 28, at am.

Tracy Savage says:. September 15, at am. Jedidiah says:. May 26, at am. Robert Pavlis says:. May 26, at pm. Marie says:. May 20, at am. May 20, at pm. Melissa Stimmel says:. March 7, at am. MiLo McDonell says:. February 20, at am. Megan Hildum says:. November 13, at am. Paul says:. October 2, at pm. October 19, at pm. Shirley says:. December 1, at am. January 5, at am. January 9, at pm. Elaine says:. June 5, at pm. March 16, at pm. Shashank says:. September 27, at pm. Tim Barber says:.

July 8, at pm. Carole Eff says:. June 17, at am. June 17, at pm. Loren says:. July 20, at pm. July 22, at pm. Lynanne says:. July 4, at pm. Marty says:. July 25, at am. August 9, at pm. Rusty says:. August 19, at am. Matt says:. Leslie says:. June 8, at pm.

Crystal says:. May 27, at pm. May 28, at pm. Sandie Marie Gordon says:. June 15, at am. Campbell says:. April 30, at am. Daniel says:. June 10, at am. Sandra says:. April 12, at am. April 14, at am. April 19, at pm.

SquashFlower says:. July 10, at pm. Valerie says:. March 14, at pm. MrsB says:. March 29, at am. March 29, at pm. June 1, at am. Nick says:. December 26, at am. December 26, at pm. James Verdi says:. March 9, at am. March 9, at pm. Mondy says:. June 11, at pm. Astro Gremlin says:. December 5, at am.

Greenbean says:. October 13, at am. October 14, at pm. David says:. September 13, at pm. September 18, at pm. Amanda says:. May 14, at am. May 21, at pm. Linda says:. Graham Sherrington says:. June 19, at pm. June 16, at pm. Erica says:.

August 6, at pm. Lesia says:. July 30, at pm. Evans says:. July 18, at am. Howard says:. July 14, at am. July 17, at pm. Jacy Poo says:. July 12, at pm. July 9, at pm. July 11, at pm. Sean says:. August 19, at pm.

Stephen says:. February 12, at am. Touko says:. July 8, at am. Akjen says:. July 12, at am. Sandi says:. August 25, at pm. June 21, at pm. A Nicolaou says:. May 9, at pm.

Constance says:. June 30, at pm. Janelle says:. April 1, at pm. Tom Presslar says:. June 7, at pm. Charles Holekamp says:. June 12, at pm. Enzo benitez says:. January 5, at pm. Nathan says:. March 26, at pm. March 27, at am. Ari says:. January 12, at am. Bang says:. August 20, at am. Janet says:. July 23, at am. Drew says:. June 29, at pm. Strawberry says:. Snicky says:. July 7, at pm. Rob says:. August 30, at pm. May 29, at pm. June 2, at am. JR says:. January 1, at am.

Melanie says:. Branko says:. June 11, at am. June 14, at pm. Mike L says:. May 16, at pm. Ahmed Chacings says:. January 24, at am. January 24, at pm. Stephen Holladay says:. May 12, at pm. Doug says:. June 26, at am. L M Griffith says:. May 24, at am. Shiraz Qaddoumi says:. May 31, at am. June 5, at am. July 13, at am. Wally says:. May 12, at am. Kel says:. March 4, at am. March 5, at pm.

Rosalie Parker says:. March 28, at pm. March 30, at am. May 4, at am. May 4, at pm. Bernard says:. February 10, at am. February 12, at pm. February 8, at am. Rob Lepper says:. January 25, at pm. David L. January 19, at pm. January 22, at am. Joseph Muscat says:. May 5, at pm. If you purchase something through our links, we may earn a commission. Pricing and availability are accurate as of publish time.

Summer days can feel glorious after a long winter. Unfortunately, though, along with hot and sunny days come mosquitos. Naturally, many people strive to repel mosquitoes as effectively as possible. And, often, they turn to citronella candles like the Cutter Citro Guard. But, does citronella really work, or is it just hype? Citronella is naturally occurring oil that repels insects. It is distilled from two types of grass, according to the National Pesticide Information Center.

While it is currently approved as safe for humans and the environment by the U. The oil is supposed to work by masking scents that are attractive to insects, according to the NPIC. However, the center notes that it hasn't found studies to demonstrate that this actually works.

The article explains that products with a citronella base are only effective as a mosquito repellent for about two hours, because the oils rapidly evaporate.

The U. Center for Disease Control and Prevention does not include citronella products on its list of recommended mosquito repellents.