Objectives: In the Czech Republic, autochtonous transmission of mosquito borne diseases is not common; however, the need for personal protection should not be underestimated. Many people still rely on homemade repellents utilizing recipes based on local folk wisdom that are published annually in local Czech media. Despite minimal disease risk, nuisance biting and potential allergic responses make it essential to evaluate the chemical composition, effect, and duration of four homemade repellents often used and determine the necessity for public health education on application and use of alternative repellent products.
Methods: A review of local web-based media was conducted to identify the most commonly advertised homemade repellent products. The top four products were rosemary (Rosmarinus officinalis), sagebrush (Artemisia absinthium), walnut-tree (Juglans regia) leaves and clove (Syzygium aromaticum). These repellents were then prepared following the published recipes to evaluate their repellency effects, and reveal potential allergen presence. A bioassay against Aedes aegypti was conducted on ten volunteers for each repellent and the chemical composition was detected using gas chromatography.
Results: Significant initial repellency effect was found in mixtures of the clove (73.1%) and walnut leaves (49.0%) with ALPATM herbal embrocation after 10 minutes. The efficacy decreased to 46.5% and 34.3 % after 30 minutes, respectively; and, 30.3 and 18.2%, 60 minutes after the application. The remaining two samples, Rosmarinus officinalis and Artemisia absinthium solutions, exhibited no significant effects against Ae. aegypti. The evidence of allergens including cinnamic aldehyde, eugenol and coumarin were detected indicating potential concerns for product safety.
Conclusion: The homemade repellents reviewed were either ineffective or had unstable repellency effect within one hour. The low efficacy of these products may be appropriate to decrease nuisance biting, but should not be considered for primary prevention against mosquito borne diseases in areas with active disease transmission. Additionally, more research is needed to assess rates of allergic responses to homemade repellent products.
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Article Synopsis
- Insect repellents are crucial for preventing mosquito bites and disease, especially in low-income areas, but even affordable options like DEET can be expensive.
- An Indian clove-based homemade repellent has been proposed as a cheaper alternative, but it was found to be ineffective when made as directed, with eugenol identified as the active ingredient.
- Higher concentrations of eugenol showed some mosquito repellency, but DEET was still more effective and often cheaper than the homemade option.
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