Which Herbs Are Natural Insect Repellants?
Long before there were commercial insect-repellant sprays and wipes, there were insects, and, consequently, people sought to repel them. As our forebears who lived in the days before DEET knew, many herbs and essential oils have excellent insect-repelling properties. And happily, there are a number that are easy to cultivate or are readily available at the health-food store. As a bonus, many of the insect-repelling herbs are ornamental and fragrant as well as effective, thus doing double duty in the garden. Ecologically friendly and economical, natural insect repellants made from herbs act without the harsh chemicals present in many commercial repellants. The herbs most well known for their insect-repelling abilities are bay leaf, chamomile, cinnamon, cloves, garlic, lavender, lemongrass, neem leaf, mugwort, pennyroyal, rosemary, rue, santolina, southernwood, tansy, and thyme. Citronella and tea tree oils are potent essential oils that may be combined with herbs in insect-repelling sac
