Mosquito bites can frequently cause itching (pruritus), lumps (papules) and urticaria of the skin.
Sometimes, small blisters (bullae) may develop. It is crucial to avoid scratching the skin as this increases vulnerability to developing an infection at the site of the bite.
While many people resort to using toxic chemicals to repel mosquitoes, there are natural ways to keep them from chowing down on your blood.
These are 29 natural mosquito repellent plants so that you can truly enjoy your time spent in the great outdoors.
1.Citronella
This amazing plant is essentially prized for its citrusy scent, which is thought to hold mosquito-repelling properties. This plant is usually found under a number of names, such as mosquito plant geranium, citronella plant, pelargonium citrosum and citrosa geranium. When growing mosquito plant geranium indoors, keep it watered and fertilize occasionally with an all-purpose plant food. Outside the herb is fairly drought tolerant.
2.Swedish ivy (Plectranthus verticillatus)
It is a plant from the family Lamiaceae, genus Plectranthus. This herb has been popular as a houseplant for many years and for good reason.
The ideal beginners’ plant, it thrives in a range of soil, watering, and light conditions.
3.Venus Fly Trap
Venus fly trap likes lots of light. Try to give it at least four hours of direct sunlight a day.
The more you can give it the better. It is best to grow this plant outside where it can get plenty of sun and catch its own food. Venus fly traps will eat mosquitoes and any other insect that will fit in the trap.
Though they don’t often naturally catch mosquitoes because of the fact that they aren’t attracted to the traps like some other insects.
4.Peppermint
This herb is a hybrid mint, a cross between watermint and spearmint. If you do happen to get bitten, peppermint leaves applied directly onto the skin make a great bite relief treatment.
The chemical composition of the essential oil from peppermint are menthone (23.4%) and menthol (40.7%).
5.Rosemary
Rosemary, or Rosmarinus officinalis, is a member of the Lamiaceae mint family, which includes many other herbs.
It is broadly cultivated all over the world. The incredible rosemary has been used variously as a food preservative, medicine, stimulant, memory enhancer and of course as a flavorsome cooking ingredient.
It is strongly aromatic and toxic to insects due to the many compounds extracted from its flowers and leaves.
6.Thyme (Satureja hortensis)
Thyme is an evergreen herb with medicinal, culinary and ornamental uses. When it comes to repelling malarial mosquitoes, thyme oil is one of the best at providing protection. In one recent study, hairless mice had five percent thyme oil applied to the skin, with a 91 percent protection rate. The volatile oil components of thyme are now known to include geraniol, carvacolo, borneol but most importantly, thymol.
7.Lemongrass
Lemongrass, or Cybnopogon citrates in the family Poaceae, is generally used as a culinary herb in Asian cuisine and also as a medicinal herb in India. It is a tall perennial grass that grows in dense clumps, whose leaves have a lemony scent.
As the name implies, lemongrass smells just like lemons, but it is sweeter, milder and far less sour. Repellent compounds contained in this plant include citronellol, alpha-pinene, citronellal, and geraniol.
8.Basil (Ocimum basilicum)
Originally native to India, Iran and other tropical parts of Asia, basil repels house flies and mosquitoes. Basil leaves contain essential oils, such as citronellol, eugenol, citral, linalool, limonene, and terpineol. Basil is one of the few plants that give off a scent without the leaves having to be crushed or physically disturbed.
9.Mexican marigold
Mexican marigold, or Tagetes minuta lucida in the family Asteraceae, is a perennial herb that is available in various cultivated strains and forms, which are usually hard to distinguish from one another.
The Aztecs referred to this plant as yauhtli, „the dark one.” The Aztecs would scatter a powder of marigold into the faces of prisoners of war who were to be burned as sacrifices so that they would be drugged during the ordeal. The active compounds in marigold which act as antifeedants are limonene, alpha-pinene, and borneol. Borneol is also a component of many essential oils and is a natural insect repellent. The substance alpha-terpineol is also responsible for the pesticidal and insecticidal properties of Tagetes lucida.
10.Dill
Dill, scientifically known as Anethum Graveolens, is native to southern Russia, western Africa, and the Mediterranean region. Dried dill seeds are light brown in color and oval in shape, featuring one flat side and one convex ridged side.
The dill seeds are similar in taste to caraway, featuring a flavor that is aromatic, sweet and citrusy, but also slightly bitter.
11.Nettle (Urtica dioica)
Originally from the colder regions of Asia and northern Europe, this herbaceous shrub grows all over the world today. Persons using blood thinners or blood pressure-lowering medications should not use urtica dioica leaf without consulting a doctor.
12.Sweet woodruff (Galium odoratum)
It was originally grown for the fresh smell the leaves give off and was used as a type of air freshener. The herb repels moths and carpet beetles. It is a good idea to place it beneath the carpets. It emits sweet aroma and also keeps mosquitoes and ants at bay.
13.Lavender (Lavandula angustifolia)
The name of the plant comes from the Latin root „lavare”, which means „to wash.” The plant has been used for over 2,500 years. Greeks, ancient Persians, and Romans added the flowers to their bathwater to help wash and purify their skin. The oil extracted from the blue-violet flowers can be used as a natural repellent against pesky mosquitoes.
14.Jasmine tobacco (Nicotiana alata)
Nicotiana alata is native from southern Brazil to northeastern Argentina. It has a lovely fragrance in the evening tonight. Most varieties bloom from late-afternoon to evening. All parts of Jasmine tobacco are poisonous if ingested.
15.Floss Flower (Ageratum houstonianum)
It is a cool-season annual plant often grown as bedding in gardens. Floss flower is native to Central America and adjacent parts of Mexico, but has become an invasive weed in other areas. All parts of the plant are poisonous if ingested.
16.Jasmine (Jasminum officinale)
Jasmine is a twining, vigorous, deciduous climber with sharply pointed pinnate leaves and clusters of starry, pure white flowers in summer, which are the source of its heady scent. A single jasmine officinale vine can perfume an entire garden or room. This oil can cause irritation in some people if used too many times or in high concentrations, so use with caution, preferably in low concentrations.
17.Catnip (Nepeta cataria)
Catnip is a species of the genus Nepeta in the family Lamiaceae, native to the Middle East, eastern and southern Europe, Central Asia and parts of China. The plant terpenoid nepetalactone is the main chemical constituent of the essential oil of Nepeta cataria. Researchers suggest that catnip may be even more effective at repelling mosquitoes than DEET (the compound used in most artificial bug repellents, which is highly toxic).
18.Lemon balm (Melissa officinalis)
It is a perennial herbaceous plant in the mint family Lamiaceae, native to south-central Europe, the Mediterranean region, Central Asia and North Africa. Melissa officinalis essential oil is very popular in aromatherapy. The essential oil is generally co-distilled with citronella oil, lemon oil, or other oils.
19.Garlic (Allium sativum)
Garlic was known to Ancient Egyptians and has been used for both culinary and medicinal purposes. Allium sativum actually repels mosquitoes, but not from garlic breath. If you have a high allicin blood count, mosquitoes will refuse to „consume” with your blood.
20.Catalpa
Catalpa is a genus of flowering plants in the family Bignoniaceae, native to warm temperate and subtropical regions of North America, the Caribbean, and East Asia.
21.Lemon Verbena
Verbena is a genus in the family Verbenaceae. It contains about 250 species of annual and perennial herbaceous or semi-woody flowering plants. Most of the species are native to the Americas and Europe.
Lemon verbena has a light citrus scent and can be added to tea for both flavor and its calming effect on the digestive system.
22.Pitcher Plant
Pitcher plants are carnivorous plants whose prey-trapping mechanism features a deep cavity filled with liquid known as a pitfall trap. Once the mosquitoes get inside the pitcher, they can’t get out again and are digested by the plant.
23.Laurel (Laurus nobilis)
Laurel is an aromatic evergreen tree or large shrub with green, glossy leaves, native to the Mediterranean region. The most abundant active component found in laurel essential oil is cineole, also called eucalyptol.
24.Oxeye daisy (Leucanthemum vulgare)
Oxeye daisy is a rhizomatous perennial with dark green spoon-shaped leaves and solitary white, daisy-like flower-heads with yellow disk florets, blooming in late spring and early summer. Allergies to daisies do occur, usually causing contact dermatitis.
25.Magnolia soulangeana
Magnolia soulangeana is one of the most frequently used magnolias in horticulture, being broadly planted in the British Isles, especially in the south of England, and in the U. S., particularly the west and east coasts.
26.Aloe vera
Aloe vera leaves contain phytochemicals under study for possible bioactivities, such as polymannans, acetylated mannans, anthrones, anthraquinone C-glycosides, other anthraquinones, such as emodin, and various lectins.
27.Eucalyptus
Eucalyptus is native to Australia and has spread in the past few centuries to other regions of the world including Europe, India, and South Africa. Although most varieties of eucalyptus don’t stand a temperature lower than 27 Fahrenheit, but it’s effective for keeping the mosquitoes away from your garden and home.
28.Oregano (Origanum vulgare)
Oregano has purple flowers and spade-shaped, olive-green leaves. The herb is a perennial, although it is grown as an annual in colder climates, as it often does not survive the winter. Oregano, incidentally, contains the active substance carvacrol, which mosquitoes find offensive.
29.Patchouli (Pogostemon cablin)
Patchouli is a species of plant from the genus Pogostemon. It is used primarily in Chinese medicine, 100% essential oil obtained from the Pachouli plant can give protection against all kinds of bugs, especially through topical application.
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