[pct-l] Catnip Mosquito Repellant

[brick at fastpack.com (Brick Robbins)]

At 11:32 AM 5/17/03, StoneDancer1@aol.com wrote:
>Where is the research?  Inquiring minds and all that sh*t.

It works in a lab setting, not tested on humans or animals.  Research from 
Iowa State University, 8/27/01 as reported at the 222nd national meeting of 
the American Chemical Society in Chicago.

http://www.ag.iastate.edu/aginfo/news/2001releases/catnip.html

2003 update
http://www.ag.iastate.edu/aginfo/news/2003releases/catnip.html

The active ingredient in catnip is Nepetalactone. It seems to work in lab 
tests at lower concentrations than DEET. Whether it is safer has not been 
determined, since DEET had been demonstrated to be extremely safe.

 From the report: "[the researcher] warns that pure catnip oil is too 
strong to put directly on skin. The doses tested in his laboratory only 
contain one to five percent of the essential oil."

Military issue "jungle juice" is 100% DEET and doesn't seem to have any 
adverse effects when applied directly, though lower concentrations have 
been demonstrated to be more effective.

No animal or human tests have been published on the safety of catnip oils 
Nepetalactone, or even if it works against mosquitos in the field.

However, since catnip is "natural" many new-age type folks will like it 
better (despite the fact that poison oak and dog doo are both "natural," 
and I wouldn't want to rub either on my skin....)

In the billions of applications of DEET since its introduction in the 1956s 
there have been six cases of toxic systemic reactions in children from 
repeated cutaneous exposure to DEET reported.. Another six systemic toxic 
reactions have been reported following ingestion of DEET (so don't drink 
the stuff.) Additionally, episodes of confusion, irritability, and insomnia 
have been reported by Everglades National Park employees following repeated 
and prolonged use of DEET.

That would make DEET a couple of thousand times safer than peanuts, another 
"all natural" product.

See the "editors note" on http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/00001475.htm

YMMV, IMHO, HYOH




--
Brick Robbins                       mailto:brick@fastpack.com