What are the benefits of eucalyptus oil?

Lemon Eucalyptus Oil

• Is there any test data that shows the effectiveness of lemon eucalyptus oil in repelling mosquitoes and other insects? Secondly, is there any data that compares the effectiveness of lemon eucalyptus oil to DEET?

• Answer:

  Hi Paulyt, Jonathan F. Day of the University of Florida tested 17 nationally marketed repellants under laboratory conditions - it was the first study of this kind. "Repel Lemon Eucalyptus Lotion Insect Repellent" was tested alongside other DEET-based products. This article in the Washington Post talks about this study: [...] "Because no one had compared various repellents' effectiveness, Fradin and entomologist Jonathan F. Day of the University of Florida decided to test 17 nationally marketed products under laboratory conditions. They asked 15 volunteers at the Florida Medical Entomology Laboratory in Vero Beach to stick a forearm coated with repellent into a cage containing 10 hungry female mosquitoes and see how much time elapsed before the first bite. [...] Four skin lotions containing DEET in concentrations ranging from 5 percent to 24 percent were among the top six tested. Off! Deep Woods, a repellent containing 23.8 percent DEET, provided the longest-lasting protection: 302 minutes, on average. The other DEET lotions worked for at least 89 minutes. But wristbands, containing DEET or citronella, were completely ineffective. Two botanical repellents performed as well as some DEET-based products. One, containing oil of eucalyptus -- Repel Lemon Eucalyptus Lotion Insect Repellent, which is also marketed as Fite Bite Plant-Based Insect Repellent -- protected participants for an average of 120 minutes. Another, containing 2 percent soybean oil, Bite Blocker for Kids, worked for an average of 95 minutes. None of the other repellents tested -- containing IR3535, citronella, or oils of peppermint, lemongrass, geranium or cedar -- worked for longer than 22 minutes.[...] "The thing that surprised me was the gigantic difference between the DEET-based repellents and, for the most part, the non-DEET-based repellents," Fradin said. Consumers have applied DEET more than 8 billion times in the past 45 years, and its overall safety record is excellent, researchers said. Fradin said there have been about 50 cases of significant toxicity, generally involving high doses or deliberate ingestion. There have been seven reports of seizures in small children who were exposed to excessive doses of DEET, said Andrew Spielman, a professor of tropical medicine at the Harvard School of Public Health who co-wrote a commentary on the study. He said repellents containing about 35 percent DEET provide mosquito protection lasting overnight, and products with higher concentrations offered no additional benefit. He recommended that less-concentrated DEET products should be used for children." [...] Source: Herbals Lag as Mosquito Repellents DEET-Containing Products Far More Effective, Study Finds By Susan Okie Washington Post Staff Writer Thursday, July 4, 2002; Page A01 http://www.beyondpesticides.org/MOSQUITO/ALERTS/washingtonpost_07-19-02.htm =================================================== In this study, two non-DEET repellents with eucalyptus oil provided the most effective protection: "In a widely acclaimed study conducted last year by the New England Journal of Medicine, the top three products all contained varying percentages of DEET as their active ingredient. Deep Woods OFF!, with 23.8 percent DEET was the clear winner with an average time of protection of 301 minutes, or just more than five hours. Sawyer Controlled Release, with 20 percent DEET, had an average time of protection of 234 minutes, or just less than four hours. Skintastik OFF!, with 6.7 percent DEET, provided 112 minutes of total protection, or just less than two hours. [...] By far, the two most effective non-DEET products tested by the New England Journal were Repel Lemon Eucalyptus and Fite Bite, two repellents with eucalyptus oil as their active ingredient, and Bite Blocker for Kids, a repellent with soybean oil as its active ingredient." http://www.coloradoan.com/news/coloradoanpublishing/West_Nile_Virus/062303_deet.html =================================================== "Researchers at Duke University Medical School (led by Dr. Mohamed Abou-Donia) have published findings demonstrating in laboratory studies that frequent and prolonged application of DEET cause neurons to die in regions of the brain responsible for muscle movements, learning, memory and concentration --all subtle effects." http://www.beyondpesticides.org/MOSQUITO/ALERTS/washingtonpost_07-19-02.htm =================================================== Related site: "Studies have shown that Catnip oil is about ten times more effective than DEET for repelling mosquitoes and other insects. To read more about the study, click here. ( www.E-Scent-ials.com/catnip.html ). Blending catnip oil with Lemon Eucalyptus - which has a higher citronellol content than Citronella, and is also said to be useful as an insect repellent - will yield a more pleasing scent." http://www.e-scent-ials.com/Oil-properties.html =================================================== On another question i researched (about dust mite control), I came across a site which talks about using eucalyptus oil to control allergic reactions: "...in one of the most interesting breakthroughs of late in controlling allergic reactions caused by dust mites was a study done at the University of Sydney in Australia utilizing eucalyptus oil when washing wool, sheets or linens. The study indicated that wool washed with a mixture of detergent and eucalyptus oil actually eliminated up to 95% of the Dust Mites in wool. The unique thing is that they were able to do this at a lower temperature, thus preserving the fabric. ....Here is a recipe for using O'Brien's World Famous Oil of Eucalyptus in the wash. ....When you strip the bedding off the mattress, just spray a couple of sprays on a towel and wipe down the mattress. Then place all the bedding in the washing machine and fill the machine with water. Mix three parts liquid detergent and one part O'Brien's World Famous Oil of Eucalyptus and pour into the washing machine. Let it soak for 30 minutes then wash as usual. Do this on a regular basis and you will feel the difference. *Please note that once you have made up the mixture of 1 to 3: then stir one tablespoon in a glass of water and stir. If the water stays cloudy for 10 minutes you a have a good mixture." http://www.allnaturalpainrelief.com/dust_mites.html =================================================== I hope this information is useful! regards, JACKBURTON-ga ---------------------------- Search terms used (Google): "lemon eucalyptus" study university insect "washington post" "lemon eucalyptus" "lemon eucalyptus" "120 minutes"