cinnamon oil instead of deet posted by Dr. Mercola

[Guest guest]

Cinnamon Oil Better for Killing Mosquitoes Than DEET

According to a study, cinnamon oil was found to be an effective

environmentally safe pesticide that also exuded a pleasant odor.

Although it hasn't been tested for use against adult mosquitoes,

researchers are hopeful that cinnamon oil will act as an effective

mosquito repellant.

Along with being an annoyance to summer outdoor enthusiasts,

mosquitoes also pose the threat of potentially major health problems

because of the deadly agents they carry such as malaria, yellow

fever and the West Nile virus.

The serious health and environmental concerns that arose from the

use of unsafe conventional pesticide applications have prompted the

search for natural and healthier chemicals to control mosquito

larvae.

In a study, researchers tested 11 compounds that contained cinnamon

leaf oil to determine how effective they were at destroying the

emerging larvae produced by the yellow fever mosquito. It was

discovered that the following four compounds, cinnamalaehyde,

cinnamyl acetate, eugenol and anethole displayed the most aggressive

activity against the yellow fever mosquito.

The compound, cinnamaldehyde, which is the main constituent found in

cinnamon leaf oil, could be used as an effective pesticide without

the risk of negative health and environmental consequences.

EurekAlert July 14, 2004

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Dr. Mercola's Comment:

DEET, the active chemical in most mosquito repellants, is a deadly

and potent neurotoxin and should not be used. Cinnamon oil appears

very promising, is inexpensive and even smells great. Other common

essential oils, such as catnip, have shown similar promise in

fighting off mosquitoes as well.

The pesticides that are being used to fight the West Nile Virus are

surely going to contribute to a number of diseases, so it's

promising to see that researchers are looking into other safe and

natural pesticides.

Releasing toxic chemicals into the environment can have devastating

effects. The major tragedy of the West Nile Virus is not the virus

itself--it has not spread to epidemic proportions like a number of

other chronic diseases--but rather the damage that is being done to

people and their young and unborn children through exposure to these

toxic chemicals.

Further, pesticides, including commonly used lawn care chemicals,

are causing more bird deaths than the West Nile Virus. In one study

on the West Nile Virus, more of the collected birds had died from

pesticide poisoning than from the virus itself.

The symptoms of pesticide poisoning in humans are similar to the

rather vague symptoms of the West Nile Virus itself, which are

inflammation of the brain, weakness and neuropathy (peripheral nerve

damage), leading to symptoms such as numbness. These could be

mistakenly diagnosed as West Nile Virus, therefore creating more

cases and a call for more intense spraying of pesticides.