This comprehensive listing of ingredients takes you on a descriptive journey through all the herbs and other natural ingredients called for in this book. Use it as a reference guide as you concoct your formulations, a process that is both educational and entertaining. Once you learn the basics of crafting homemade solutions to all things that “bug” you, you can develop your own formulations that please your senses and work best for your individual or family’s and pet’s needs.
(Illicium verum)
The essential oil, derived from the licorice-scented seeds of this Oriental evergreen tree, has been used for centuries to fend off pesky outdoor insects. Its strong chemical components repel most bugs, especially mosquitoes, gnats, biting flies, moths, and houseflies. The whole or powdered seed pods can be added to insect-repellent sachets and placed in cupboards, clothes closets, armoires, and drawers.
Parts used: Essential oil, seeds
Caution: Avoid use of the essential oil if pregnant or epileptic.
(Ocimum basilicum)
A member of the mint family, basil is a rather pungent culinary herb that is a mild to moderately effective insecticide and repellent against mosquitoes and their larvae, as well as chiggers, gnats, fleas, ticks, and houseflies. The fresh leaves are often used when making insect repellent sprays for people and pets, and the dried leaves can be used in sachets, or made into a tea and used as a final rinse after shampooing your pet.
Part used: Leaves
Substitute: Fresh lemon basil (Ocimum basilicum citriodorum) leaves can be rubbed onto the skin to help repel all manner of biting bugs, and also dried and used in household bug-repellent sachets.
(Laurus nobilis)
The bay leaf is a familiar culinary spice and also a terrific household bug repellent, especially for clothing and pantry moths, and flour and grain beetles and mites. Placing several leaves in stored whole grain and flour repels hungry grain pests. Keep a sachet of crushed bay leaves mixed with other strongly scented herbs such as black peppercorns, peppermint, wormwood, and patchouli, in cupboards, clothes closets, armoires, and drawers to help keep all manner of bugs at “bay” (pun intended!).
Part used: Leaves
(Piper nigrum)
This everyday kitchen spice, with its rather hot bite, repels a myriad of damaging insects such as clothing and pantry moths, flour and grain beetles and mites, spiders, silverfish, stinkbugs, ants, and cockroaches. I use it in insect-deterring potpourri bags and insecticidal powder blends.
Part used: Peppercorns — whole and ground
(Cinnamomum camphora)
Derived from the leaves and bark of a tall evergreen tree that is native to China, Japan, Vietnam, and Taiwan, camphor essential oil has a rather strong woodsy/menthol/cardamom aroma. It is an effective moth repellent that works just as well as toxic, harsh-smelling mothballs. Always use “white” camphor. The “yellow,” “blue,” and “brown” versions are derived from the same tree but produced from heavier fractions of the oil; they contain large quantities of the chemical constituent safrole, a known carcinogen that is highly toxic.
Part used: Essential oil
Cautions: Avoid use if pregnant or epileptic. Potential skin irritant.
(Nepeta cataria)
also known as Catmint or Catswort
This member of the mint family, with its pungent earthy-minty scent, is well known for attracting cats, but the primary aromatic component, nepetalactone, also makes it a powerful yet safe repellent of mice, rats, mosquitoes, cockroaches, and myriad household insects. In a 2001 Iowa State University study, nepetalactone was demonstrated to be 10 times more effective at repelling mosquitoes than DEET. Catnip essential oil is effective in concentrations as low as 1 percent.
I sprinkle dried catnip in carpeted areas where my cats sleep and lounge. They munch on it, frolic in it, have fewer fleas, and smell good. It can also be made into a tea and used as a final rinse after shampooing your pet. The fresh, crushed leaves can be rubbed directly onto the fur of both cats and dogs as a mild insect repellent. White fur may be stained temporarily green, but it will quickly wear off. Some cats react strongly to catnip, so start with small amounts and gauge your own pet’s reaction before doing this.
Parts used: Leaves and flowers, essential oil
Caution: Avoid use of the essential oil if pregnant or epileptic.
(Capsicum annuum)
The bright orange and red hot pepper flakes are used as an ingredient when making insect-repelling potpourri bags. I use the dissolved powder in home insecticidal spray blends. Cayenne deters all manner of crawling insects from taking up residence in your home but works especially well against ants, cockroaches, spiders, silverfish, stinkbugs, and flour and grain beetles and mites.
Parts used: Pepper flakes and powder
Substitute: A plain hot sauce such as Tabasco can be substituted for the powder in spray blends.
Caution: The volatile oils are extremely irritating to the eyes and mucous membranes. Wash hands immediately after working with cayenne.
(Juniperus virginiana)
This particular cedarwood is actually a type of juniper, not a member of the Cedrus genus. It is the source of most “cedar oil” on the market, as well as most wooden pencils. The essential oil as well as the fragrant, red-streaked wood (sold in plank, ball, block, and chip form) has been used for eons as a wonderful moth repellent.
Parts used: Essential oil, wood
Substitute: Texas cedarwood (Juniperus mexicana) essential oil and wood
Caution: Avoid use of the essential oil during pregnancy.
(Cinnamomum zeylanicum, also known as C. verum)
The familiar hot, spicy, stimulating, sweet fragrance is derived from the bark of this tropical evergreen tree. This culinary herb has moderate insect-repelling properties, but I primarily use both the bark and essential oil to add a lovely aroma to herbal sachets that are to be placed in closets, drawers, and cabinets.
Parts used: Bark, essential oil
Cautions: Avoid use of the essential oil if pregnant or epileptic. Severe skin irritant; must always be heavily diluted.
(Cymbopogon nardus)
or Java Citronella
(C. winterianus)
A close relative of lemongrass, this familiar natural bug-repellent ingredient effectively repels mosquitoes, gnats, ants, moths, and other household bugs, so I use it in several of my formulations. If you find the earthy, slightly lemony aroma to be too heavy and cloying and prefer repellents that do not contain it, there are several effective substitutes.
Part used: Essential oil
Substitute: Essential oils of lemongrass, geranium, or lemon eucalyptus (eucalyptus citriodora, Corymbia citriodora)
Cautions: Avoid if pregnant. May irritate very sensitive skin.
(Syzygium aromaticum; Eugenia caryophyllata)
Cloves are actually the dried flower buds of a slender evergreen tree that is cultivated in tropical regions worldwide, but primarily Madagascar, the Philippines, and Indonesia. One of the oldest spices, it is super rich in the chemical constituent eugenol, which has amazing bug-repelling properties, especially effective against houseflies, gnats, mosquitoes, and clothing and pantry moths. I use both the essential oil and whole cloves in potpourri blends and occasionally use the essential oil in spray formulations for people.
Parts used: Whole cloves, essential oil
Cautions: Avoid use of the essential oil if pregnant or epileptic. Severe skin irritant; must always be heavily diluted.
(Eucalyptus globulus; E. radiata; E. smithii)
There are over 700 different species of eucalyptus, of which at least 500 produce a type of essential oil. Eucalyptus essential oil has a familiar, strongly medicinal aroma with powerful insecticidal and repellent properties resulting from the volatile compound 1, 8 cineole, also known as eucalyptol (among others). When properly diluted, it is capable of killing numerous soft-bodied insects upon contact or will at least effectively repel them. Additionally, the dried aromatic leaves (typically E. globulus) and essential oil can be added to insect-repellent sachets and potpourri to repel mosquitoes, gnats, houseflies, cockroaches, silverfish, fleas, and ticks. Humans like the smell, but bugs do not!
E. globulus (blue gum eucalyptus) is the most pungent, sharp, camphorous, and penetrating of the three, and the only one with a cautionary warning (see below). E. radiata (grey eucalyptus or narrow-leaved peppermint eucalyptus) is preferred for its milder aroma and gentle nature upon the skin. E. smithii (gully gum eucalyptus) has a dry, light odor and is gentle to the skin as well.
Parts used: Essential oil, leaves
Substitute: Lemon eucalyptus (eucalyptus citriodora, Corymbia citriodora)
Caution: Avoid use of E. globulus essential oil if pregnant or epileptic. Note: E. radiata and E. smithii are the gentlest of all eucalyptus species and are safe for pregnant and lactating women and for children and seniors.
(Eucalyptus citriodora; Corymbia citriodora)
This tall evergreen tree, native to Australia but cultivated primarily in China and Brazil, is also called lemon-scented eucalyptus. Derived from the leaves and twigs, this essential oil has a heavy, lemony-earthy, citronella-like aroma with strong insecticidal and repellent properties resulting from the primary volatile compound citronellal (among others) contained within. It can be used in the same manner as Eucalyptus globulus, listed above, and is especially effective against cockroaches and silverfish.
Part used: Essential oil
Substitute: E. globulus, E. radiata, or E. smithii essential oil
Caution: Avoid using E. globulus if pregnant or epileptic.
(Tanacetum parthenium)
Feverfew shares the same genus with tansy and is grouped with the chrysanthemums and pyrethrums. With its extremely bitter flavor, combined with active chemical constituents such as sesquiterpene lactones, camphor, and pyrethrins, which act as potent pesticides and insect repellents, feverfew is a great addition to your natural bugs-be-gone arsenal. In fact, most household (and garden) bugs abhor its flavor and fragrance. The leaves and flowers can be utilized in many ways: crushed or ground in bug-repellent sachets or powders; made into a tincture and used as a mosquito-repellent base; or made into a tea and sprayed directly onto areas where bugs are a problem.
Parts used: Leaves and flowers
Substitute: Tansy leaves and flowers
Caution: The fresh plant can irritate skin, so always wear gloves when harvesting.
(Pelargonium graveolens)
Distilled from the leaves of the rose geranium, a scented variety only distantly related to the common ornamental, this oil, with its pleasing rosy-citrus-green aroma, is an incredibly safe and gentle, highly effective mosquito and tick repellent for both humans and pets due to the chemical compounds citronellol and geraniol. Geraniol is often isolated to make synthetic rose oil and to extend real rose essential oil, as well as being added to commercially produced natural insect repellents. I use it quite often, especially during tick season, when I apply it by the drop to my clothing. Ticks hate it!
Part used: Essential oil
(Lavandula angustifolia)
This familiar, popular herb, with the classic old-fashioned, sweet, floral fragrance, deters many insects, but traditionally, the dried flower buds and leaves were used in sachets to deter moths from destroying clothes, blankets, and other natural-fiber fabrics, especially those of animal origin. I use the essential oil, derived from the buds, in insect-repellent formulations, to inoculate fabric clothes hangers, in pet shampoos and pet bedding sachets, and in insect-deterrent formulations used to clean kitchen and bathroom cabinets.
Parts used: Flower buds and leaves, essential oil
(Citrus × limon)
With their sharp, uplifting aroma, lemons have been used for centuries to freshen the home and deter bugs. Limonene, a chemical extracted from citrus fruit peels, is often an active ingredient in many commercial home pesticide products, insect repellents, and flea- and tick-control products for dogs and cats. A few drops of lemon essential oil can be added to the washing machine when laundering pet bedding, as it acts as an insecticide for fleas, their eggs and larvae, and ticks, and it lends a fresh, clean scent. I also use the essential oil in insect-deterrent formulations used to clean kitchen and bathroom cabinets. Dried lemon peel and essential oil can be added to pet bedding sachets and household bug-repellent potpourris.
Parts used: Peel, essential oil
Substitute: Sweet orange essential oil and peel; grapefruit essential oil and peel
Cautions: Avoid use of the essential oil if pregnant or epileptic. May be photosensitizing and a potential skin irritant.
(Cymbopogon citratus)
Derived from the grasslike leaves, lemongrass essential oil has a pungent, lemony scent with an earthy undertone; the dried grass is much milder. Lemongrass essential oil deters mosquitoes, flour and grain beetles and mites, clothes and pantry moths, cockroaches, silverfish, fleas, and ticks. A cousin of citronella, it is incorporated in many commercial repellent sprays, and I use it often. The dried herb can be added to bug-repellent sachets.
Parts used: Leaves, essential oil
Cautions: Avoid use of the essential oil if pregnant or epileptic. May be photosensitizing and a possible skin irritant.
(Artemisia annua; A. vulgaris)
Though not quite as chemically strong, this silvery-leafed, sweetly pungent relative of wormwood — also known as sweet wormwood — has very bitter leaves that have been used for centuries in sachet blends as an effective moth repellent in kitchen cupboards, clothes closets, armoires, and drawers. Like wormwood, the leaves contain thujone and camphor, which are highly toxic to insect pests in the home and garden. I use the powdered leaves in flea repellent and insecticide blends for pets and carpeting.
Part used: Leaves
Substitute: Wormwood leaves
(Azadirachta indica)
The rich, thick, golden-brown base oil, with its rather strong nutty-earthy aroma, derived from pressed neem tree nuts, has wonderful insecticidal, antifungal, and repellent properties and is a commonly used ingredient in natural, commercial pesticide products. Typically, it’s diluted with 15 to 20 percent olive oil to improve pourability (undiluted, it solidifies at room temperature). I add it to insect-repellent spray and solid formulations, as it creates an amazingly effective “bug-blocking aura” around your being — blocking all things that bite from invading your space. I also add the oil to household insecticidal sprays. I use the dried, crushed leaves and powder in bug-repellent sachets and flea- and tick-repellent powder formulations for pets.
Parts used: Oil, leaves
(Citrus sinensis)
Sweet orange essential oil and peel have similar insecticidal properties as lemon essential oil and peel.
Parts used: Peel, essential oil
Substitute: Lemon essential oil and peel; grapefruit essential oil and peel
Cautions: Avoid use of the essential oil if pregnant or epileptic. May be photosensitizing and a potential skin irritant.
(Pogostemon cablin)
This bushy, perennial herb, native to tropical Asia, is often recognized by its pungent, heavy, earthy “hippie era” scent that, while appealing to many humans, effectively wards off spiders, moths, and other creepy-crawlers in your home. The dried leaves and essential oil make great additions to herbal insect-repellent sachets. The leaves can be ground and blended with food-grade diatomaceous earth and used to kill fleas and their larvae lurking on your floors, carpeting, and furniture.
Parts used: Essential oil, leaves
(Mentha pulegium or Hedeoma pulegioides)
Pennyroyal, a strongly aromatic relative of peppermint, is an age-old insecticide with toxic pulegone compounds that kill most insects. When combined with other herbs, it works synergistically to make them more effective at killing or repelling bugs. Pennyroyal is extremely effective at repelling mosquitoes, flies, fleas, ticks, moths, mice, rats, and ants. The dried leaves are used in sachet blends, and either the dried or fresh leaves can be used to make infused oils and tinctures. Powdered leaves can be added to food-grade diatomaceous earth and sprinkled on flooring and furniture.
Part used: Leaves
(Mentha × piperita)
A pleasingly pungent, familiar herb, with a biting, minty aroma, peppermint leaves effectively deter moths, ants, and other crawling insects (especially when combined with dried tansy, rosemary, patchouli, cedarwood, pennyroyal, and bay leaves). The essential oil is used in insect repellents for people; to inoculate fabric clothes hangers; in pet shampoos and bedding sachets; as well as in housecleaning and indoor pest-repellent formulations.
Parts used: Leaves, essential oil
Substitute: Spearmint (Mentha spicata) essential oil is somewhat milder but is completely safe to use by pregnant or lactating women, unlike peppermint essential oil.
Caution: Avoid using the essential oil if pregnant or epileptic.
(Rosmarinus officinalis)
A familiar culinary herb with a strong, sharp, camphorous, herbaceous aroma, rosemary contains insect-repellent compounds such as limonene, cineole, and camphor, among others, and effectively repels all manner of insects, especially fleas, ticks, mosquitoes, and flies. The essential oil is derived from the flowering tops and is used in mosquito-repellent formulations; to inoculate fabric clothes hangers; in pet shampoos and on flea collars; and in herbal housecleaning blends. The dried leaves and essential oil are added to bug-repellent sachets and flea- and tick-repellent powders for flooring, furniture, and pets; also the leaves can be made into a tea and used as a final rinse after shampooing your pet.
Parts used: Leaves, essential oil
Substitute: The essential oils of thyme or eucalyptus (species globulus, radiata, or smithii), and leaves of thyme, eucalyptus, basil, or bay may be substituted.
Caution: Avoid use of the essential oil if pregnant or epileptic.
(Salvia officinalis)
or Sage, Spanish
(S. lavandulifolia)
Called herba sacra (sacred herb), by the Romans, sage, which is native to the Mediterranean region, is a familiar culinary herb, with a fresh, warm-spicy, herbaceous aroma, often associated with the Thanksgiving holiday. The pale, dusty-green leaves are quite bitter and contain the chemical compounds thujone, camphor, and cineole, making sage quite unappealing to insects of all kinds.
Part used: Leaves
Substitute: Mugwort or wormwood leaves may be substituted for sage leaves.
(Tanacetum vulgare)
A relative of the chrysanthemums and pyrethrums, this pungent, extremely bitter, pretty perennial herb has potent natural insecticidal properties and has been used for centuries to deter bugs. Tansy leaves and flowers contain the chemical constituents thujone, sesquiterpene lactones, pyrethrins, tanacetin, and camphor — all of which are toxic to a wide variety of pests in the home and garden. The leaves and flowers can be utilized in many ways: crushed or ground in bug-repellent sachets or powders; made into a tincture and used as a mosquito-repellent base; or made into a tea and sprayed directly onto areas where bugs are a problem.
Parts used: Leaves and flowers
Substitute: Feverfew leaves and flowers (Tanacetum parthenium)
Caution: The fresh plant can irritate skin — so always wear gloves when harvesting.
(Melaleuca alternifolia)
Distilled from the leaves and twigs of a small, shrubby tree native to Australia, energetically cooling tea tree essential oil, with its strong, penetrating, medicinal, camphorous odor, and potent anti-inflammatory and antibacterial properties, is an excellent addition to the home medicine cabinet. It is gentle enough to be used “neat” (undiluted) as a spot treatment for hot, itchy insect bites and stings and also has mild-to-moderate bug-repellent properties.
Part used: Essential oil
(Thymus vulgaris)
This familiar culinary herb with a strong, medicinal, slightly sweet, herbaceous aroma, acts as a mild-to-moderately strong repellent against all manner of insects, especially mosquitoes, moths, and fleas. I prefer to use the linalool chemotype of essential oil, derived from the leaves, as it is nontoxic, skin-friendly, gentle, and safe to use on children when properly diluted. Thyme essential oil (either the milder linalool chemotype or hotter thymol chemotype) can also be used in sprays for cleaning counters, bathrooms, and kitchen cabinets. The dried leaves are added to bug-repellent sachets and flea and tick-repellent powders for flooring, furniture, and pets. Additionally, the leaves can be made into a tea and used as a final rinse after shampooing your pet.
Parts used: Leaves, essential oil (chemotypes linalool and thymol)
Substitute: Fresh lemon thyme herb (Thymus citriodorus), with its potent lemony aroma, can be dried and used in all recipes calling for regular culinary thyme, as can basil, rosemary, sage, and eucalyptus.
Cautions: Avoid use of the essential oil if pregnant or epileptic. Potential skin irritant.
(Vanilla planifolia)
Most people love the intoxicatingly sweet and creamy scent of tropical vanilla beans, which are native to Central America and Mexico. Not everyone knows, however, that vanilla extract (the alcoholic extract of fermented and dried vanilla beans), when combined with other pungent essential oils, works amazingly well at repelling bugs. The principal chemical constituent of vanilla is vanillin aldehyde, which gives it the familiar rich aroma and flavor but also confers mild-to-moderate insect repelling properties.
Part used: Natural vanilla flavoring (alcohol extract, unsweetened)
(Vetiveria zizanoides)
Also known as khus, vetiver is a tall plant, native to India, with grasslike leaves. Vetiver essential oil is derived from the roots, which are strongly scented, reminiscent of an earthy, exotic, smoky blend of sandalwood, violets, grass, and vanilla. Perfumers often use the lingering, heavy aromatic to add a deep note; it also fixes, or stabilizes, the scent. Men tend to find vetiver quite appealing, but moths, silverfish, ants, cockroaches, and many other crawling insects find it quite repulsive.
Part used: Essential oil
Substitute: Dried, chopped vetiver root or root powder, if available, can be added to insect-repellent sachets.
(Juglans nigra)
Intensely bitter and strongly astringent, black walnut hull powder has potent anthelmintic (deworming) and insecticidal properties. It’s a good addition to flea- and tick-repellent powder blends for pets, as these pests abhor the flavor and scent of this ingredient.
Part used: Nut hull powder
(Artemisia absinthium)
Wormwood, a rather pungent, extremely bitter perennial herb with potent insecticidal and vermicidal properties, has been used for centuries, as most household bugs abhor its flavor and fragrance. The leaves contain thujone, absinthol, and camphor, all highly toxic to insect pests in the home and garden. The dried leaves can be used in sachets to repel moths residing in kitchen cabinets, clothes closets, armoires, and drawers, as well as in pet bedding sachets. I use the powdered leaves in flea repellents and insecticidal blends for pets, furniture, and flooring.
Part used: Leaves
Substitute: Mugwort leaves
(Achillea millefolium)
This pretty garden herb, with clusters of tiny flowers and small, feathery leaves, is native to Europe and western Asia and naturalized in many regions around the world. Strongly bitter and astringent, with a rather sharp, pungent aroma, yarrow has antiseptic and anti-inflammatory properties, with a cooling energy, and contains insect-repellent chemical compounds such as terpineol, cineole, camphor, and thujone, among others, which bugs hate. I primarily make an herbal tincture from the leaves and flowers, dried or fresh, and use this as a base to which I add essential oils when formulating mosquito-repellent sprays. Additionally, the tincture can be dabbed onto hot, itchy insect bites and stings to quickly cool and calm the irritation. I also add the powdered herb to diatomaceous earth–based flea and tick powders for my cats.
Parts used: Leaves and flowers
To fend off flying insect attacks during the height of mosquito, blackfly, and deerfly season, many residents of the great state of Maine (where I live) who want to be outdoors — working, hunting, fishing, gardening, camping, hiking, or exercising — will inoculate a hat of any type with a few drops of “neat” or undiluted star anise, citronella, geranium, catnip, rosemary, cedarwood, lemongrass, or eucalyptus essential oil prior to venturing outside. A simple solution, but amazingly effective!
This white, crystalline, odorless, salty-tasting alkaline powder absorbs moisture and neutralizes odors, making it an excellent addition to herbal insecticide carpet powder blends. Additionally, an application of a baking-soda-and-water paste is an old-fashioned remedy that relieves the pain and itch of most insect bites and bee stings.
Pure, unrefined, unbleached beeswax is used as a thickener in solid insect-repellent balms and in herbal salves for soothing skin irritated by bites and stings. Beeswax adds a sweet, honey-like aroma and golden color to products. Melted beeswax hardens quickly as it cools. Beeswax is available in several forms: blocks or chunks that can be whacked into smaller pieces; honeycomb sheets that can be broken or cut; or small pellets or pastilles that can be measured and melted with ease.
Substitute: Refined vegetable emulsifying wax or soybean wax are good vegan options.
This naturally occurring volcanic ash, a pale to medium gray powder with a medium-fine texture, is found in the midwestern United States and Canada (the name comes from Benton, Montana). Chock-full of beneficial minerals, including silica, it is used as a base for making herbal flea and tick powders. It interferes with the respiratory systems of these insects and dehydrates their bodies, too.
Caution: Though bentonite clay is a nontoxic ingredient, avoid creating a cloud of dust when using it or adding it to a recipe, as it can be slightly irritating to the mucous membranes and respiratory tract.
Common borax can be found in the laundry aisle of your grocery store — look for 20 Mule Team Borax. It is a white, crystalline mineral, large quantities of which are mined in southern California. Borax has diverse household uses, including as a water softener; cleaning aid; emulsifier; natural preservative and buffering agent in homemade cosmetics; deodorizer; and mold inhibitor. It is frequently used as a natural household insecticide, acting as both a stomach poison to which insects don’t become immune and as a desiccant that destroys the waxy coating that protects insects from water loss and subsequent dehydration.
After coming into contact with borax, insects clean themselves, thereby ingesting the powder, leading to death within a few days (or less); that is, if they haven’t already succumbed to death by dehydration. It may sound gruesome, but borax is one of the least toxic, most effective, and longest-lasting substances for ridding your home of nearly all creepy-crawly bugs, especially bad infestations of fleas, ants, and cockroaches.
To ensure maximum effectiveness, sprinkle it evenly and uniformly all over the surfaces you are treating, or insects will simply gather on untreated areas. Spreading it directly on the insects or placing borax unavoidably in their path is a surefire way to control traffic and potential infestations. For a container, I recycle a large plastic spice jar or poke holes in the metal top of a widemouthed canning jar using a hammer and fat nail. Cleanup is easy — after 24 hours or so, simply vacuum all treated areas thoroughly.
Substitute: Food-grade diatomaceous earth (see below)
Cautions: Borax is toxic if ingested, so store it and products made with it away from children and pets (including birds). Keep children and pets out of rooms being treated with borax until all surfaces are vacuumed. Borax can be highly irritating to the mucous membranes and respiratory tract, so avoid breathing it in. Hold the container close to the treatment surface and sprinkle gently so as not to create dust. A mask and goggles may be worn as a precaution.
This gentle, olive oil– or hemp oil–based soap is used as a base for herbal dog and cat shampoos — the peppermint and eucalyptus scents work best. (Cats — if you can actually get them to cooperate in a tub of water — prefer milder aromas such as lavender, almond, or unscented baby soap.) Also, liquid castile soap acts as an emulsifier in some of my alcohol- and water-based and witch hazel–based spray repellent formulations, as it helps the essential oils remain in suspension.
(Cocos nucifera)
Derived from the fruit of the coconut palm, this highly emollient and penetrable, medium-textured, gentle base or carrier oil works well in oil-based formulations that are designed to be rubbed into the skin. Keep in mind that coconut oil is solid at temperatures below 76°F (25°C) and may need to be gently melted before mixing it with other ingredients. Coconut oil is very shelf stable; it requires no refrigeration and will easily last for 2 years if stored in a cool, dark cabinet.
Substitute: I use only organic, extra-virgin, unrefined coconut oil because I love the sweet, tropical scent and skin-conditioning properties. You can use refined coconut oil or fractionated coconut oil, but both are devoid of fragrance, flavor, and the raw healing elements contained within the real deal.
Diatomaceous earth (DE) is not actually earth or dirt at all, but fossilized diatom shells ground into powder. Diatoms, a type of one-celled phytoplankton found in both fresh and salt water, form a glasslike protective exterior made from silica. When they die, they sink, resulting in large mineral deposits, often hundreds of feet thick, which are found in abundance worldwide, and harvested as “fossil flour.”
Diatomaceous earth is made of tiny fossils of all different shapes and sizes.
Silica kills mechanically, so insects cannot become immune to its action. It works as a powerful desiccant, leading to dehydration, usually within 24 to 72 hours. Because it is a dust, it also suffocates them. DE is effective against just about any crawling insect, even bedbugs. Many people prefer to use it instead of borax, as it is totally nontoxic to people, pets, and birds. In fact, it acts as a natural and totally safe source of minerals, as well as an effective dewormer, because it does the same thing to internal parasites that it does to external ones.
To ensure maximum effectiveness, sprinkle it evenly on surfaces — and that includes pets — or else the crawling insects will gather on untreated areas. Hold the container a couple of inches above the treatment surface and gently sprinkle the mix to avoid creating a cloud of potentially irritating dust. Dusting directly on the insects or placing DE unavoidably in their path is a surefire way of controlling traffic and potential infestations.
Cleanup is easy — after 24 hours or so, vacuum all treated areas thoroughly, the exception being your pet (though I’ve known people whose pets enjoyed a good vacuuming, strange as that may sound!). Reapply as often as necessary.
Cautions: Never use “filter-grade” DE, the highly abrasive grade used as a deodorizer and cleaner in aquarium and swimming pool filtering systems. Though derived from the same source as food-grade DE, it is partially dehydrated and chemically treated and extremely irritating to the lungs. For garden, household, and pet use, it must say “food grade” on the label!
Derived from vegetable fats, this clear, water-soluble, slippery, thickly textured, moisturizing ingredient is added in small amounts to alcohol-based insect repellents in order to moderate the drying effect of the alcohol on the skin.
(Simmondsia chinensis)
This light- to medium-textured oil (technically a liquid wax ester) is derived from the seeds of a desert shrub that is cultivated in the southwestern United States, Argentina, and Israel. Chemically similar to human sebum, jojoba oil is a nongreasy, highly penetrable, gentle base or carrier oil I often use in oil-based formulations that are rubbed into the skin. It is preferred by many herbal medicine crafters because it is very shelf-stable; it does not go rancid.
Another valuable product of the mint family is menthol crystals, which are derived from the cornmint (Mentha arvensis) plant. The slender, quartzlike crystals have an extremely powerful menthol aroma and can be added to sachets to help repel ants, cockroaches, clothing and pantry moths, and other crawling insects, as well as mice. They can also be placed in tiny bags and used in place of toxic, pungent mothballs. Your clothes will smell wonderfully fresh!
Caution: Avoid using if pregnant or epileptic. The volatile oils are extremely irritating to the eyes and mucous membranes. Wash hands immediately after working with menthol crystals.
(Vitellaria paradoxa, formerly Butyrospermum parkii)
Pressed from the nuts of the karite tree, unrefined shea butter, creamy to pale gold in color with an often distinctive, light, nutty fragrance, is a soft, solid fat that when added to salve and balm formulations contributes a thick and creamy texture, with emollient, skin-softening properties. It takes much longer to harden than beeswax, so keep that in mind when using it as the primary thickening agent. Your product will need additional time to completely set up — sometimes up to 48 hours, depending on the temperature of the room.
Substitute: Refined shea butter works just as well but is odorless and white in color and lacks some of the wonderful nutrient qualities of its unrefined cousin.
(Glycine max, syn. Soja hispida)
Derived from soybeans, this is a light- to medium-textured, pale gold base or carrier oil with a velvety texture. It is naturally high in vitamin E and lecithin, nongreasy, and easily absorbed into the skin. It has mild insect-repellent properties and is often used in natural oil-based repellents that get rubbed into the skin.
Use only organic soybean oil, as the nonorganic oil (typically labeled “vegetable oil” in the grocery store) is refined at high temperatures and chock-full of chemical residue; also, it is more than likely derived from genetically modified soybeans, and you probably don’t want that on your skin. Organic soybean oil has a shelf life of approximately one year if stored in a dark, cool cabinet, but I keep mine in the refrigerator, like most of my edible oils.
Substitute: Sunflower seed, jojoba, almond, grapeseed, or apricot kernel oil can be used as substitutes, but they don’t deliver the same velvety texture to formulations, nor do they contain the mild insect-repelling properties.
Typically derived from the fermentation of grain or potatoes, this fragrance-free, clear, antiseptic, alcoholic product is used as an extractive solvent or menstruum when making herbal, alcohol-based tinctures that are used as a spray base for insect repellents for people and insecticides for home use. I also use plain vodka blended with purified water and essential oils for the same purposes. When formulations are applied to the skin, the alcohol evaporates quickly, leaving behind the herb’s bug-repelling properties. Always purchase 80- or 100-proof, unsweetened, unflavored vodka; an inexpensive variety is fine.
Caution: Avoid applying to dry, irritated, sensitive, burned, or abraded skin, except as indicated by the recipe to treat insect stings and bites in order to prevent future infection.
(Hamamelis virginiana)
A small, deciduous tree with petite, bright yellow, stringy flowers, native to the damp woodlands of eastern North America and Nova Scotia, witch hazel has a rather cooling energy with anti-inflammatory, antibacterial, and astringent properties. It contains the chemical compounds eugenol and carvacrol, plus tannins, all of which insects find distasteful. I sometimes use it as the liquid base to which I add essential oils when making insect-repellent sprays. Applied directly to skin, it effectively cools and calms insect bites and stings and helps prevent infection.
Part used: Commercially prepared liquid
Substitute: Tincture of yarrow diluted 50 percent with purified water
Caution: Avoid applying to dry, irritated, sensitive, burned, or abraded skin, except as indicated by the recipe to treat insect stings and bites, and to prevent future infection.
The fresh leaves of catnip, rosemary, thyme (and lemon thyme), eucalyptus, pennyroyal, peppermint, wormwood, mugwort, basil, yarrow (flowers and leaves), and lavender (buds and leaves) can be rubbed directly onto your skin to provide a temporary, light-to-moderately effective, insect-repelling aura. (Dogs and cats can benefit from a rubdown as well.)
Note: If your skin becomes red or itches after applying fresh herbs in this manner, wash immediately with warm, soapy water to remove the plant’s oils.
