Revue internationale de recherche et développement en pharmacie et sciences de la vie

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PLANT ESSENTIAL OILS AS MOSQUITO REPELLENT-A REVIEW

Bhupen Kalita, Somi Bora, Anil Kumar Sharma

Malaria is considered endemic in 104 countries and territories around the world nessessitating its control. Essential oils belonging to various plant species and possessing mixtures of hydrocarbons have been seen to act as effective repellent against various pests. The monoterpenoids constituting the major component is found to be cytotoxic to plant and animal tissue thus impairing the normal functioning of these tissues. The commercially marketed repellents basically consist of essential oils from plants Cymbopogon nardus, Eucalyptus maculata, Cymbopogon excavatus, Mentha piperita, Azadirachta indica. The volatile nature of these components due to their short duration of efficacy has urged for the development of novel formulations, use of fixatives such as vanillin and combination essential oil plants as repellents. The easy availability and less adverse environmental impact have led to the increased interest in plant origin insecticides as an alternative to chemical insecticides. The present article envisaged to review the reports of essential oils on its effectiveness as repellent.