A new study shows that a lotion made from catnip is just as effective at repelling mosquitoes as DEET, the world's most common chemical repellent. The research was presented on Tuesday at the Society for Experimental Biology conference in Florence.
The trials were carried out in Uganda by a team of researchers from Uganda and Wales. They tested lotions made from catnip, a common herb from the mint family. The active ingredient in catnip is called nepetalactone, which is the same chemical that makes cats excited.
In the study, researchers tested different lotions on volunteers' legs during the evening. They compared a lotion containing 15% DEET with creams containing 2% and 6% catnip oil. The researchers found that a 6% catnip lotion was just as effective as the DEET lotion, while the 2% lotion was only slightly less effective.
Finding cheap repellents is important for fighting malaria. Malaria is a dangerous disease spread by mosquitoes. In 2024, it killed about 610,000 people, mostly young children in Africa. While DEET is very effective, it is too expensive for most subsistence farmers in rural Uganda.
Dr. Simon Scofield from Cardiff University explained that the catnip lotion can be made locally by community businesses. Currently, the lotion is distributed for free through grant funding. The next step is to scale up production and sell the lotion at a low cost. This will create jobs and help the local economy.
Swai Kyeba, a researcher from Tanzania who was not involved in the study, agreed that cheap, local tools are needed. However, he warned that people often forget to apply topical lotions regularly. He suggested doing more research on how local households use repellents before increasing production.