Prime Highlights
- Nova Scotia study supports that lemongrass oil repels blacklegged ticks as a chemically free way to replace tick repellents.
- The study decides lemongrass oil breaks the sense perception of blacklegged ticks against smelling human body odor cues by lowering the prospects of bites largely.
Key Facts
- Lemongrass oil disables blacklegged ticks from sensing butyric acid, an odorous molecule found in human skin.
- It possesses a prolonged repellent action, regardless of whether the ticks are infested with Lyme disease pathogens or not.
Key Background
Scientists at Acadia University in Nova Scotia discovered that lemongrass oil is an efficient natural tick repellent against blacklegged ticks (Ixodes scapularis), which are the most prevalent Lyme disease vector in Canada. In their research, they tested the oil’s influence on the ticks’ sense of smell for butyric acid—a butyric-acid-similar chemical and tick attractant.
Lemongrass oil-treated ticks were resistant to butyric acid, suggesting that the oil interferes with their innate host-seeking behavior. Most importantly, this was true in infected and uninfected ticks both. Pathogen infection by such vectors as the Borrelia burgdorferi causing Lyme disease did not affect the effectiveness of the oil. This observation consistently made the use of lemongrass oil as a tick repellent increasingly justified at a higher level.
The study is relevant as Nova Scotia and other Canadian provinces have been facing tick infestation and increasing Lyme disease. Lemongrass oil is natural and biodegradable and hence a better and greener alternative to the conventional chemical-based repellents like DEET. It is an option that families, individuals who require protection while they engage in outdoor activities without exposing themselves to chemical hazards.
This research contributes to increasing international interest in using plant-based vector control. Plant oils like lemongrass contain a possibility for entry into public health mainstream as a way to lower the frequency of tick-borne disease occurrence. Through research and sensitization, such repellents can provide a bridge between maintaining the environment and disease evasion.
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