UGANDA — A study presented at the Society for Experimental Biology conference found that a catnip-based lotion is as effective as Deet in repelling mosquitoes. The study was conducted by a team working between Uganda and Wales.

Catnip, also known as Nepeta cataria, is a common herb belonging to the mint family. The chemical responsible for feline euphoria in catnip is nepetalactone, which also possesses insect-repelling properties. Laboratory tests confirmed that catnip oil could serve as an effective insect repellent.

Researchers tested the catnip repellent in eastern Uganda by measuring the number of mosquitoes that landed on volunteers' legs over an evening. Volunteers in the trial received either Deet, a lotion containing 2% concentration of catnip, a 6% catnip lotion, or placebo creams. The Deet lotion used for comparison contained 15% Deet, which is the most widely available concentration in Uganda.

Dr. Simon Scofield, a senior lecturer at Cardiff University, stated, "We found that a 6% catnip oil was just as effective as Deet, and the 2% catnip oil was only marginally less effective than that." He added, "Deet is out of the price bracket for most rural Ugandan subsistence farmers, so buying commercially available mosquito repellents is just not practicable."

Scofield explained the team's objective: "We wanted to make a repellent, which is highly efficacious, but also allows local people to be involved in the production cycle so that it costs a minimal amount of money." The research indicated that the lotion could be produced locally by a community enterprise. The catnip lotion has been distributed free of charge through grant funding.

The next phase of the project aims to increase production and sell the lotion to create a sustainable income for the workers involved. Scofield added, "Once we know that we can sell and distribute the repellent at a low cost, that should generate a self-sustaining system where the money is flowing back to everybody at each stage in the development."

Why It Matters

Malaria infects approximately 282 million people annually and caused 610,000 deaths in 2024. The majority of these deaths were among young children in African countries. The development of a low-cost, locally produced mosquito repellent could offer an accessible tool in regions where commercial repellents like Deet are not financially viable.