About the Author

Asti Renaut

Asti Renaut (BHSc. Comp Med, BA, Adv Dip Nat, Adv Dip Herb Med, MNZAMH)

Asti Renaut is a degree-qualified medical herbalist and naturopath with over ten years clinical experience. Asti practices in Christchurch, New Zealand, treating a wide range of health issues. She especially enjoys working with infants and children, and finally has one of her own to practice on! One of the cornerstones of Asti's practice and philosophy is the importance of education and sharing information. She believes that empowering clients to understand their own bodies and health, and giving practical tips and tools to use from the garden and kitchen are just as important for wellness as qualified professional care. 

More than just the bane of Summer BBQs, bites from mozzies and sand-flies can have nasty consequences. In many African and Asian countries, mosquitoes are known as carriers of other diseases, while in Australia, tics can also be the bearers of more than bad news. For some people who are sensitive, what may be just an ordinary old insect bite can provide days and days of swollen and itchy misery. Whatever the situation, there are a multitude of very good reasons to want to keep insects at bay!

Many people are wary of using commercial insect repellents that contain the known skin irritant DEET, especially on their babies and children. Stories abound about the insect repellent that stripped the paint off the car bonnet! And yet the most important point about any insect repellent is that you have confidence that it will do the job and keep the critters away.

Thankfully there are a few natural ingredients that have proven in clinical trials to be at least as effective as commercial insect repellents. The added bonus is that they are safe to be used for all ages, and they naturally smell pretty lovely too!

Lemongrass Essential Oil – has demonstrated in trials its ability to repel mosquitoes for 2-3 hours, and shown to be as effective as commercial repellents. Smells divine.

Fennel Essential Oil – laboratory and field trials prove efficacy against a variety of mozzies, and it was shown to be just as good as DEET containing preparations.

Vitex agnus castus (Chaste Berry) extract – this will seem a left-field addition for those who know Chaste berry for its influence on human hormones! It turns out Chaste is also an excellent insect repellent, effective against a variety of biting insects for up to 6 hours. In fact, in a study of 70 natural extracts, Chaste came out on top as the number one insect deterrent.