A homegrown catnip lotion has proven just as effective as Deet as a mosquito repellent in trials carried out in Uganda, offering a low-cost alternative for malaria prevention. The study, presented at the Society for Experimental Biology conference in Florence on Tuesday, found that mosquitoes seeking a blood meal were less likely to land on people wearing lotions made from catnip.
Study details and effectiveness
Researchers from Cardiff University and Uganda tested catnip oil concentrations of 2% and 6% against a 15% Deet lotion, the most widely available repellent in Uganda. Dr Simon Scofield, a senior lecturer at Cardiff University, said: “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.” The active ingredient in catnip, nepetalactone, is known for causing feline euphoria but also has insect-repelling properties.
Malaria burden and need for new tools
Malaria infects about 282 million people annually and killed 610,000 in 2024, mostly young children in African countries. Rising resistance to insecticides and frontline drugs underscores the need for new preventive tools. Deet is often out of reach for rural Ugandan subsistence farmers due to cost, making locally produced repellents crucial.
Field trials and community production
In field tests in eastern Uganda, volunteers applied different lotions, and researchers counted mosquito landings on their legs over an evening. The catnip lotion was made locally by a community enterprise using grant funding. The next phase aims to increase production and sell the lotion at low cost to create a sustainable income. Scofield noted: “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.”
Expert commentary
Swai Kyeba, a research entomologist from the Ifakara Health Institute in Tanzania not involved in the study, said: “New vector-control tools are necessary in the fight against malaria, especially those that are cheap and locally produced, to help improve accessibility. However, a challenge with topical repellents is low compliance because they require regular application. This is why they remain a complementary tool in the fight against malaria.” He urged further research on household usage before scaling up production.
