Garlic: A Mosquito Repellent

Having repulsive garlic breath is not a pleasure. However, Pat Kendall, Ph. D., who is a Food Science and Human Nutrition Specialist at the Colorado State University, writes that garlic breath may have its advantages. There have been many studies conducted about garlic’s therapeutic properties, and although garlic’s role in preventing heart disease and cancer is uncertain and debated among people, many studies have confirmed that garlic serves as a good insect-repellent. Pat Kendall states that

“The sulfurs contained within the garlic extract have been shown to be effective against a wide range of insects, including mosquitoes, and the lingering odor can deter mosquitoes from the area for weeks.”

In addition, a number of studies have shown that the oil fraction of garlic successfully kill a certain species of mosquito larvae. In a particular experiment performed in India, a preparation made of 1 percent garlic oil, petroleum jelly and beeswax was rubbed onto people, and this preparation turned out to be effective for up to eight hours. One explanation that Pat Kendall gives for this is that the compounds of the garlic are released from the body through the skin and breath. Therefore, after eating garlic, the sulfur compounds found on the skin and in the breath may act as a repellent for insects like mosquitoes. Since mosquitoes use their sense of smell to detect prey, they keep away from the sulfur scented prey. Although having horrid breath is not attractive, keeping mosquitoes away might be worth the garlic breath.