Yarrow Herb Is Stronger And More Non-Toxic Than Insect Repellants

Yarrow herb is stronger than DEET at repelling mosquitos and ticks, and it's completely non-toxic, Even as summer sets in with balmy breezes and nasty insect repellants, you could read up about the dangers of these. The standard chemical in conventional bug sprays is DEET, a neurotoxic chemical that attacks insects, but also goes against the family's health.

The yarrow herb is a natural insect repellent that is non-toxic, according to naturalnews.

The yarrow flowers are small and clustered, and blossom in a number of pleasing colours, such as red, pink, yellow or the most common color---white. But their appeal is more than that of just colour. They repel mosquitoes, horse flies, ticks and other insects, without the need to apply any toxin.

You can make the yarrow tincture at home, which, when made well, will protect your skin against insectbites without the DEET-based repellant. Check out how to make it here.

The Wise Woman's Herbal, Susun Weed's book, helps you to understand that the United States Army found yarrow extracted into a tincture better than DEET driving away ticks and mosquitoes. It is safer than conventional bug sprays that make it valuable for investigation, even as you move away from toxicity.

DEET exposure could be nasty, especially for children. Some children could develop seizures if exposed to it, while others, according to a 2001 paper published in the journal Human and Experimental Toxicology, might get brain damage in the form of encephalopathy.

So make your own yarrow tincture at home, or get a pre-made yarrow tincture. "Fortunately, finding fresh yarrow (Achillea millefolium) is not that hard as it is a common plant that grows wild all around the world in temperate regions," wrote Pope. "Susun Weed suggests the white or pink yarrow varieties as the best ones to tincture. She recommends picking the flowers, flower buds, seeds, stalk, and leaves from the top third of the plant."

However, it may be necessary to spray even the strongest yarrow herb tincture more often than traditional, chemical-based bug sprays. Spraying yarrow on the skin after every 20-30 minutes, when pests are heavy, and perhaps every one to two hours when they're not as heavy, would help to keep the insects away.