Beat the Bugs!

Are you the outdoors fan who’s loved just a little too much by the bugs? Fortunately, nature almost always provides a solution. Learn about essential oils, vitamins and homeopathic remedies. Malia Curran, MS, MPH, is a nutrition and health consultant.

Are you the outdoors fan who’s loved just a little too much by the bugs? Fortunately, nature almost always provides a solution. Learn about essential oils, vitamins and homeopathic remedies in this encore podcast presentation. Malia Curran, MS, MPH, is a nutrition and health consultant.

There are a few ways to keep the bugs away that change the taste of the skin:

  • Taking B-complex vitamins and eating garlic and onions may make skin less attractive to mosquitoes.

  • Avoid floral and sweet-smelling scents.

  • Disguise your body scent and change the taste of your skin with essential oils that bugs don't like. Essential oils for mosquitoes include citronella (lemongrass), evergreen and/or eucalyptus. Essential oils for biting flies include lavender, basil and/or geranium.

  • Neem oil and geraniol (from lavender) are effective also.

  • Look for a combination of these essential oils in products to keep bugs away.

Homeopathic medicines can help with swelling and stings from bugs:

  • Ledum (wild rosemary) and Apis (from the honeybee) are two helpful remedies to try.

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