Research Journal#14

Lujille Anne A. Talanquines Nov 26,2019

8-Adelfa Group#5

THE EFFECTIVENESS OF LEMON GRASS (Cymbopogon citratus)

AS NATURAL INSECT REPELLENT

ABSTRACT

Insect repellents are important tools for prevention of insect-borne diseases as well as painful or uncomfortable
insect bites. And one of natural insect repellent is the lemon grass (Cymbopogon citratus). Determining the
effectiveness of lemon grass as insect repellent is the main goal of the study. Specifically, it intends to apply the
Steam Distillation Technique in obtaining the natural elements and essential oil of lemon grass such as citral and
citronella. Using two candies as observation, one is with extract of lemon grass and the other is without extract of
lemon grass. In fourteen (14) minutes, one candy that without lemon grass, approach by ants but the candy with
lemon grass is just ignored by ants. The study has found out that lemon grass is an effective and alternative
natural insect repellent. The result of the present study would provide knowledge and information about lemon
grass as insect repellent.

Additionally, this study will produce significant and relevant information for future studies regarding to insect
repellent.

I. Background of the Study

Insect repellents are important public health tools for the prevention of vector- borne infectious diseases
(Goddard, 2002). Actions to reduce vector-borne diseases can result in major health gains and relieve an
important constraint on development in poor regions (Amerasinghe, 2006). And this insect repellents help to
prevent and control the outbreaks of insect-borne diseases such as malaria, lyme disease, dengue fever, and
bubonic plague (Wikipedia, 2011). Technically, an insect repellent is any chemical or natural, that causes insects
or other arthropods to make directed, oriented movements away from the source of repellent. And lemon grass
can use as natural insect repellent (Helmenstine, 2011). According to an article of new tech bio, lemon grass is a
very popular and used for medicinal, food and insect repellent products.

The lemon grass oils are used in cosmetics, soaps, perfumes, dyes and odorizes along with thousands of other
products. Lemon grass has thin stems, and the flowers are white, cream or green. It grows around 8 feet in height
in some cases with the majority of species tapering off at 4 feet. Lemon grass is mainly found in tropical Asia in
countries such as India, Ceylon, Brazil, Philippines, Malaysia, Myanmar, Guatemala, Madagascar, Mauritius,
New Guinea and countries in Africa and South America. In the Philippines, it has a local named known as
“tanglad”. Many repellent products pertaining chemical compound like DEET (N,N-Diethyl- meta-toluamide)
used as active chemical ingredient in insect repellent, are now turn to all natural ingredients as more and more
negative data is released. Lemon grass is extremely safe and is listed on the EPA’s GRAS list (generally regarded
as safe). People all over the world have come to rely on the potent insect repellent properties of lemon grass and
utilize it as a personal and area spray.

II. Problem of the Study

This study was conducted to answer the following problem: Will extract of lemon grass is an effective way of
natural insect repellant?
III. Hypothesis of the Study

If lemon grass will be extracted its natural components, and observe it by applying the lemon grass over a subject
that can easily approach by insects, then if it repel the insect away, it is to be an effective natural insect repellent.

IV. Objectives of the Study

A.General Objective:

The general objective of this study is to determine the effectiveness of lemon grass as natural insect repellent.

B. Specific Objective:

1. To get the time (minutes) using stop watch to observe the time and duration of the effectiveness lemon grass. 2.
To observe the effectiveness of lemon grass using two candies, one candy is treated with lemon grass and the
other candy without lemon grass.

V. Significance of the Study

The study will be conducted to determine the effectiveness of lemon grass as natural insect repellent. Extraction
of lemon grass is through Steam Distillation

Dependent variable/responding variable

1.20 pieces of lemon grass leaves

B. Materials

1. Stainless pot with an integral strainer

2. Curve pot cover

Independent variables/manipulated variable

1. Ice

2. Water 4 Technique.

The children will benefit the most because knowledge of insect repellent will enable them to prevent possible
disease. Through this study, the knowledge of parents regarding lemon grass as insect repellent would be
increased and prevention could be done to avoid more serious damage to their children’s health.

VI. Scope and Limitation

The focus of this study is to determine the effectiveness of lemon grass as insect repellent. Investigating the
performance of these will be described by observation of two candies. One candy will be treated with lemon grass
and another candy is without lemon grass. The study is performed during Christmas vacation. The data used in the
research is gathered through observation and Steam Distillation Technique.
VII. Design of the Study

A. Variable

3. Stainless or steel glass receiving vessel

VIII. Methodology

A. Collecting of Lemon Grass About twenty (20) pieces of lemon grass leaves was collected near in the house of
the researcher in a vacant lot. Only green and fresh leaves were collected. Additionally, this leaves is clean and
dry to prevent the other organic substance to be extract in extraction process. If the lemon grass is wet, let it be air
dry first before doing the extraction process.

Figure 1: Fresh and clean dry lemon grass

B. Procedure The extraction process will be done through Steam Distillation Technique. Due to lack of
laboratory apparatus, the researcher intends to use an improvised apparatus. It requires a stainless pot with an
integral strainer, a curve pot cover, and a stainless or steel glass receiving vessel. The Consumables are water, ice,
and lemon grass leaves to be extracted.

Most essential oils available today are extracted using a steam distillation process. It is believed by many to be the
only way oils should be extracted. This distillation process really is quite simple as long as this extraction process
is closely monitored, the steam will remain at a temperature that won’t damage the lemon grass (essential of
aromatherapy, 2011). First, set the pot on the heat source and fill with purified water to level just below the
strainer bottom when it is in place. A strainer will be inserted and fill it with lemon grass leaves. Clear the space
in the center of the strainer to set the receiving vessel. Position the pot cover on the top in vertically. Make sure
that the drip tip is centered over the receiving vessel. Fill the pot cover as much ice as it can hold. It is not
necessary to add water to the pot cover. Boil it up to 15-30 minutes. Get the extract of lemon grass in the
receiving vessel (Ragan, 2005).

Figure 2: The strainer filled with lemon grass leaves and a receiving vessel.

Figure 3: An improvised set up of Steam Distillation Technique. (A) The researchers actual set up of steam
distillation, where extraction of lemon grass is on-going. (B) Labeled different parts of improvised set up of steam
distillation technique.

Figure 4: The extracted product from lemon grass.

IX. Observation

Using two candies as observation, one candy is treated with lemon grass and the other candy is without lemon
grass. Put it in the area were ants are present for faster observation in both candies. Using stopwatch, get the time
that ants will approach to both candies and observe what candy ants will go to.

X. Results and Discussion

A. Observation

As the result, in the observation of two candies, one is with lemon grass and the other is without lemon grass.
After fourteen (14) minutes, the candy without lemon grass are now approaching by the ants, but the candy with
lemon grass still no ants, because of the lemon grass that repel the ants away.
Figure 5: Observation of two candies after 14 minutes. (A) The candy with lemon grass has no ants at all. It is
because the lemon grass repel the ants. (B) The candy without lemon grass. As you can see, ants are now
approaching to the candy.

B. Discussion

Lemon grass oil is an essential oil used in deodorants, herbal teas, skin care products, fragrances, insect repellents,
and for aromatherapy (Dutta, 2007). Lemon grass and closely related species belonging to the genus Cymbopogon
are popular used as insect repellents (Trongtokit, 2005) and various experimental studies support its use as an
insecticide of insect repellant (Girgenti, et al., 2002; Heimerdinger, et al., 2006; Magesa, et al., 2006; Yaday, et
al., 2006; Cloyd, et al., 2009; Sakulku, et al., 2009). Lemon grass is an important essential oil yielding plant. The
plant yields lemon grass oil of commerce after steam distillation of its leaves. And this oil used as insect repellent.
One of the important constituent of the oil is citral (3,7-dimethy-2,6-octadienal) (Ghosh, 2005). Citral is therefore
an aroma compound used in perfumery for its citrus effect. Citral is also used as a flavor and for fortifying lemon
oil. It also has strong antimicrobial qualities (Onawunmi, 1989), and pheromonal effects in insects (Wikipedia,
2011).

Citral has a toxic effect on the sensory nervous system in insect antennae (Hapke, 2001) that affect the behavior
and physiology of insects. That is why the candy that has treated by lemon grass can repel the ants because of its
citral content that when the ants smell it using their antennae, it will have a pheromonal effect to it. And another
important constituent of lemon grass oil is the citronella. Citronella oil is also renowned plant-based insect
repellent, and has been registered for this use in the United States since 1948 (U.S. EPA Citronella Factsheet,
2007). The United States Environmental Protection Agency considers oil of citronella as a biopesticide with a
non-toxic mode of action (EPA Citronella Registration Factsheet, 1997). And this biopesticide are naturally
occurring substance that control or directly kill or inactive the insects or pests especially the mosquito (Wikipedia,
2011). With these two constituents of lemon grass, it can repel the insects away and protect us from insect bites
and vector- borne disease.

XI. Conclusion

The hypothesis was right. Lemon grass can repel insect away and can be an effective and alternative way of
natural insect repellent.

XII. References

A. Journal Amerasinghe, F. et al., (2002). Ecosystems and Vector-Borne Disease Control. Cliggott Publishing,
Division of CMP Healthcare Media. Dutta, B.K. (2007). Anticandidial Activity of Some Essential Oils of a Mega
Biodiversity Hotspot in India. Biotechnology Division, Defense Research Laboratory, Tezpur, Assam, India.
50(2):121-4 Trongtokit, Y. (2005). Comparative Repellency of 38 Essential Oils Against Mosquito Bites.
Department of Medical Entomology, Faculty of Tropical Medicine, Mahidol University, Bangkok, Thailand.19
(4):303-9 Cloyd, R.A. et al., (2009).

http://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/438257_2Repellents.
GLOSSARY

Cymbopogon citratus commonly known as West Indian lemon grass or simply lemon grass, is a tropical plant
native to Island Southeast Asia and introduced to many tropical regions. Cymbopogon citratus is often sold in
stem form. While it can be grown in warmer temperate regions, such as the UK, it is not hardy to frost.

Citronella oil is an essential oil obtained from the leaves and stems of different species of Cymbopogon. The oil
is used extensively as a source of perfumery chemicals such as citronellal, citronellol, and geraniol.

Lyme disease also known as Lyme borreliosis, is an infectious disease caused by the Borrelia bacterium which is
spread by ticks.

Bubonic plague is one of three types of plague caused by bacterium Yersinia pestis. One to seven days after
exposure to the bacteria, flu-like symptoms develop.

Arthropod is an invertebrate animal having an exoskeleton, a segmented body, and paired jointed appendages.

Aromatherapy is a pseudoscience based on the usage of aromatic materials, including essential oils, and other
aroma compounds, with claims for improving psychological or physical well-being.

Cymbopogon, variously known as lemongrass, barbed wire grass, silky heads, Cochin grass or Malabar grass or
oily heads, is a genus of Asian, African, Australian, and tropical island plants in the grass family.

Pheromonal a chemical secreted by an animal, especially an insect, that influences the behavior or physiology of
others of the same species, as by attracting members of the opposite sex or marking the route to a food source.

Antennae sometimes referred to as "feelers", are paired appendages used for sensing in arthropods.

Vector-borne diseases are illnesses that are transmitted by vectors, which include mosquitoes, ticks, and fleas

Biopesticides a contraction of 'biological pesticides', include several types of pest management intervention:
through predatory, parasitic, or chemical relationships.

Antimicrobial is an agent that kills microorganisms or stops their growth.

Physiology is the scientific study of the functions and mechanisms which work within a living system.

N, N-Diethyl-meta-toluamide also called DEET or diethyltoluamide, is the most common active ingredient in
insect repellents.