Plants Used as Mosquito Repellents Among Soligas Tribe in Chamarajanagar District of Karnataka, India
K. Venkatesan, R. Murugeswaran, Aminuddin and Rafath Mehmooda
Hippocratic Journal of Unani Medicine
Hippocratic Journal of Unani Medicine July - September 2013, Vol. 8 No. 3, Pages 103-113
सार
Malaria, Dengue fever, Filaria and Yellow fever are serious public health problems in tropical and sub-tropical regions of the world. These diseases are transmitted through mosquito bites. Though sincere efforts are being done to overcome the problem, still there is entire need to
explore effective measures to prevent individuals from mosquito bite. There are a number of synthetic/chemical mosquito repellents available in the market. But their toxic effects are harmful for human health. The safe and effective natural sources to control mosquito bite are needed to be explored. Natural plant based material may provide effective preparation to overcome the problem. Present paper deals with the herbal mosquito repellents used by Soligas tribes in Chamrajanagar district, Karnataka. The outcome of ethnobotanical survey carried out among the Soligas tribes of Chamrajanagar district during 2009- 2010 forms the basis of the paper. Information on 30 plants species used as mosquito repellents have been documented. These plants are used as mosquito repellents in different forms by the inhabitants of the study area.