Mosquito-Repelling Chemicals Identified in Traditional Sweetgrass
Monday, August 17, 2015 - 05:00
in Paleontology & Archaeology
Native North Americans have long adorned themselves and their homes with fragrant sweetgrass (Hierochloe odorata), a native plant used in traditional medicine, to repel biting insects, and mosquitoes in particular. Now, researchers report that they have identified the compounds in sweetgrass that keep these bugs at bay. The team will describe their approach at the 250th National Meeting & Exposition of the American Chemical Society.