the other day, the boys and i collected american beauty berry leaves from around our property and made a homemade mosquito repellant!!
we have made beauty berry jam in the past and i've heard you can dry them too to eat!
let's see what the experts have to say about these native, gorgeous purple berries!
"Compounds found in beautyberry leaves have shown amazing natural insect repellent properties, proving the worth of the centuries-old practice of placing leaves under mule harnesses to deter biting insects.
In 2006, researchers at the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Natural Products Utilization Research Unit in Oxford, MS, found that extracts from beautyberry leaves could match DEET for repelling mosquitoes. The next year, experiments showed that the active ingredients from the leaves (callicarpenal and intermedeol) provided 100-percent repellency of black-legged ticks for three hours. In 2008, the four-person research team, headed by chemist Charles Cantrell in Mississippi and entomologist Jerome Klun in Maryland, published research that added fire ants to the list of pests repelled by essential oil distilled from beautyberry leaves.
Cantrell says toxicity testing is needed to evaluate the safety of applying potent beautyberry compounds to human skin. “Plants containing these compounds have long been used as folk remedies with no ill effects that we know of, so I would not anticipate any harmful effects when plants are used in the traditional way,” he says."
we have made beauty berry jam in the past and i've heard you can dry them too to eat!
let's see what the experts have to say about these native, gorgeous purple berries!
"Compounds found in beautyberry leaves have shown amazing natural insect repellent properties, proving the worth of the centuries-old practice of placing leaves under mule harnesses to deter biting insects.
In 2006, researchers at the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Natural Products Utilization Research Unit in Oxford, MS, found that extracts from beautyberry leaves could match DEET for repelling mosquitoes. The next year, experiments showed that the active ingredients from the leaves (callicarpenal and intermedeol) provided 100-percent repellency of black-legged ticks for three hours. In 2008, the four-person research team, headed by chemist Charles Cantrell in Mississippi and entomologist Jerome Klun in Maryland, published research that added fire ants to the list of pests repelled by essential oil distilled from beautyberry leaves.
Cantrell says toxicity testing is needed to evaluate the safety of applying potent beautyberry compounds to human skin. “Plants containing these compounds have long been used as folk remedies with no ill effects that we know of, so I would not anticipate any harmful effects when plants are used in the traditional way,” he says."
cool, right?!
let's get started!!!
American Beauty Berry Salve
fresh, bright green leaves from the American Beauty Berry plant
vodka or other clear liquor, around 100 proof (50%)
cheesecloth
mason jars
coconut oil
beeswax beadlets
any additional desired essential oils (lemongrass is very effective against mosquitoes as well)
Compactly press all the fresh leaves into a mason jar or other container. Pour vodka into the jar and fill it up about half as much as the leaves. Seal and shake jar. Let set overnight in the refrigerator. Pour the mixture into a high-powered blender and add liquid coconut oil. A good ratio is 5 or 6 parts oil to 1 part herb/alcohol mixture. Blend for about 3 minutes. Pour all into a cheesecloth set over another mason jar. Squeeze to get all the oil out. (Compost leftover plant material)
Pour infused oil into the top of a double boiler or a glass bowl set on top of simmering water. Heat and add 1 ounce (weight) of beeswax for every 1 cup of oil. Add any desired additional essential oils now. Once its all melted (about 15 minutes), pour into jars of choice!
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