Beauty Berry: Nature’s Insect Repellant
Walking along the edge of the woods in the southern United States you may have stopped in awe at the sight of vibrant magenta berries waving with broad leaves under the canopy of trees in the fall. In the spring a hiker may stop to view the lilac clusters of flowers that are attracting the bumble bees. This magnificent shrub is the American Beautyberry, a natural plant to the southern U.S. states that feeds birds, wildlife and historically, indigenous people. If you are lucky you will find them growing without care on your property for vase cuttings that last many weeks on the table. An ethnobotanic story of the beautyberry is that the chemical properties stored in the roots, leaves, and berries were historically used by the southern Choctaw, Creek and Seminole Native American tribes for medicinal purposes. They used the roots to treat dizziness, stomachaches and dysentery. Roots and berries were boiled and consumed to treat colic. Sweat baths were conducted using the roots to treat malarial fevers and rheumatism. The beautyberry was recently brought back into a study led by scientists at Emory University and the University of Notre Dame for treatment of COVID-19. Beautyberry studies are proving the plant extract as an innovative solution to treat the issue of antibiotic resistance to infectious diseases.To prevent insect bites one can simply crumple the fresh leaves in hand and rub them directly on the skin. A preferred alternative to questionable DEET products is to boil leaves in water on the stove to release the compound, allow to cool and transfer the liquid to a spray bottle for use to repel mosquitoes, red ants and ticks. However, amateur home herbalists can easily make this organic recipe shared by Out More USA as a moisturizing cream that can be applied safely to people and pet paws to deter biting insects:Beauty Berry Insect CreamVitamin E is great for your skin and citronella has insect repellent properties of its own so this cream is likely more effective than using Beautyberry alone.Ingredients:3 cups boiling water1 cup Beautyberry leaves, chopped2 tablespoons beeswax 1/3 cup Grapeseed Oil1 teaspoon Vitamin E Oil10 drops Lemongrass essential oil (optional)10 drops Citronella essential oil (optional)Directions:Gently simmer chopped leaves for 20 minutes, covered. Pour the water into a jar while straining out the leaves. Melt the bees wax and the grapeseed oil by putting them in a glass canning jar and place the jar in a pot of water on medium heat. As soon as the wax is melted, remove the jar and add Vitamin E oil. Add 1/2 a cup strained water (make sure it is still warm) to the wax/oil and mix well until it becomes creamy. Add the citronella and lemongrass essential oils, cover and shake well. If you see any separation between the water and oil as it cools, shake more until it is well emulsified.One can purchase an American Beautyberry, Callicarpa americana shrub or dried seeds to add to gardens in zone 6b-11a. We’ve attached a wonderful growing guide provided by the Florida Native Plant Society for successful planting.
Walking along the edge of the woods in the southern United States you may have stopped in awe at the sight of vibrant magenta berries waving with broad leaves under the canopy of trees in the fall. In the spring a hiker may stop to view the lilac clusters of flowers that are attracting the bumble bees. This magnificent shrub is the American Beautyberry, a natural plant to the southern U.S. states that feeds birds, wildlife and historically, indigenous people. If you are lucky you will find them growing without care on your property for vase cuttings that last many weeks on the table.
Beauty Berry: Nature’s Insect Repellant
Walking along the edge of the woods in the southern United States you may have stopped in awe at the sight of vibrant magenta berries waving with broad leaves under the canopy of trees in the fall. In the spring a hiker may stop to view the lilac clusters of flowers that are attracting the bumble bees. This magnificent shrub is the American Beautyberry, a natural plant to the southern U.S. states that feeds birds, wildlife and historically, indigenous people. If you are lucky you will find them growing without care on your property for vase cuttings that last many weeks on the table.
An ethnobotanic story of the beautyberry is that the chemical properties stored in the roots, leaves, and berries were historically used by the southern Choctaw, Creek and Seminole Native American tribes for medicinal purposes. They used the roots to treat dizziness, stomachaches and dysentery. Roots and berries were boiled and consumed to treat colic. Sweat baths were conducted using the roots to treat malarial fevers and rheumatism. The beautyberry was recently brought back into a study led by scientists at Emory University and the University of Notre Dame for treatment of COVID-19. Beautyberry studies are proving the plant extract as an innovative solution to treat the issue of antibiotic resistance to infectious diseases.
To prevent insect bites one can simply crumple the fresh leaves in hand and rub them directly on the skin. A preferred alternative to questionable DEET products is to boil leaves in water on the stove to release the compound, allow to cool and transfer the liquid to a spray bottle for use to repel mosquitoes, red ants and ticks. However, amateur home herbalists can easily make this organic recipe shared by Out More USA as a moisturizing cream that can be applied safely to people and pet paws to deter biting insects:
Beauty Berry Insect Cream
Vitamin E is great for your skin and citronella has insect repellent properties of its own so this cream is likely more effective than using Beautyberry alone.
Ingredients:
- 3 cups boiling water
- 1 cup Beautyberry leaves, chopped
- 2 tablespoons beeswax
- 1/3 cup Grapeseed Oil
- 1 teaspoon Vitamin E Oil
- 10 drops Lemongrass essential oil (optional)
- 10 drops Citronella essential oil (optional)
Directions:
Gently simmer chopped leaves for 20 minutes, covered. Pour the water into a jar while straining out the leaves. Melt the bees wax and the grapeseed oil by putting them in a glass canning jar and place the jar in a pot of water on medium heat. As soon as the wax is melted, remove the jar and add Vitamin E oil. Add 1/2 a cup strained water (make sure it is still warm) to the wax/oil and mix well until it becomes creamy. Add the citronella and lemongrass essential oils, cover and shake well. If you see any separation between the water and oil as it cools, shake more until it is well emulsified.
One can purchase an American Beautyberry, Callicarpa americana shrub or dried seeds to add to gardens in zone 6b-11a. We’ve attached a wonderful growing guide provided by the Florida Native Plant Society for successful planting.
Resources:
Clark, Carol. (2020, July,16). Beautyberry leaf extract restores drug's power to fight 'superbug'
Newton, Seth. The 5 Absolute Best Beautyberry Insect Repellent Recipes
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