The People's Guide To Mexico

Protection from No-see-ums?
Bounce Away the Bugs
Staying Healthy

Staying Healthy (homepage)

Crocodile

Herbal Bug Discouragant

El Codo Tests "Crocodile" Herbal Mosquito Repellent

Which potion would you rather smear all over your body?

N, N-diethyl-m-tolamide?

   Or:

An extract of Rosemary, Sage, Feverfew, Wormwood, Lavender,
and Thyme in Eucalyptus, Canola, and Castor oils?

A few years ago I loaned my body to People's Guide research in order to test Lorena's recommendation of Pennyroyal Oil in concert with a conventional mosquito repellent to thwart the fabled flesh-eating no-see-ums of San Blas..

That test was a rousing success, but I was still left with a feeling of doubt about whether or not I actually needed to have a commercial repellent with DEET. DEET is a potent chemical and human skin is no foolproof barrier against solvents and chemicals.

After seeing a reference on the People's Guide to Mexico website about an herbal based mosquito repellent, I contacted the manufacturer, Dancing Roots at <http://www.dancingroots.com> and obtained a 2 fluid oz. bottle of "Crocodile Herbal Bug Discouragent".

Not long after that, I had occasion to travel to some remote beaches in Baja. Summertime in Baja is infamous for mosquitoes, fleas and no-see-ums. I took along the bottle of Crocodile, but I was in a hurry and neglected to obtain my usual bug protections of Pennyroyal Oil or a DEET repellent before I departed.

Sure enough... just at sundown, precisely when the breeze died, no-see-ums started chewing on my ankles. I wiped some Crocodile up to my knees and the biting ceased.

The mosquitoes showed up an hour later and after swatting off half-a dozen of the pesky blood suckers, I finished applying the herbal remedy to all of my exposed skin. Caramba! It worked! The little critters landed for a moment and, after they experienced a whiff of the herbal ingredients, they fled.

I still think I would feel more comfortable if I had an "emergency supply" of DEET "just in case". And I have great confidence in Pennyroyal oil, so I will include a tiny vial of that next time as well. I would rather carry these repellents and never use them. In the malaria prone areas of Chiapas and Yucatan (summer time only), I definitely would take extreme measures to avoid being bitten: Mosquito netting, long sleeve pants, and shirt. But for everywhere else I'll count on Crocodile Herbal Discouragement to take the bite out of the bugs.


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