Anyone try p-Menthane-3, 8-diol?

[stillatit]

I'm only interested in how effective it is for ticks, NOT mosquitoes. I've been hiking for over a month in PA-NJ-NY, and the ticks have been pretty bad this spring. I'm not using permethrin, just DEET. I know some here claim DEET is useless against ticks, but I'm not interested in getting into that.

I am already familiar with the literature and studies on p-Menthane-3, 8-diol/PMD/Menthoglycol, or whatever you want to call it (the oil of eucalyptus plant). What I need to know from those who have tried it in the field is this: does it work vs. ticks?

Has anyone had success or the lack of it with this stuff?

[Genevieve]

I'm only interested in how effective it is for ticks, NOT mosquitoes. I've been hiking for over a month in PA-NJ-NY, and the ticks have been pretty bad this spring. I'm not using permethrin, just DEET. I know some here claim DEET is useless against ticks, but I'm not interested in getting into that.

I am already familiar with the literature and studies on p-Menthane-3, 8-diol/PMD/Menthoglycol, or whatever you want to call it (the oil of eucalyptus plant). What I need to know from those who have tried it in the field is this: does it work vs. ticks?

Has anyone had success or the lack of it with this stuff?

Hi, Sorry for the late response. I am the regulatory director for the company that makes oil of lemon eucalyptus (contains 64% PMD and is sourced from eucalyptus citriodora oil). As part of my job I oversee all the efficacy studies related to our product. We have done a number of studies testing this active against variety of ticks, including those to the EPA's rigorous standards. The long and short of it is that it is extremely effective in repelling ticks, including deer ticks, dog ticks and lone star ticks. On a personal note, I live in rural Vermont and use it regularly on my children with great success. If you are interested you can learn more at www.citrefine.com

[Blissful]

I've seen hikers using lemongrass concoctions also.

[Wise Old Owl]

Right off the EPA has made tremendous testing and its not hard to read their website and I quote Deet is a Repellent.


Benefits of DEET products
DEET's most significant benefit is its ability to repel potentially disease-carrying insects and ticks. The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) receives more than 20,000 reports of Lyme disease (transmitted by deer ticks) and 100 reports of encephalitis (transmitted by mosquitoes) annually. Both of these diseases can cause serious health problems or even death in the case of encephalitis. Where these diseases are endemic, the CDC recommends use of insect repellents when out-of-doors. Studies submitted to EPA indicate that DEET repels ticks for about three to eight hours, depending on the percentage of DEET in the product."

I use Deet to repel BEDBUGS off my shoes... so far in close to five years of daily inspections I have not had an "Incident" only because its very handy and I can leave it in plain sight in my car.

May 25, 2010 -- Consumer Reports Health has issued a new ranking of the six repellents it says are best to ward off mosquitoes and deer ticks.
The magazine says it tested 10 insect repellents in an outside laboratory, where volunteers let deer ticks crawl on them and also exposed themselves to mosquitoes.
Six of these repellents earned a "recommended" rating from Consumer Reports. These six repellents, along with their active ingredients and cost, are:

• Off Deep Woods Sportsmen II; 30% DEET; cost: $1.25 an ounce.
• Cutter Backwoods Unscented; 23% DEET; cost: $1.33 per ounce.
• Off FamilyCare Smooth & Dry; 15% DEET; cost: $1.63 an ounce.
• 3M Ultrathon Insect Repellant 8; 25% DEET; $1.67 per ounce.
• Repel Plant Based Lemon Eucalyptus; active ingredient oil of lemon eucalyptus; cost: $1.94 an ounce.
• Natrapel 8-Hour with picaridin; 20% picaridin; cost: $2.00 an ounce.

Others tested included:

• Avon Skin-So-Soft Bug Guard plus IR3535 Expedition SPF 30, active ingredient IR3535; cost: $3.50 per ounce. (horrible stuff above Connecticut.)
• Bite Blocker Xtreme (organic); Plant oils are listed as the active ingredient; cost: $1.34 per ounce.
• Cutter Skinsations Clean Fresh Scent; 7% DEET; cost: $1.04 per ounce.
• Burt's Bees All Natural Herbal; active ingredient plant oils; cost: $2.00 per ounce.

Consumer Reports Health says that the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has judged DEET to be safe when used as directed, but that it has caused rare toxic reactions when not used as instructed. The EPA also says DEET shouldn't be applied to babies less than 2 months old.
The American Academy of Pediatrics has advised against using repellents with DEET concentrations higher than 30% on any kids. And Consumer Reports Health says no one should use a repellent with more than 30% DEET.
The top six repellents protected against deer ticks and mosquitoes for seven hours or more, Consumer Reports says in a news release.

[Wise Old Owl]

PMD is found in small quantities in the essential oil from the leaves of Eucalyptus citriodora. This tree is native to Australia, but is now cultivated in many warm places around the world.

The Center for Disease Control has recognized OLE as the only effective naturally derived substance for deterring mosquitoes carrying West Nile Virus. PMD can be synthetically manufactured; however, studies have found that repellents containing synthetic PMD mixtures are not as effective as those containing naturally derived PMD where the PMD content is in equivalent concentrations.This 2006 study also showed that naturally-derived PMD is as effective as DEET when used in like quantities. The 2011 study shows E. citriodora oil (which contains only 1-2% PMD and is therefore different from OLE as registered with the EPA min 64% PMD) has far less efficacy in repelling mosquitoes than OLE.

[Odd Man Out]

PMD can be synthetically manufactured; however, studies have found that repellents containing synthetic PMD mixtures are not as effective as those containing naturally derived PMD where the PMD content is in equivalent concentrations.

I wonder why this would be. If found one reference that claims all enantiomers (present in the synthetic but probably not the natural PMD samples) had the same efficacy. Were they using pure PMD or a natural mixture with other oils? BTW, PMD is a terpene with the same carbon skeleton as limonene, the oil that squirts out of an orange peel.