Karin

> Lastly, and this is a tad off topic, any recommendations to keep ticks
> at bay? My 8 yo comes in from the yard with a tick nearly every day.
> This is surburban middle class Virgina!! Not deep forest!! It's
> driving me nuts. I have a real phobia about them and my husband has to
> remove them cos I can't bear to look :-(
>
> Take care
>
> Shyrley

http://www.care2.com/channels/solutions/self/23

I found this on ticks:

Tick Repellant
by Annie Berthold-Bond

I dug deep in my herbal formula books for this recipe out of desperation,
given that I live in the epicenter of the tick-generated Lyme disease
epidemic. I tested the essential oil that is recommended for ticks, Rose
Geranium, by putting a few drops-no more!- on our dogs' collars, to see if
it would repel ticks. Lo and behold, we went from 20 ticks a day on each
dog, to none. The second best essential oil for repelling ticks is American
Pennyroyal (also called tickweed).

Simple Solution:

2 tablespoons vegetable or nut oil (almond oil contains sulfur, a repellent
in its own right)
10 to 25 drops Rose Geranium essential oil
Combine the ingredients in a glass jar; shake to blend.
Makes: 2 tablespoons
Shelf Life: 6 months

Dab a few drops on your skin or clothing, making sure to avoid eyes.

Caution
Skip the Pennyroyal if there is anyone pregnant (including pets) in the
home, as it can induce miscarriage. And as always, use essential oils with
caution as they can burn the skin and harm eyes. Don't use these essential
oils around cats.



> PS Sorry for the ramblings. I'm so excited to have my computer
> functioning again. >>

Good luck with the ticks and it's nice to hear your ramblings. :o)

Karin

moonmeghan

<<<<--- In AlwaysLearning@y..., "Karin" <curtkar@c...> wrote:

The second best essential oil for repelling ticks is American
> Pennyroyal (also called tickweed).>>>>

A word of caution. Pennyroyal oil (if you can even find it) should
never, ever be used on humans or animals. It is an extremely
toxic oil. You can, however, plant Pennyroyal all around the
edges of your garden to help repel ticks.

<<<<> Simple Solution:
>
> 2 tablespoons vegetable or nut oil (almond oil contains sulfur,
a repellent
> in its own right)
> 10 to 25 drops Rose Geranium essential oil
> Combine the ingredients in a glass jar; shake to blend.
> Makes: 2 tablespoons
> Shelf Life: 6 months
>
> Dab a few drops on your skin or clothing, making sure to avoid
eyes.>>>>

This works great. For kids, I would stick to the 10 drops per 2
tablespoons ratio though. Also test on a small patch of skin first,
just to make sure that he doesn't have a reaction to it.

Meghan