What actually is citronella?
Citronella is a versatile term. It describes both the plant species lemongrass and the essential oils obtained from it and related sweet grasses. Most people know it as the brand name for lemongrass oil and scented candles mixed with it.
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Lemongrass, also called lemongrass, originally comes from Southeast Asia and has been used in a variety of ways in a long tradition. In the East Asian cuisine, it becomes z. B. refreshing teas prepared. But also in the European eating and drinking culture, the lemony-rosy scented sweet grass has found its way, especially in dried form in sweet and hearty dishes, pastries and drinks. Lemongrass essential oil, which contains around 80% citral and 20% mycrene, is also an established ingredient in the perfume and cosmetics sector as well as for room fresheners and bathroom cleaning products.
The versatility of Citronella at a glance:
- As a (dried) herb for teas and as a condiment
- Oil for perfumes, cosmetics and household products
Citronella against biting insects
Furthermore, humans have also learned to use citronella oil in another way: as a repellent, i.e. as a repellent against biting insects. Such pests, especially mosquitoes but also wasps, do not like citrus and ethereal smells at all. Ideally, citronella oil combines both fragrances and smells all the more repulsive to the insects.
Citronella oil is offered as a pure oil in bottles, but also in processed form such as in scented candles.
Use only real citronella oil!
When buying the oil, make sure that it is labeled as pure, citronella essential oil. Because there are numerous cheat or stretched products that only contain synthetic citral or a proportion of cheaper spruce top oil. These have a much smaller wasp repelling effect.
To effectively keep wasps away, you should only get real citronella oil and let it evaporate in a scented light, for example, or rub it on wooden garden furniture. When it comes to eating, however, the fragrance barrier cannot do much: in front of a table full of sweet icing pieces or juicy, raw grilled steaks are still not made by wasps in their most labor-intensive and hungry phase stop.
