Citronella Essential Ceylon Oil

The genus Cymbopogon belongs to the family Poaceae, which is widely distributed in the tropical and subtropical regions of Africa, Asia, and America. This genus is famous for its high content of essential oils, which have been used for cosmetics, pharmaceutics, and perfumery applications. Cymbopogon nardus (L.)Rendle, popularly known as citronella, native to Ceylon is one of the Cymbopogon species. The essential oil obtained from the leaves of Cymbopogon nardus is commonly used as an insect repellent. Many Studies have shown the antiviral, antibacterial, and antifungal activities of this oil. Furthermore, a higher cytotoxic activity of Cymbopogon nardus L. essential oils on human epidermic cell line HaCaT was demonstrated. Thus, the essential oil of Cymbopogon nardus could be quite suitable as an active component in pharmaceutical formulations for skin treatment and its damages repairing. Moreover, Cymbopogon essential oil can be used for the control of foodborne pathogenic bacteria in the food industry.

Citronella oil comes from the Asian grass plant known as Cymbopogon nardus. It’s most commonly used as a natural fragrant oil, in insect repellents, as well as in beauty, household and perfume products. According to dozens of clinical studies, pure citronella oil is an antiseptic, antimicrobial and antifungal treatment. The most popular use for citronella is as a constituent in homemade or commercially sold insect repellents, since it naturally repels mosquitos and other bugs. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency considers citronella to be a “biopesticide” that has a nontoxic mode of action against insects.