EFFECTIVENESS OF AROMATHERAPY CANDLE WITH CITRONELLA ESSENTIAL OIL EXTRACT AS MOSQUITO REPELLENT

Abstract

Mosquitoes act as vectors of disease. Efforts that can be made and are environmentally friendly are by making aromatherapy candles with plants that have mosquito repellent power such as citronella plants (Cymbopogon nardus) which contain essential oils. So far, many people have relied on synthetic insecticides in the form of mosquito coils, sprays, and electricity. Exposure to synthetic insecticides has a serious impact on health, ranging from mild irritation, nervous disorders, endocrine system, to an increased risk of cancer. The mechanisms of pesticide carcinogenicity include DNA damage, increased oxidative stress, and changes in cell cycle regulation, which can trigger lung, liver, stomach, intestinal cancer, leukemia, non-Hodgkin's lymphoma, brain cancer, and thyroid cancer. The high use of pesticides in Indonesia, both in the agricultural and household sectors, increases the risk of public health because the accumulation of exposure occurs every day The type of study was Post Test Only Control Group Design. The study involved one group of control group and experimental treatment group with the addition of citronella essential oil in candles with a concentration of 5%, 15%, and 25%. The percentage of death of the control group was 6%, 5% concentration was 17%, 15% concentration was 28%, and 25% concentration was 48%. The calculation of the percentage of effectiveness of aromatherapy candles with citronella essential oil (Cymbopogon nardus) is the highest reaching 44% at a concentration of 25% essential oil. The number of mosquitoes that died in the control group was 6, 5% was 17, 15% was 28, and 25% was 48 in all replications. And can develop variations in the type of active ingredients and concentrations used as natural insecticides, and can test their effectiveness on different types of mosquitoes.

Keywords: mosquito, aromatherapy candle, cancer, concentration, citronella