USE OF AYURVEDIC DRUGS IN INSECT REPELLENT AND PESTICIDES

Abstract

Insects can be the cause of major ecological problems; they can transmit microbes and parasites that affect humans, and damage food crops, trees, and homes. The total economic cost of insect-related damage and disease is immeasurable. In traditional medicine system several medicinal plants have been identified as insecticides or insect repellents, but many of them are still unknown. Therefore, the aim of this study was to review the insecticidal or insect repellent activity of certain medicinal plants. The use of a wide range of synthetic insecticides has been restricted recently, due to the high cost, harmful envi­ronmental effects, their non-biodegradable nature, and increasing insecticidal resistance. An efficient alternative source for insecticides is botanical, which can provide a simple and sustainable method of insect control. Herbal medicines have been used for thousands of years as sources of bioactive and therapeutic substances with industrial and agricultural purposes.