Chinese scientists extracted an anti-malarial drug from the Artemisia annua fern, traditionally used against malaria for hundreds years. It is being used in Southeast Asia, Latin America and Africa and is proving effective against drug-resistant forms of malaria.
In India, a homemade mosquito repellent is proving particularly effective against the Anopheles mosquito which spreads malaria. It's made from low-cost neem oil from the amazing neem tree (Azadirachta indica, the "Village Pharmacy") mixed with coconut oil in concentrations of 1-2%.
http://www.theoriginalneemcompany.com/Misc/insectr
Neem is also proving effective against malaria itself, not just the mosquito that carries the parasite.
http://www.theoriginalneemcompany.com/usespages/pa
One active component of the plant, gedunin, is said to be as effective as quinine on malaria-infected cell cultures.
http://www.theneemtree.com/medicinals4.htm
The Neem Tree - A Tree for Solving Global Problems
http://www.theneemtree.com/
Also in India, researchers have found that peppermint oil could be a new, cheap weapon in the fight against mosquito-borne diseases such as malaria, filariasis, dengue fever and West Nile virus. The oil not only repels adult mosquitoes but also kills the larvae. It was particularly effective against the Anopheles culicifacies mosquito, which is responsible for around three-quarters of malaria transmissions in the northern plains of India. -- BBC News, November 17, 1999
http://news.bbc.co.uk/hi/english/health/newsid_524
Another promising candidate is catnip.
Catnip Repels Mosquitoes More Effectively Than DEET -- Researchers report that nepetalactone, the essential oil in catnip that gives the plant its characteristic odor, is about ten times more effective at repelling mosquitoes than DEET -- the compound used in most commercial insect repellents... A patent application for the use of catnip compounds as insect repellents was submitted last year by the Iowa State University Research Foundation. Funding for the research was from the Iowa Agriculture Experiment Station. -- American Chemical Society, 28 Aug 2001
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2001/08/01082
But: "I can't escape the idea that something is fundamentally wrong with these scientists. I learned about the mosquito repellant properties of catnip (Nepeta cataria) from my grandmother when I was a mere babe. Now these scientists have patented this century-old common folk knowledge." -- John, Organic Gardening Discussion List, 29 Aug 2001
What old folklore does YOUR grandmother know that might turn out to be more scientific than the scientists?
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Handmade Organic Mosquito Repellent (HOMeR)
http://wildchildmagazine.com/display.ph ... 〈=en