Making insect repellent using Dokudami flowers

If you live in Japan, you might have seen the plant “Dokudami”.

Dokudami has a strong life force and highly used as “Dokudami tea”.
But you can use this plant for insect repellent as well.

This time, I’d love to show you how to make insect repellent with Dokudami.

Dokudami is a medicinal herb

You can find Dokudami anywhere in Japan.
On the streets, parks, mountains…anywhere!
That’s why it doesn’t look like a special plant.

Dokudami is not an ordinary plant. It has medicinal ingredients.
Since two thousand years ago, Japanese people have used this plant as a medicine.
Nowadays, Dokudami is known as healthy tea, but it’s used for insect repellent, too.

For the insect repellent, you can use the flowers.
Flowering season of Dokudami is May to July.
During this period, you can make the insect repellent!

Making insect repellent using Dokudami flowers

Let’s see how I make an insect repellent using Dokudami flowers.
To make insect repellent, you just need two things.
Flowers of Dokudami and liquor called “white liquor（ホワイトリカー）”.
If you are living in Japan, you can get them so easily.

1. Collect flowers of Dokudami.

Actually, the white parts are not petals, they are called involucre.
But you don’t need to worry, you can cut under the involucre like the picture shown above.

2. Prepare a bottle and liquor called “White liquor”.

3. Put all the Dokudami flowers into a bottle and then pour the liquor to cover the flowers.

4. After you fill up the white liquor, leave it until the liquid color turns into a light amber color. (Usually it takes about 2–3 months)

The bottle on the right side was made three days prior to the one on the left.
The color difference is shown.

Let’s make Dokudami insect repellent

Dokudami is a very familiar plant in Japan.

But if you want to grow it in your own place, you can get it online.

Be aware that Dokudami spreads a lot.
So, I recommend you to plant it in a planter to protect other plants.

Enjoy Dokudami life!