Herbal Burning Kits

Summertime just hits differently with a roaring fire nearby.

…but who would want to swat away bugs while trying to relax next to a campfire? Certainly not me! Having spent some time in the depths of herbal medicine, I knew quite a few herbs that worked to repel insects and wanted to play around with them in an outside, real world setting.

As someone who feels like a beacon for mosquitoes, I made a few herbal fire starters for a camping trip. The idea was to use herbs that work as insect repellent to keep the mosquitoes at bay. We used the kits during the day and at night.

Making the Kit:

To make the herbal burning kits, you’ll need the following:

Toilet paper rolls

Dried herbs

Newspaper

Spoon (to shovel herbs into the toilet paper rolls)

Herbs used in this kit:

• Lavender
• Sage
• Catnip

Steps to Make:

Step 1: Assemble all necessary items including a bowl, spoon, and toilet paper rolls.

Step 2: Mix the herbs. I would recommend starting with 1/4 cup and adding more herbs in as you see fit and as your supply allows. For this project, I used about 1/3 of a cup of each herb.

Step 3: After the herbs are thoroughly mixed, then you’ll want to fold the toilet paper rolls. This was done by cutting a slit on two opposite sides of the toilet paper roll bottom and then folding it into itself to create a pocket.

Step 4: Next stuff a little bit of newspaper into the bottom of your toilet paper roll and then fill it with the herb mixture.

Step 5: Once the toilet paper roll is full, you’ll want to follow the same method of closing the toilet paper roll as you did in Step 3.

Step 6: Laying out a section of the newspaper, roll the toilet paper rolls one by one into the newspaper and then twist the loose ends to seal it shut.

Other dried herbs that function as insect repellents to try in your herbal burn kit:

• Sage
• Lemon Balm
• Catnip
• Basil
• Rosemary
• Lavender
• Thyme
• Oregano
• Eucalyptus

How Does It Work?

The herbal burning kits use heat and smoke to create a barrier around the campfire smoking out biting insects like mosquitoes and no-see-ums.

Did it work?

For someone who consistently suffers from insect bites and as stated in the beginning, feels like a beacon for bugs. I only had one bug bite that happened during the daytime when the fire was not lit. I think using the herbal fire starters made a difference and helped to keep bugs away from our camp. Smoke in itself works to deter bugs but adding in the repelling herbs truly makes a difference in the amount of bugs that lingered and stung us while trying to enjoy the fire. In all, I would try this herbal recipe again it was a great way to get rid of herbs that have been sitting around for longer than their medicinal use and it was a great experiment.

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