3 Best Natural Home Remedies For Ticks

You will find the 3 best natural home remedies for ticks on humans, cats, and dogs in this article.

What are ticks?

Ticks are several millimeters long arthropods belonging to the class Arachnida that also includes spiders, scorpions, and mites.

They are present worldwide and can be found in various habitats, from the driest to the most humid1.

Ticks are external parasites of animals and humans2.

They feed on their host’s blood before falling off to molt into a different development stage or lay eggs1.

What symptoms do ticks cause?

When ticks bite their host, they secrete cement-like saliva that keeps them attached to the skin1.

This saliva can cause allergic reactions or paralysis in some individuals1.

It can also transmit bacteria, viruses, and parasites to the host1.

Tick-borne diseases in humans include1,3:

  • Lyme borreliosis (Lyme disease)
  • Tick-borne encephalitis
  • Babesiosis
  • Anaplasmosis

Percentage of disease transmission

Ticks carrying infectious agents may not necessarily transmit them to humans following a tick bite.

A French study revealed that the risk of transmission from Ixodes, one of the main types of ticks, is inferior to 3%1.

Furthermore, a Swedish study reported that only 2% of the individuals bitten by ticks carrying Borrelia bacteria were diagnosed with Lyme disease3.

What are tick repellents?

Ticks move up on blades of grass and wait for a suitable host to pass by2.

The odor of butyric acid, a component of sweat that mammals give off, stimulates the tick to drop onto and attach to a host.

Tick repellents are substances whose odor reduce the tick’s olfactory system4.

Topical versus oral tick repellents

Topical tick repellents, such as sprays, are often perceived as unpleasant by humans or animals5.

Also, essential oils used for natural tick sprays have a short duration of action and can cause allergic reactions upon oxidation when used directly on the skin6.

As such, topical repellents require total coverage of all exposed skin.

On the other hand, oral natural home remedies for ticks influence the skin metabolism and are therefore more sustainable5.

Related: How To Make A DIY Homemade Tick Repellent Spray

3 Best Natural Home Remedies For Ticks On Humans, Cats, and Dogs

Here are the 3 best natural home remedies for ticks on humans, cats, and dogs to be taken internally.

They prevent tick bites and prompt ticks to fall off if you have already been bitten.

1. Brewer’s yeast

Brewer’s yeast is a microorganism used for the fermentation of beer.

It is made from Saccharomyces cerevisiae, a type of single-celled fungus.

Brewer’s yeast is also used as a dietary supplement given its probiotic properties and high B vitamins and minerals content.

Vitamin B1 repels ticks

Vitamin B1 (thiamine) in brewer’s yeast acts as a tick repellent.

Studies have shown that oral thiamine is excreted through the pores along with perspiration and repels insects and arachnids, including ticks5, mosquitoes6, and fleas7.

Therefore, brewer’s yeast, as a natural source of vitamin B1, represents one of the best natural home remedies for ticks without side effects.

Dosage of brewer’s yeast

Humans: 10 mg/day7

Cats and dogs: 170 mg/day per kg5

Related: How To Get Rid Of Lice Super Fast At Home

2. Anti-parasitic herbal tincture

A blend of medicinal herbs well known for killing parasites is a tincture called “Green Black Walnut Wormwood Complex”.

Now foos green black wormwood walnut complex.

It consists of the following herb extracts:

  • Green walnut (Juglans nigra) hulls
  • Wormwood (Artemisia absinthium)
  • Cloves (Syzygium aromaticum)

Walnut hulls eliminate tick larvae

The walnut hull is the green or black outer walnut husk covering.

A laboratory study has revealed that walnut (Juglans nigra) hull extract killed tick larvae8.

The green walnut hull contains methyl palmitate, a plant-borne fatty acid ester with strong acaricidal activity8.

Moreover, researchers have found that black walnut could treat some tick-transmitted diseases, such as Lyme disease9 and cat-scratch disease10.

Wormwood kills adult ticks, larvae, and eggs

Wormwood (Artemisia absinthium) is a shrubby plant native to Eurasia and North Africa.

Research has reported that wormwood eliminated adult ticks, larvae, and eggs11,12.

The main active constituents of wormwood include artemisinin, linalool, and camphor13.

Clove eradicates adult ticks, larvae, and eggs

Cloves are the aromatic flower buds of the tree Syzygium aromaticum native to Indonesia.

Cloves (Syzygium aromaticum)

Studies have shown that clove essential oil eliminates ticks (adults, larvae, and eggs)14,15,16.

The bioactive substance is eugenol, an aromatic compound representing up to 95% of the oil’s content14,16

Eugenol blocks nerve impulses of arthropods, resulting in paralysis of the tick16.

In addition, research has reported that clove eliminated tick-borne diseases such as babesiosis17.

Related: 13 Best Foods That Kill Parasites

Dosage of the herbal tincture

Humans: take the dosage recommended on the label of the dropper bottle mixed with water.

Big dogs: take half of the dosage recommended on the label of the dropper bottle mixed with water daily.

Cats and small dogs: take 1/4 of the dosage recommended on the label of the dropper bottle.

Related: 10 Best Essential Oils For Ticks

3. Neem seed oil

Neem (Azadirachta indica) is a hardy tree native to India and Africa that grows in deserts and harsh climates18.

Does neem seed oil kill ticks?

Researchers have found that neem seed oil has activity against adult ticks, larvae, and eggs18,19,20.

The main active ingredient of this natural home remedy is azadirachtin, a compound that disrupts the development of arthropods19,21.

Besides, neem seed oil has antifungal and antibacterial effects, making it potentially beneficial for tick-borne disease treatment18.

Dosage of neem seed oil

Humans: take five drops of neem seed oil mixed with water daily.

Big dogs: take three drops of neem seed oil mixed with water daily.

Cats and small dogs: take one drop of neem oil mixed with water daily.

Related: 17 Symptoms Of Liver Flukes In Humans

Side effects of home remedies for ticks

It is noteworthy that neem seed oil has anti-fertility and abortive effects22,23.

Men and women should therefore not take this oil when trying to conceive.

Related: Do Papaya Seeds Kill Parasites?

Summary: 3 Best natural home remedies for ticks

Ticks are small external parasites that can bite animals and humans.

Their saliva may transmit diseases, such as Lyme disease and tick-borne encephalitis, to their host.

Oral natural home remedies for ticks prevent ticks from falling off on mammals due to their repellent properties.

They also prompt ticks to detach from their host.

Here are the 3 best natural home remedies for ticks on humans, cats, and dogs:

  • Brewer’s yeast
  • Black green walnut wormwood complex
  • Neem seed oil

Related: Pumpkin Seeds For Intestinal Parasites

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