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(ATMoB:Discuss) Vitamin B-1 again
From the September 9, 2001 _Asbury Park Press_:
H E R B A L
P H A R M A C Y
* * *
Vitamin B may repel mosquitoes
Q. Years ago, my father heard that large doses of B vitamins (sorry,
I don't remember which ones) would repel mosquitoes. Apparently it
changed the smell of his skin, because my mother commented that he
smelled so bad that she wouldn't bite him either!
A. Taking large doses of vitamin B-1 (thiamin) has long been
recommended as a way to repel mosquitoes. The scientific evidence to
support this practice is sparse.
We heard from on European-trained physician, however, who learned
this approach in medical school. He prescribed it for many patients
in the tropics, all of whom found it helpful. He noted that it makes
perspiration smell a bit like yeast, but that the smell drives the
mosquitoes away.