This Citronella Essential Oil is steam distilled from the leaves and stems of the Cymbopogon species of plants, especially Cymbopogon nardus. Citronella oil is famous as a plant-based insect repellent, a bio-pesticide with a non-toxic mode of action, and has been registered for this use in USA since 1948. The main countries to produce this oil are Indonesia and China, who together make about 40% of the world\'s citronella essential oil. Ancient cultures in India, Egypt, and elsewhere, where the Cymbopogon species of grasses grew used them to repel insects, especially mosquitoes. In those times, people settled near rivers, and water bodies. While this was a good thing in many ways, it also meant an abundance of insects, mosquitoes, which brought disease and killed people. So, the use of this grass as repellent was a matter of life and death at that time. This Citronella Essential Oil is steam distilled from the leaves and stems of the Cymbopogon species of plants, especially Cymbopogon nardus. Citronella oil is famous as a plant-based insect repellent, a bio-pesticide with a non-toxic mode of action, and has been registered for this use in USA since 1948. The main countries to produce this oil are Indonesia and China, who together make about 40% of the world\'s citronella essential oil.