I first discovered this beautiful bush on a nature hike at our local state park in central Florida a few years ago. I was fascinated by its distinctive pink berries. I found that it has been used in the past as a mosquito repellent. With no other repellent around and thousands of hungry mosquitos, I ground up the berries in my hands and rubbed the juice on my legs and arms. An hour later, I had no bites, which was miraculous for me.
The American Beautyberry has a rich Floridian history. I found in several historical books that it was used by the Native Americans to repel mosquitoes. They used both the berries and the leaves, as both are effective.
Pioneers who came on horseback through the Florida swamps would put American Beautyberry leaves under the saddles of their horses to protect them from the mosquitoes bites.
I am not condoning chucking your modern day bug repellent out the window of your car on the way to your campsite, as I have no idea how this plant will protect you against bugs like ticks or chiggers, but, if you find yourself in the woods of central Florida with no other choices, the American beauty berry makes a great second choice for insect repellent.
Happy trails!
The Happy Healthy Orange 