Editing Citronella oil (section)

{{Short description|Fragrant essential oil derived from lemongrass}}
{{Other uses|Citronella (disambiguation){{!}}Citronella}}
[[file:Óleo de citronela.jpg|thumb|Citronella oil]]'''Citronella oil''' is an [[essential oil]] obtained from the leaves and stems of different species of ''[[Cymbopogon]]'' (lemongrass). The oil is used extensively as a source of perfumery chemicals such as [[citronellal]], [[citronellol]], and [[geraniol]]. These chemicals find extensive use in soap, [[candles]] and [[incense]], perfumery, cosmetic, and flavouring industries throughout the world.<ref name="Lawless, J. 1995">{{cite book |last1=Lawless |first1=J. |title=The Illustrated Encyclopedia of Essential Oils |year=1995 |publisher=Element |isbn=1-85230-661-0}}{{page needed|date=December 2013}}</ref>
Citronella oil is also a plant-based [[insect repellent]] and has been registered for this use in the United States since 1948.<ref name="U.S. EPA Citronella Factsheet">{{cite web | title=U.S. EPA Citronella Factsheet |url=http://www.epa.gov/opp00001/chem_search/reg_actions/registration/fs_PC-021901_01-Nov-99.pdf | access-date=June 9, 2014 }}</ref> The [[United States Environmental Protection Agency]] considers oil of citronella as a [[biopesticide]] with a non-toxic mode of action.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.epa.gov/oppsrrd1/REDs/factsheets/3105fact.pdf |title=EPA citronella reregistration fact sheet }}</ref>

Citronella oil has strong [[Fungicide|antifungal]] properties.<ref>{{cite journal |id={{INIST|15524982}} |last1=Nakahara |first1=Kazuhiko |last2=Alzoreky |first2=Najeeb S. |last3=Yoshihashi |first3=Tadashi |last4=Nguyen |first4=Huong T. T. |last5=Trakoontivakorn |first5=Gassinee |title=Chemical Composition and Antifungal Activity of Essential Oil from ''Cymbopogon nardus'' (Citronella Grass) |journal=Japan International Research Center for Agricultural Sciences | date=October 2003 |volume=37 |issue=4 |pages=249–52}}</ref><ref>{{cite journal |id={{INIST|3245986}} |pmid=8893526 |year=1996 |last1=Pattnaik |first1=S |last2=Subramanyam |first2=VR |last3=Kole |first3=C |title=Antibacterial and antifungal activity of ten essential oils in vitro |volume=86 |issue=349 |pages=237–46 |journal=Microbios}}</ref><ref>{{cite journal |doi=10.1186/1472-6882-6-39 |year=2006 |last1=Prabuseenivasan |first1=Seenivasan |last2=Jayakumar |first2=Manickkam |last3=Ignacimuthu |first3=Savarimuthu |journal=BMC Complementary and Alternative Medicine |volume=6 |pages=39 |pmid=17134518 |title=In vitro antibacterial activity of some plant essential oils |pmc=1693916 |doi-access=free }}</ref>