In vitro acaricidal activity of extracts from 16 traditional Chinese medicines against Psoroptes ovis var. cuniculi

ABSTRACTThe in vitro acaricidal activities of 16 different traditional Chinese medicines against Psoroptes ovis var. cuniculi were evaluated using extracts prepared by water decocting and ethanol thermal circumfluence. The decoction extracts of Leonurus japonicus, Euphorbia lunulata, and Pyrethrum carneum had strong toxicities towards mites, as did mixtures of the aqueous extracts of L. japonicus and E. lunulata. The mixture containing aqueous extracts of L. japonicus and E. lunulata in a 1:1 ratio killed all mites within 6 h, and mixtures with ratios of 1:0 and 0.5:1 also exhibited strong toxicity. The results indicated that L. japonicus and E. lunulata contain potent acaricidal ingredients.