Catambra, derived from the catalapa plant that grows along the banks of Italy's river Po, is said to provide natural protection against insects.
And Kalichem Italia has used catambra extract as the principal component of its latest ingredient, an organic insect repellent called Flyblok. According to Kalichem, the extract protects against all species of mosquitoes, even tiger ones, as well as other insects.
In a test of 20 volunteers carried out in an area populated with mosquitoes, those using Flyblok received eight bites in total while those using a placebo received 41.