American beautyberry.

Folk recipes for repelling insects have existed since humans and insects began sharing the planet. Maybe your grandpa showed you how to crush the leaves of American beautyberry and rub it on your skin. American beautyberry, a native shrub of the lower 48 states, repels mosquitoes quite effectively.

Now scientists tell us the compounds in beautyberry leaves - callicarpenal and intermedeol - may be just as good at repelling blacklegged ticks. Researchers from the Agricultural Research Service treated cloth strips with the natural compounds, and wrapped the strips around their fingers. The beautyberry compounds repelled 95% of blacklegged ticks .

In the woods without your DEET? Try beautyberry leaves - they work!

Image by Flickr user pellaea, through Creative Commons Attribution-No Derivatives license.