Antiectoparasitic activity of the gum resin, gum haggar, from the East African plant, Commiphora holtziana

The repellent activity of gum haggar, a resin produced by Commiphora holtziana (Burseraceae), was assessed using the cattle tick, Boophilus microplus and the red poultry mite, Dermanyssus gallinae. The resin was significantly repellent, with GC-MS/GC-NMR analysis revealing the presence of 15 sesquiterpene hydrocarbons, including (+)-germacrene-D, a potent arthropod repellent.