Insecticidal activity of capillin isolated from the herbal medicine Inchinko against the cigarette beetle, Lasioderma serricorne (F.) (Coleoptera: Anobiidae)

The principal insecticidal compound obtained from the herbal medicine Inchinko, the dry flower buds of Artemisia capillaris (Asteraceae), which works against the cigarette beetle, Lasioderma serricorne, was isolated through successive silica-gel column chromatography and HPLC. The active isolate was characterized as capillin (1-phenyl-2,4-hexadiyn-1-one) by FT-IR, GC/MS, and (1)H- and (13)C-NMR analyses. The LC(50) and LC(99) of the isolated capillin against the larva of L. serricorne were 130 ppm and 415 ppm, respectively. The commercial extract of A. capillaris (rumput roman extract; capillin content, 1.8%), which has been approved as a natural preservative for food, may be applicable as a safe insecticidal agent to control the cigarette beetle.