YOU'LL spot them in many cars of Malaysians; bundles of pandan leaves placed on dashboards, tucked behind sun visors or draped over the rear-view mirror. Verdict:TRUEYes, scientific research shows pandan leaves do have cockroach-repelling properties but the reality is more complicated than simply placing a few leaves in the car. from the School of Biological Sciences at the National University of Singapore (NUS) evaluated seven compounds and fractions prepared from pandan leaves and found that certain pandan compounds were indeed repellent to cockroaches. The study noted that pandan leaves contain low levels of essential oils, including 2-acetyl-1-pyrroline, styrene, linalool and β-caryophyllene. In other words, placing fresh pandan leaves in the car will not provide reliable protection against cockroaches.
