Ticks attaching to ear canals of humans and animals are the cause of otoacariasis, common in rural areas of Nepal. The plantClerodendrum viscosumis used in multiple indigenous systems of medicine by ethnic communities in the Indo-Nepali-Malaysian region. Visiting the Chitwan National Park, we learned that in indigenous medicine, flower extract ofC. viscosumis utilized to treat digestive disorders and extracts from leaves as tick repellent to prevent ticks from invading or to remove them from the ear canal. The objective of our study was to provide support to indigenous medicine by characterizing the in vivo effect of leave extracts on ticks under laboratory conditions and its phytochemical composition. We collected plant parts ofC. viscosum(leaves and flowers) and mango (Mangifera indica) leaves at the Chitwan National Park, previously associated with repellent activity to characterize their effect onIxodes ricinusticks by in vivo bioassays. A Q-ToF high-resolution analysis (HPLC-ESI-QToF) was conducted to elucidate phenolic compounds with potential repellent activity.Clerodendrum viscosumandM. indicaleaf extracts had the highest tick repellent efficacy (%E = 80–100%) with significant differences when compared toC. viscosumflowers extracts (%E = 20–60%) and phosphate-buffered saline. Phytochemicals with tick repellent function as caffeic acid, fumaric acid and p-coumaric acid glucoside were identified inC. viscosumleaf extracts by HPLC-ESI-QToF, but not in non-repellent flower extracts. These results support the Nepali indigenous medicine application ofC. viscosumleaf extracts to repel ticks. Additional research is needed for the development of natural and green repellent formulations to reduce the risks associated with ticks resistant to acaricides.Supplementary InformationThe online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s10493-023-00804-4.