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Essential
Oils
Rose Ann Gould
Soloway
Poison
Control
The Bottom Line
Essential oils are
derived from plant parts.
Because they have a
scent, essential oils are often used in perfumes, cosmetics, room fresheners,
and flavorings.
Many have a history
of medicinal use, too. Misuse of essential oils can cause serious poisoning.
The Full Story
Essential oils are
derived from plant parts.
Because they have a
scent, essential oils are often used in homemade and commercial perfumes,
cosmetics, and room fresheners. Some are used, in minute amounts, in food
preparations.
Some are present in
pesticides. Many essential oils have a long history of medicinal use, too.
Numerous essential
oils are known. A few common ones are camphor, peppermint, wintergreen,
sandalwood, sage, lavender, clove, cinnamon, tea tree, eucalyptus, and
bergamot.
Many people think
essential oils are harmless because they are natural and have been used for a
long time.
In some cases, that
is simply not true. Many essential oils can cause rashes if used on the skin.
Many can be
poisonous if absorbed through the skin or swallowed.
Few have been
tested like medicines have, even though people put them in their mouths, on
their skin, and in their children’s vaporizers.
Aspirating an
essential oil can cause pneumonia; this can happen if someone tries to swallow
it, but chokes so that a little goes into the lungs.
Individuals can
have varying reactions to essential oils, as they might to other medicines and
products.
For example, anyone
can be allergic to anything – whether or not it causes allergic reactions in
others.
Children, with
their thin skin and immature livers, might be more susceptible to toxic effects
than adults.
There could be
interactions with other drugs, too. Depending on how the essential oil is
prepared, there could be toxicity from other ingredients; these preparations
often contain other oils or alcohol.
Since essential
oils generally are not regulated, it can be hard to know exactly what is in the
essential oil bottle – what species of plant, what concentration of active
ingredient, or whether there are any contaminants.
Here's what is
known about a few essential oils.
· Peppermint is used for gastrointestinal
discomfort. It's important to choose the correct species of mint, as some types
are poisonous; for example, pennyroyal oil is very poisonous to the liver.
· Wintergreen is used in some over-the-counter
skin preparations to relieve pain. It creates a feeling of warmth because it
causes blood vessels to enlarge.
BUT – a big but –
oil of wintergreen is very dangerous if more than a tiny amount is swallowed.
Oil of wintergreen
is used as a food flavoring in trace amounts, but drinking from the bottle can
be deadly.
Swallowing oil of wintergreen is
like swallowing a large number of adult aspirin.
· Tea tree oil is used for some kinds of fungal skin infections.
· Nutmeg is used in food but, when misused or abused, can cause
hallucinations and coma.
· Eucalyptus is used for its soothing effects
when inhaled, for example during a cold or cough. If swallowed, eucalyptus oil
can cause seizures.
· Sage oil has been used as a scent, seasoning,
and remedy. Swallowing more than a very small amount has caused seizures in
children.
· Camphor is used as a moth repellent and as
an ingredient in skin preparations.
Even a small amount
of camphor is dangerous if swallowed. Seizures can begin within only a few
minutes.
Camphor poisoning
also occurred when skin preparations containing camphor were applied repeatedly
on children – more frequently than the label recommended and/or covered up with
extra clothing.
Safely using and
storing essential oils is extremely important.
· If an essential oil is found in a cosmetic product, use it
according to label directions. Stop using it immediately if a rash or other
skin reaction occurs and gently wash it off.
· If it's found in a scent, be sure that it is used and stored
where children can't find it.
· If it's in a medicine, use according to label instructions ONLY.
· If, for some reason, you have bottles of essential oils at home,
consider discarding them (safely) if you have young children. Otherwise, they
MUST be locked up, out of sight and reach of children and pets – all the time.
· This Really Happened
· Case 1: A 22-month-old boy had a
seizure that lasted for more than an hour. In the emergency room, his breathing
was so slow that he had to be artificially ventilated. He had no history of
illness or injury. An extensive work-up found no medical reason for his seizure.
The child spent 4 days in the hospital. The father later told doctors that the
child had eaten a small piece of "alanfor" (camphor) that had been
placed in the apartment for roach control. This is not a legal product in the
US; it had been purchased in a local market.
· Case 2: An 18-month-old boy swallowed a
small amount of lavandin extract that his mother used as a home fragrance.
Three hours later, he was extremely drowsy – nearly in a coma – and confused.
His breath smelled strongly of lavender. In the hospital, an
electroencephalogram (EEG - study of brain waves) was abnormal. Fortunately,
the child was back to his normal self in about 6 hours. His EEG the next day
had returned to normal.
If someone swallows
an essential oil, or a product containing essential oils, use the webPOISONCONTROL® online
tool for guidance or call Poison Control at 1-800-222-1222 right
away. Poison Control will help you figure out if this could be dangerous and
will tell you exactly what to do.
Rose
Ann Gould Soloway,
RN, BSN, MSEd, DABAT emerita
Clinical Toxicologist
Clinical Toxicologist
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