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Is Eucalyptus safe for children?

Is Eucalyptus essential oil or other 1,8 cineole rich essential oils safe for children under the age of 10?

“All substances are poisons; there is none which is not a poison.
The right dose differentiates a poison from a remedy.”
– Paracelsus – 16th-century physician

jade-and-soren2Let me begin by stating the following: I am a mother of a 9 year old boy who has been raised solely on herbal and aromatic remedies since birth without incident. (I am not saying this to imply therefore it is not possible to have adverse events with children, because it is, but simply to imply that when used correctly, it is uncommon and incredibly rare.) I am an aromatherapist trained in the UK over 25+ years ago and I am an avid researcher. I have a growing concern over the extremes which exists within the aromatherapy community and the amount of misinformation both sides of these extremes put forth via the ever expanding web of social media. I am extremely cautious of accepting any given adverse event without properly understanding the individual, the circumstance, and perhaps most importantly, to me, the authenticity and quality of the essential oil utilized (including possible oxidation due to age of oil used). I don’t believe the passing around in social media of outrageous adverse events serves our community nor does the growing ‘hysteria’ help to shed light on important questions that should be asked when trying to figure out the true nature of an adverse event.

My personal goal is to cultivate a balanced approach to understanding essential oils, how to use them effectively, and safely, which I believe is an extension of ones knowledge of individual essential oils and human physiology. For me, safety is not something separate from my relationship with each individual essential oil or with my understanding of the uniqueness of each individual and human physiology rather it is one aspect I take into consideration when choosing which essential oils to utilize.

So now, let’s dive into the matter at hand: Is it safe to use Eucalyptus for my child?

What is being said out there…

Incorrect statements found on the internet when searching: Is it safe to use eucalyptus with my child? These are the top 3 posts that come up on google search:

  • Eucalyptus and the cineole chemotype of Rosemary are on the list of essential oils to avoid using on children under age 10. Peppermint is not recommended for children under age 6. (http://www.foodrenegade.com/eucalyptus-oil-for-congested-children-busted-essential-oil-myth-1/)
  • *Eucalyptus Eucalyptus camaldulensis, Eucalyptus globulus, Eucalyptus maidenii, Eucalyptus plenissima, Eucalyptus kochii, Eucalyptus polybractea, Eucalyptus radiata, Eucalyptus autraliana, Eucalyptus phellandra, Eucalyptus smithii – avoid using (all routes) on children under 10 (from: http://www.learningabouteos.com/index.php/2014/02/07/essential-oils-and-children/)
  • Peppermint is safe to use at 6+ years but ALL eucalyptus and rosemary essential oils should be avoided until 10+ years of age. (http://www.thehippyhomemaker.com/essential-oil-safety-babies-children/)

Other sites have perpetuated this myth which appears to have originated from one individual/site (and funnily enough, it is a site that claims to be a source for safety information) and then others have used the writing to pass around and expand the misunderstanding and misinterpretation of what Tisserand and Young (2014) have actually said. So let’s begin there….

Tisserand and Young

The book ‘Essential Oil Safety – 2nd Edition’ was written by two individuals: Robert Tisserand and Rodney Young (who so seldom gets the credit he most likely deserves). While I really love this book and completely appreciate the time and effort put into it, it seems that some forget to actually read it before launching into what “Tisserand said” (which technically should be “What Tisserand and Young (2014) state”). More often than not, the information perpetuated by the collective is incorrect and hence we end up with this kind of incorrect information circulating through social media.

So let’s have a look at what Tisserand and Young actually say about Eucalyptus essential oils and 1,8 cineole.

1,8 cineole

“1,8 cineole does not appear to be as toxic as is often believed, although elevated oral doses certainly are toxic and children are susceptible to cineole toxicity. The instillation of 1,8 cineole into the noses of young children is clearly not a sensible procedure, but this should not be taken to mean that any preparation containing 1,8 cineole is highly dangerous to children per se.” (page 526)

And again, emphasizing instillation into the nose: “Instillation of 1,8 cineole into the nose of children up to four years of age results in non-fatal but serious toxicity, and may interfere with respiration.” (page 526)

Eucalyptus (cineole-rich) species

The contraindication for Eucalyptus cineole rich oils states: “Do not apply to or near the face of infants or children under ten (10) years of age.” (page 273)

PLEASE NOTE: The contraindication does NOT state, do not use 1,8 cineole rich eucalyptus oils with children under 10 but DOES state, “do not apply to or near the face”.

This is very different from saying ‘do not use at all’.

 

The main safety concerns expressed in Tisserand and Young’s book are:

  1. Do not instill eucalyptus or 1,8 cineole-rich essential oils into the nose of infants or young children.
  2. Do not apply 1,8 cineole or cineole-rich essential oils on the face of children under the age of 10.
  3. Note: Oral ingestion will be discussed in part II.
  4. ADDED NOTE: We will also talk about dermal application and appropriate doses as high doses that are applied to the skin of children and/or infants, can present problems as well.

What is instillation?
For those of you who are wondering what instillation means: this is when an atomizer, inhaler, or drops are used to introduce a substance directly into the nose.

According to Tisserand and Young (2014), The instillation of 1,8 cineole into the nose results in both oral ingestion and inhalation of this component.

“Non-fatal but serious toxicity in children has been reported in France, Belgium, and the UK with solutions containing either menthol, niaouli, Olbas oil, or 1,8 cineole that were instilled into the nose of children ranging from age 1 month to 3 years. Toxicity or poisoning results in various manifestations from irritated mucous membranes, tachycardia, dyspnea, nausea, vomiting, vertigo, muscular weakness, drowsiness and coma. (Tisserand and Young, 2014 citing: Melis et al 1989, Reynolds 1993, Wylie et al 1994, and Decocq et al 1996.)”

**Note: Technically, I should find all the papers myself and cite them directly but I am taking the easy path with this posting.

It would also be wise to understand that we are talking about Eucalyptus or 1,8 cineole as isolated ingredients, not within the framework of a blend or formulation. I believe this is important because rarely does an aromatherapist use a single essential oil and certainly never, an isolated component. Although for sure, instillation into the nose or placement on the face, may still be relevant depending on age of child, essential oil used, dilution, etc.. Let’s take a look at this in a moment. First, a review of papers sometimes cited on the internet as examples of the so-called dangers of eucalyptus or other 1,8 cineole rich essential oils.

Let’s also remember, it is 2015, a time when essential oils are being used by more individuals than ever before. I say this because I think it is interesting to note the dates on the papers. One other important note about research papers and abstracts: while studying at the Maryland University of Integrative Health, I learned that 30% of all research abstracts do not represent what is actually in the paper. We were trained to always find the original paper in its entirety before making a judgement as to the quality of information or the resulting abstract.

I have done my best to find or purchase the entire paper of each of the following research papers presented. When I was unable to find the paper, I make note of that too. To be continued……..

End of part 1

Please note: Part II was never written. If time opens up in the future I shall revisit this discussion. Warm regards, Jade

Reference

Tisserand, R. and Young, R. (2014). Essential Oil Safety. 2nd Edition. United Kingdom: Churchill Livingstone / Elsevier.

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Comments

  3. Thank you for this article. I heartily agree that there is a plethora of extreme “safety” recommendations that don’t have a very solid foundation to rest on, though caution for various reasons needs to be taken seriously. And the point you make about blends containing the oils is crucial.

    I would like to know though what your take is on page 109 of Essential Oil Safety, 2e where it says:

    “Other essential oils, administered, in this way, could cause similar problems, and we recommend that peppermint, cornmint, and any oil with 40% or more 1,8-cineole should not be applied to the face of infants or children, or otherwise inhaled by them.”

    The majority of this particular passage in the book does address instillation into the nose, however, the part that details “or otherwise inhaled by them” seems to imply a bit more than simply drops coming into a more direct contact. It goes on to discuss how the action of particular components effects airways, which we would expect to be influence by inhalation/ diffusion given that it doesn’t particularly discuss aspiration.

    I’m not of the camp that you can never use cineole rich oils with children, but the cautions around the use do appear to be of more significance than just instillation into the nose. Most of the book does seem to address most frequently the major cautions as being applied near the face, but there is this one mention that I quoted that seems to imply more.

    Thank you for the post, and I look forward to part II.

    Reply

    • Hello Lauren,
      Thank you for sharing this. I really appreciate it as I did not look there. This section is specifically on Infants and Nasal instillation. It is unclear by the words chosen what they actually mean but I would interpret inhalation to be things like direct palm inhalation, inhalation direct from the bottle, steam inhalation, or via an inhaler. They do not specifically point out diffusing so this is something to ask Tisserand and Young directly. Will send off an email to ask Tisserand about this. But inhalation tends to infer some type of ‘inhalation’ that is more direct than say, diffusion in the environment. At least that is how I would interpret it. Will keep you posted if it is meant to be something different. Diffusion and inhalation are two different things…inhalation being more direct and close to the face than diffusion, at least typically. Hope that helps. Warm regards, Jade

      Reply

      • A while back Tisserand (on his Facebook page) did draw the distinction between direct inhalation and diffusion in the room. Saying that diffusion in the room would be considered safe. But it would probably be best to clarify this directly with him.
        Thank you for clarifying this safety information.

        Reply

      • Thank you both for this bit of discussion, I am new (15 months) to the world of essential oils and I appreciate your wisdom, time and making this information available.

        Reply

  5. Intelligent, insightful, resourceful as always, Jade. Thank you for taking the time to better the aromatherapy community.

    Reply

  6. Wonderful post Jade…… I too find this common theme with herbs like Lobelia and such. So glad to have a breath of fresh host air:-) Lots of love, Laryssa~~~~

    Reply

  8. Hi, Jade,
    Thank you so much for venturing to write on this topic. I am also currently researching essential oil safety in the literature, and it is difficult to navigate as so much is vague in the wording, study design, etc. While there has been research performed and some adverse reactions reports collected, we certainly, and unfortunately, do not have a complete body of knowledge or documentation within the formal literature. Because of this, I feel we are always comparing the research results to our anecdotal evidence from case studies and historical uses, and shooting for the proverbial middle ground. I have also raised my son with aromatic and herbal medicine without adverse reactions, but, as you state, I feel it is because I have taken the adequate time to develop a working relationship with each essential oil. I feel it is crucial as an aromatherapist to do this, as it naturally leads to safe and appropriate doses and applications. Simultaneously, as more and more people are using essential oils and want to learn how to use them, we have to keep striving for clearer guidelines for safety and sustainable practices. And, I think what you are doing is a huge part of that process.
    Thank you again for your work!
    Amanda

    Reply

  11. Jade, I love in-depth EO focus like this. Thanks for posting it. I don’t know if you were planning to mention seizure potential in part 2 of your article, so I wanted to mention it just in case it applies to anyone in your readership. In my aromatherapy work with special needs kids, I caution parents against using any strong scents like eucalyptus or peppermint, either directly or indirectly around the kids. Oftentimes a child will not experience a seizure until close to or in the teen years, so we don’t know if the child has seizure potential until after it happens. I know of one child who seized after eucalyptus exposure (from household cleaning but no direct contact) and again months later in the kitchen where Mom was frying bacon…both strong scents…resulting in two not-so-fun ER visits. This was in the early teens with no previous seizure history, and the child was autistic. Another special needs child I know can only tolerate about a 0.25% dilution of very light EOs like lavender nowhere near the odor intensity of eucalyptus or peppermint or chamomile. Granted, these are anecdotal incidents, but I prefer to stay on the (really, really, really) safe side with special kids who might be prone to seizures or otherwise chemically sensitive. There’s a lot we don’t know about differences in brain wiring between special needs and neurotypical kids. On the other hand, special needs kids can receive such wonderful benefits from aromatherapy that I don’t want to dissuade anyone from trying kid-pleasing EO scents with less odor intensity. Special needs kids seem to have significantly enhanced sensitivity (and potential reactivity) to aroma, so while seizure potential is a concern on one end of the odor intensity spectrum, the right oils used the right way can be incredibly beneficial in calming, grounding, uplifting, soothing, etc.

    Thanks for your excellent article. Here’s a related link:
    http://roberttisserand.com/2014/06/eo-inhalation-seizures/

    Reply

    • Thank you SD for sharing this insightful post with me and others who will read it. I shall be sure to put this into Part II for sure.

      Warm regards, Jade

      Reply

  12. Thank you for posting this Jade. I have been told by some facebook group administrators that being over-cautious in safety guidelines is a natural reaction to the lack of safety awareness displayed by others. I’m sure there’s some truth in that, though being over-cautious is not without consequences. I will add that the fact that essential oils are being very widely used now, and the dates of the adverse incidents (1990s) does not mean that no-one is having adverse reactions now – a lot of people are, but we don’t hear about most of them. Almost as soon as Essential Oil Safety was published I realized that the guidelines for children and inhalation safety were not as clear as they should have been, could have been. The risk is both age-related, and concentration-related, so simple guidelines are a challenge, but let me clarify my position on eucalyptus and other cineole-rich oils. They are safe to diffuse for children, if we are talking about two or three drops in a diffuser for a moderately small bedroom. On the other hand, applying undiluted eucalyptus oil to the face – or even to the feet – of an infant would be unwise and risky. Eucalyptus oil is also safe to use at about 1% in a chest rub for small children. There are two reports of serious adverse reactions by children to non-oral eucalyptus oil – ages 4 and 6 (EOS page 274). This does not mean that all children in a certain age group are at risk from topical eucalyptus oil – on the other hand such reports, as well as the ones from nasal instillation, deserve to be considered.

    Reply

    • Thank you Robert. Sincerely appreciate your note and insights. I am planning on covering dermal application and dilutions in Part II as I realize that this is a very important matter to cover. I also appreciate the statement about dates and shall do my due diligence, insuring all research papers applicable to this topic are shared. A professional practice and knowledge base cannot be built upon reactions to what others are doing or not doing. This, I believe, is the true tragedy in our field right now. One needs to read your words carefully so as not to misconstrue or misinterpret them. For some of us who actually practice, the individual client, their health, their age, and what is happening is at the forefront of any decision to use or not use a particular essential oil. As practitioners or individuals who are trained in aromatherapy, it is also our ‘job’ to observe recommendations such as yours or any other esteemed colleagues and to then come to our decision based upon experience, evaluation of the client, recommendations, etc. Shall continue writing part II and than you in advance, sincerely, for your note. Warm regards, Jade

      Reply

    • Ok so a chest rub with eucalyptus diluted at 1% IS child safe?
      I want to make sure I am really clear on this.
      And what about peppermint? Can that be kid safe under age 6 if it is diluted at or under 1%?
      Thanks!

      Reply

      • Hello Kym, I would say yes to the eucalyptus salve. Peppermint should not be used with children under 30 months of age.
        Warm regards, Jade

        Reply

  14. Thank you, Jade. There seems to be a tendency for strong knee-jerk reactions and desire for dramatic statements these days. There is so much information out there that I feel these posts to be a lazy reaction and desire for attention or publicity. Rather, it is worth taking a breath, looking carefully at the information and finding the truth as best we can. It’s a think-it – post-it world. Thank you for being willing to ease back from drama and look at these statements with care.

    Reply

  15. Hi Jade….Thanks so much for your post. I am grateful that you are out there researching and clarifying this for all of us. There is so much confusion around this subject and because I own a retail store where I consult/teach about essential oils plus sell them to the general public, it has been a question and a concern not only for myself but for my customers. Can’t wait for part 2.

    Reply

  18. Thank you for this wonderfully written and informative article Jade. I love those moments when I can go ‘wow’ I’ve just truly learned something valuable. I was on the fence about Eucalyptus and because I was did not recommend or consider it for children. Looking forward to part two. Your dispelling of ‘myths and mysteries’ is so appreciated. 🙂

    Reply

    • Hi Brenda, So thankful that this article was beneficial to furthering your knowledge. Thank you for your note!
      Warm regards, Jade

      Reply

  19. Nice article, Jade. Good, clear thinking! I agree, one must get the original articles being cited to form one’s own conclusions. Look forward to Part 2.

    Reply

  21. Jade,
    Thank you for the article. Too often people take things out of context and misconstrue the meaning. I tend to stay away from social media due to all the extremes. We need to practice common sense safety precautions. The practice of aromatherapy and aromatic medicine will never move forward if we are too rigid in our beliefs.

    Reply

  22. Thank you Jade for your balanced view in the world of aromatherapy. I have been learning and using aromatherapy for about 15 years and have always tried to stay in the middle of the two extreme views, but have recently found myself becoming on the over cautious side. Thank you for snapping me back into being open to all view points. You are a breath of fresh air in this industry!

    Reply

  23. Dear Jade, your article has reached me in the right time. You have really found the easy path with your posting. I am a social worker, body therapist, student of aromatherapy and mother of a 3-years-old son. I appreciate the way in which you put all the information about eucalyptus oil and 1,8 cineol on the right path.

    Two weeks ago I was with my son in a zoo and together we touched and smelled eucalyptus leaves. That moment reminded me that I was not sure about how to use the eucalyptus oil safely, since I had read the information on the internet. My son had a cold and cough four months ago and I wanted to diffuse the eucalyptus oil. I read the internet info and found: avoid children younger than 10 years. I have also Tisserand Essential Oil Safety. After having read this, I came to the same conclusion as you wrote in the article. However, honestly I was not sure because all the texts were in English (not my mother tongue, I am Slovak) and I am only an aromatherapy student. I admire Tisserand and Young´s work, so I decided to trust the information they published. Many times I took a bottle of eucalyptus oil in my hands before I made the final decision to diffuse only three drops. Still I missed some precise and clear information about using eucalyptus with children. Now the part I. of your article gave me a clear explanation and I want to thank you for your note. So now I can use the eucalyptus oil (cineole-rich oil species) at my home and work effectively, safely, with understanding, without any worries, doubt and concerns. Now I am sure, you have confirmed my conclusions and I can also share my experience and knowledge with my friends. Your notes dissolve the shadows of doubts and quandaries. At the end, allow me to thank you and state that your article has opened the door, cleared and liberated the spirit of eucalyptus from the amount of misinformation for our children and us as well, on a professional level. You give us the opportunity to use eucalyptus and other essential oils with 1,8 cineol in a full range with depth of knowledge. I can´t wait to read the part II. I am honoured to meet you at your next aromatherapy online course. Petra from Slovakia

    Reply

    • Thank you so much for your note Petra. I love your statement “At the end, allow me to thank you and state that your article has opened the door, cleared and liberated the spirit of eucalyptus from the amount of misinformation for our children and us as well, on a professional level.” Beautiful and honors eucalyptus.
      I am so thankful it has accomplished this. Thank you!!!!! Warm regards, Jade

      Reply

  25. Thank you for the insightful and clarifying post on such an important topic! I will be sharing the information with my Portuguese readers on my website in the nearest future! Thank you!

    Reply

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Aromatic Studies @ Yarrow Mountain Farm, Stuart, VA