When to NOT use essential oils (Essential oils can cause seizures in kids)
1/3/2015. Update from Dr. Erika: DON’T THROW OUT YOUR ESSENTIAL OILS! I’ve been getting a lot of comments from folks who read this article and are terrified to use essential oils now. Please, read the article carefully – topical or diffused essential oils can be very safe and effective in kids when used correctly! Remember to adjust dose to your child’s weight – if 1-2 drops is effective for an adult, then 1/2, 1/5, or 1/10 of a drop may be effective (and safe) for your child. 
When to NOT use essential oils
Are you an essential oil user? Chances are the answer is yes!
Recently there has been a huge rise in the use of essential oils from some popular MLM companies like Young Living and Doterra. BUT – with every new craze comes some good news and bad news…
The good news:
I love the fact that so many families have thrown out their Glade Plug-in air fresheners, or other synthetic spray air fresheners. Synthetic air fresheners are notoriously horrible products, in my opinion. The Environmental Working Group (ewg.org) rated 150 products with a grade D for safety, and 78 products with a grade F. (Only 11 got a grade A, and one of those was baking soda!) They even have a warning on their website saying “Avoid air fresheners: they can cause allergies and only cover up bad odors.” I really, really, really, really, really don’t like synthetic air fresheners. They are known to have phthalates and other substances which interfere with our hormones and are known to cause cancer. Using a vaporizer for essential oils is a much better way to diffuse fragrance and naturally reduce odor-causing bacteria.
The second piece of good news: I love it when patients have essential oils on hand. I do actually use essential oils a lot in my practice, usually topically or in steam inhalations. Lavender, tea tree, and thyme are my favorite three to have on hand. These are what I usually recommend families to keep in their herbal first aid kit. (Frankincense would be next.)
Okay, on to the bad news.
As a physician, I am very concerned about the rise in inappropriate use of essential oils.
Did you know that essential oils can cause seizures in children?
Essential oils are the distilled volatile aromatic constituents of the plant that are highly concentrated. Remember that one drop of essential oil is equivalent to 15-40 cups of medicinal tea, or up to 10 teaspoons of tincture. Would you ever give a child 40 cups of tea, or 10 teaspoons of tincture? My goodness, I hope not.
There have been several documented cases of seizures in children (and a few in adults) who have taken essential oils inappropriately. (You can check out case reports here, here, here, and here).
The bottom line is: essential oils can be neurotoxic to children. I never recommend internal use of essential oils in kids. Even in adults I save internal use of essential oils for serious infections or other conditions that are unresponsive to normal doses of herbs (in tincture or tea form). Topical or vaporized essential oils can be safe and very effective in children when used correctly!
So here are some guidelines for using essential oils in kids:
1) Always use a carrier oil when applying essential oils to the skin. A “carrier oil” is a type of base oil, to slightly dilute the essential oil and protect the skin against direct contact with the essential oil. Essential oils should never be applied “neat” (undiluted) to the skin. I cannot tell you the number of times I have seen allergic contact dermatitis (big ugly skin rash) with undiluted oils! Mix 1-2 drops of essential oil in 1-3 teaspoons of a carrier oil like olive oil, coconut oil, almond oil, avocado oil, or other mild, gentle, skin-friendly oil. Mix essential oils with carrier oils immediately before applying them. This prevents rancidity.
2) Keep oils away from airways (nose and mouth). One thing I really like about DoTerra’s recommendations is that they usually tell parents to apply essential oils to the feet of children and babies. This is a great idea, because it provides space between the airways and the source of the essential oil. Just make sure your baby doesn’t then put his feet in his mouth! Also make sure the essential oils are mixed with a carrier oil first.
3) Do not use vaporizers in a house where a child or adult lives with a respiratory disease. I have seen a number of asthma patients who were constantly having their airways aggravated from aerosolized essential oils. Use extreme caution when using essential oils in kids with asthma. Most essential oils will inflame a sensitive respiratory tract. I have heard from some of my naturopathic colleagues who have seen frightening cases of children completely unable to breathe because of essential oil-induced asthma attacks.
4) Do not use essential oils in teething recipes. No, no no. This is not safe! Stick with chamomile or lemon-balm tea popsicles. (Super yummy and babies love them!) Clove oil can be used topically (cloves infused in olive oil, not clove essential oil), but use with caution, because if a baby swallows clove oil or any numbing agent it has the potential to numb the gag reflex, and babies can end up aspirating their own saliva.
5) Do not give children essential oils internally. I highly recommend limiting internal use of essential oils to use under physician supervision only, for kids OR for adults. Once again, I have heard from colleagues who have seen everything from ulcers, to chronic gastroenteritis, to asthma, flaring of skin lesions (eczema, acne, psoriasis, you name it), migraines, chronic heartburn, and many more, from taking internal essential oils. Again – remember that one drop of essential oil is equivalent to 15-40 cups of medicinal tea, or up to 10 teaspoons of tincture. Products that have mixtures of essential oils and herbs tend to be safer. The exception to this rule: essential oils that are used for flavoring only tend to be safe (e.g., orange essential oil to flavor ice cream) – in this case the total amount of essential oil is very, very low.
6) Never ever take essential oils internally if you are pregnant. I recommend using extreme caution with topical essential oils and vaporized essential oils. Remember, essential oils very easily end up in the blood stream from topical or vaporized (and inhaled) use. (Topical by fat absorption through the skin, vaporized by diffusion in the alveoli of the lung.) Essential oils do cross the placenta and a fetus is extremely susceptible to the neurotoxic components. Most of the time this ends up being a non-issue though – pregnancy makes women so sensitive to smells that I know very few women who would use too much essential oil – our bodies do a great job of telling us when to stop!
At this point I am sure I will get hundreds of hate e-mails from avid essential oil users telling me how great they are and how much they helped their own personal health. I am in no way denying the fabulous benefits of essential oils! And they can be used internally – with caution!! But for every great success story of how much essential oils have helped, I get to see the other story, of how essential oils have worsened. So please, coming from Dr. Erika here, please use essential oils wisely, and save yourself a trip to my office – or worse, the Emergency Department.
Another note from Dr. Erika: Regarding the comments section – I’m trying, but I just can’t get to every comment anymore. If you are asking a specific treatment question (like “What EO can I use for _______ symptom) – I cannot answer those, you will need to ask your physician for guidance. Remember that symptoms are just symptoms of a bigger problem! If you need to find a naturopathic physician near you who has experience with essential oils, I recommend checking out the Pediatric Association of Naturopathic Physicians, or the American Association of Naturopathic Physicians.
Char Lambert
January 2, 2015 at 4:05 pmAnyone have experience with EO and shingles pain? Husband had a few blisters on face and in ear. Blisters have healed up nicely bit such severe pain up and down the nerve going from head , cheek, ear, jaw to chin. After about 8-9 weeks pain is finally subsiding to where he has rarely needed strong pain meds! Recently Tried peppermint oil directly on skin above ear and on head… Bad news pain worsened… Wondering if it was a “icy hot” pain? Or result of using it undiluted??? I used undiluted on a finger with osteoarthritic pain and was great!! Any recommendations for use of EOs for shingles pain?
Jeri H
January 2, 2015 at 12:53 amI pinned a pin on Pinterest about using 2 drops of Orange Essential Oil on a toothbrush to whiten teeth in 6 days. Is this safe to use this way and have you ever heard that it works? I was researching this before purchasing some oil when I ran across your post. I sure don’t want to harm myself or my teeth.
gabriela coleman
January 1, 2015 at 3:22 pmHello I was wondering which oils you would recommend for a teen with enthesitis related arthritis (ankylosing spodilytis)? He is 15 and currently taking Enbrel to halt the progression of the disease. I have asked his pediatric rheumatologist about oils and drug interactions but he did not know about which would be helpful, and if there could be drug interactions. Would you have any suggestions?
Andrea
December 31, 2014 at 3:39 pmIf you are able to see my email address would you please send me the name of the company you use? Thank you.
Angie Binkley
December 31, 2014 at 6:26 amI use doTerra essential oils; and am really loving the OnGuard beadlets. I have given them to my 7 yr old granddaughter to help boost her immune system since she goes to public school/germ factory. We only give her one, and they are so tiny….is this safe? I don’t want to keep giving them to her if unsafe. Thank you for this very useful information….
Anne
December 31, 2014 at 5:58 amI have heard to stay away from specific essential oils if you’ve been through breast cancer, especially hormone+ breast cancer. Any thoughts on this topic? Thank you.
Lindsey
December 31, 2014 at 5:06 amWhile the intent of this post is positive, it is making a sweeping generalization about the use of EOs in children. Yes, SOME EOs have been known to cause seizures. Some. Your post does not distinguish between those EOs that are not suitable for children, those that have been known to cause seizures in children or adults, and those that are safe for use when used properly.
This was posted in a moms forum I am a part of and automatically people started tagging each other about how dangerous all EOs are to children based on this article. While people should do solid research on the use and practice of EOs, many people choose not to, and a single post such as yours can automatically make them throw the idea out the window. Please clarify your post to specify which oils have been found to be unsafe for children. It will make the overall information much more credible.
Dr. Erika Krumbeck
December 31, 2014 at 9:37 pmLindsey – I agree. I really hope people don’t throw their EO’s out the window – I use them in my practice all the time. I just want people to be aware of how strong they are. Even generally safe oils like lavender and peppermint I think are way too strong to be using internally or undiluted in young children. The best practice is to modulate dose based on a child’s weight – if 1-5 drops is safe for an adult, then 1/10th of a drop would be suitable for young children. See what I mean?
Margie
January 7, 2015 at 8:46 pmDr. Erika… please advise on what oils you use.
Dr. Erika Krumbeck
January 7, 2015 at 11:35 pmWise Woman Herbs or Floracopeia. I get most of my bulk herbs through Wise Woman as well.
Kari Unsworth
December 31, 2014 at 3:51 amThis is s very good article. I was surprised because my husband is always sending me negative info on essential oils.
Essential oils are very strong and do need to be used carefully but I have to wonder about some of the negative reactions you are describing. Are these reactions caused by oils that are completely 100% pure such as oils sold by Young Living ? In Canada essential oils can be labelled 100% pure as long as the bottle contains as little as 3-5% of a pure essential oil. It doesn’t even have to state what the other 95-97% ingredients is. If plants are grown in inadequate soil conditions using fertilizers and herbicides, those chemicals will also be present in the essential oil and these chemicals will cause adverse reactions. Also, if chemicals or alcohol are used during distillation they will be present in the oil as well. So, while I agree that EO’s need to be used carefully, one must be careful where they are getting their oils. Also, it is a good idea to arm yourself with some excellent reference books. I would suggest Gentle Babies by Debbie Rayburn for safe use of oils during pregnancy, childbirth, breastfeeding and all stages of your child’s development. Also an essential oils desk reference available through life science publishing is an excellent idea.
mm00mjbm
December 30, 2014 at 8:50 pmHave you ever heard of EOs aggrivating asthma and allergies in adults? How about aggrivating GERD in adults to the extent of loosing voice.
Michelle
December 31, 2014 at 1:34 amWhile I am not an expert on EO’s, I have been dealing with allergies in my children on a critical level for more than 13 years.. One of my children has 4 deadly food allergies, and 2 deadly plant allergies. Another has several serious plant allergies. One has Eosinophilic Esophagitis – an allergy related disorder.
There is a relation between Eosinophils, allergies, GERD, and Asthma. From what I know, Eosinophils are responders when allergies are present and can cause inflammation to occur within the lungs, esophagus and other areas of the body. Essential Oils – because they are such a high concentration of plant matter, could easily cause the kind of GERD and Asthma aggravation you are describing.
Study the condition Eosinophilic Esophagitis as well as Cross Reactivity in the plant families. There are many good and reputable sources.
Cara
December 30, 2014 at 4:53 pmWhat about the doterra beadlets? My children (ages 8-15) take those on occasion. The peppermint and on guard. Thanks for the insight by the way 🙂
Kristy
December 30, 2014 at 3:56 pmIs there an eo that would help for neuropathy?
Dr. Erika Krumbeck
January 3, 2015 at 4:04 pmDefinitely see a physician for neuropathy – fix the underlying cause.
annie
December 30, 2014 at 6:56 amI”m also interested in learning more about frankincense for seizures… or any other oil that will help my daughter STOP seizing?? I’ve been diffusing frank for a bit and seems to help a bit… she’s 7. She has respiratory issues and is often on oxygen. She’s had pneumonia often.
Katie L
January 2, 2015 at 4:20 amAnnie,
I have a friend who uses YL eos and she got into it BC her son developed a seizure disorder. She was told to try lavender so next time he had an episode she immediately put a drop under his nose and right away noticed his seizure start to subside. It was over within a minute. Prior to that they would last about three minutes and they were so severe that he would stop breathing at times, very scary. I don’t know that lavender would be effective for your child or not. I suppose he may even be one of the few folks who reacts badly to lavender but I figured you might want to know. Perhaps diffuse some lavender when he is well to be sure he isn’t sensitive to it first before trying it during a seizure. Then work up to applying it diluted to his feet and go from there.
Michelle
December 30, 2014 at 5:05 amThanks for a great article. It’s very important that people understand the role that allergies play in response to EO. I wish I could post the photograph of the hives on my son’s back 15 minutes into allergy testing. Massive stripes 5 inches by 3 inches.
He went into anaphylactic shock just after the photo was taken. It took 3 epi-injections, steroids, and several breathing treatments to pull him out of the reaction. Not one of his allergy triggers was food. They were nearly all plant based. EO are plant based, and there is a very important connection called: Cross Reactivity. That means that when someone is allergic or sensitive to one plant, they can react to other plants within that family. For example, someone with a seasonal Birch allergy, may also get an itchy mouth when they eat apples, carrots, pears, etc…
Here’s a link to cross reactive plant families. http://allergicliving.com/2010/08/30/the-cross-reactors/
More about Oral Allergy Syndrome and cross reactivity: http://www.aafa.org/display.cfm?id=9&sub=20&cont=728
People with seasonal allergies should be very careful with their use of EO – especially when used on babies and young children whose allergies are less known.
Danielle Tipton
December 30, 2014 at 2:08 amThank you for discussing this! I do not give my kiddo’s any oils internally, but my 13 year old now knows what to reach for with various issues. She is medically challenging, and we use the oils to try to cut down on medication. I have wondered what other professionals who really deal with oils may say about that. I appreciate the info!
Laura
December 29, 2014 at 9:07 pmDo you have a good resource for information on safe EO use during pregnancy?
Dr. Erika Krumbeck
December 30, 2014 at 3:36 pmLaura,
They have never studied EO’s in pregnancy – probably for obvious reasons, no one wants to run the risk doing a trial and potentially causing harm to the fetus.
I do think that nature’s innate defenses are pretty “smart” though – most women in pregnancy are way too sensitive to smells to over-do it on essential oils. Of course, I never recommend internal use in pregnancy. Diffused or topically…we just don’t know.
Corry
December 29, 2014 at 1:14 pmI very much enjoyed your article, especially since my daughter (10 months old) began passing out a few months ago. I use a reputable teething oil that I had previously used on my now 6 year old son but have begun questioning everything. If the episodes were complicated by the teething oil, would discontinuing its use be reversible? We live in a small county and don’t have access to quality medical care; thus far our doctor has told us that she is just throwing a tantrum. Until we are able to find a new caregiver (complicated by travel and insurance), I’m trying to do everything I can to minimize the episodes. She’s had 5 in the past 4 months (2 of them within the past week).
Dr. Erika Krumbeck
January 3, 2015 at 3:54 pmCorry – I’ve had a lot of comments 🙂 It’s been pretty hard to keep up, especially because all these visitors crashed my hosting server, so I’ve spent my whole time fixing the site!
The answer is: we don’t know. I know that’s not a great answer, but it is probably unlikely that the episodes are caused by teething oil. Please continue working with your doctor who knows all the factors in your son’s health. If you need additional help you can find a naturopathic physician to work with (there are a few who will do TeleMedicine if you cannot get to their office, I am not one of them though). http://pedanp.org/find_nd.html
Nadja Ormerod
December 29, 2014 at 9:29 amI agree with never taking essential oils internally and always diluted when using on skin. I have however used a drop of eucalyptus oil on sleeping bag overnight on my 4 month old because she could hardly breathe having a bad cold. It seemed to help because on the days I’ve used it she could breathe better and when not used nose blocked up again. After reading this article, I am a little concerned though about her getting seizures. She’s not asthmatic. Could you please let me know if it is ok to use eucalyptus and also tea tree and lavender? Thanks.
Dr. Erika Krumbeck
January 3, 2015 at 4:03 pmOnset of seizures is usually pretty quick, you would know 🙂
But a little trick – try putting some breastmilk drops up her nose. Works like a charm, and super duper safe.
Nanny
January 13, 2015 at 5:10 amThis sort of answers my question. I am a nanny of a 21 month old girl. She gets one drop (400IU) of D3 per day. The parents had bought an identical looking bottle of essential oil for their congestion. It was a mix of eucolyptus and peppermint along with a couple of other essential oils. Someone put the essential oil bottle right next to the bottle of D3. I’m usually so good about reading labels, but being a daily routine, I grabbed the bottle and administered a drop of the essential oil right into her mouth!! We called poison control… She coughed and gagged and drooled, so I realized right away it couldn’t have been the D3… Poison control said one drop should be ok, give drink and food. She was fine about 10 minutes in other than her breath smelling like peppermint oil, but I’ve been worried for days about possible seizures! It’s been 4 days. Am I through the woods as far as seizure worry yet?
Nanny
Dr. Erika Krumbeck
January 13, 2015 at 4:46 pmNanny,
My understanding is that seizures are usually triggered very quickly, I would highly doubt that she would get a seizure after 4 days. Just watch – she will likely be fine!
Heather Norris
December 29, 2014 at 8:50 amWhat about using essential oils on wipes for babies? Or in the nappy wash?
Dr. Erika Krumbeck
December 30, 2014 at 3:40 pmHeather,
Usually essential oils on wipes are highly diluted – I don’t think there’s much of a problem there. I used a drop or two of lavender in my homemade wipe mix when my little one was a baby – 1-2 drops in a whole bottle of water. That’s pretty low dose.
Abby
December 29, 2014 at 4:18 amWhile I agree that essential oils are powerful and highly concentrated, why is it okay to inject a teething infant with a cocktail of vaccines, but it isn’t okay to use something natural on them like clove…even diluted with a carrier oil?
Dr. Erika Krumbeck
December 30, 2014 at 3:45 pmAbby,
I never vaccinate a child who isn’t well, I don’t recommend it. But the vaccine issue is a whole other story.
I don’t know if I truly consider essential oil “natural.” This is a bit of a philosophical question, really, but essential oils are not found concentrated in nature – they are found in very, very low doses in plants! The function of volatile oils in plants is to protect the plant against fungus, bacteria, insects and animals who would be consuming the plant. They are usually highly antimicrobial, and sometimes insecticidal as well. In other words – very strong even before being concentrated! When we make an essential oil we concentrate this very strong compound 1,000 times or more. Is this natural? I’m not totally sure…it definitely isn’t in the form that nature prescribed it.
I usually recommend using the whole plant when making tinctures, salves, teas, infusions, etc – I think it is much safer.
Gina
December 28, 2014 at 11:30 pmThanks for the info. Just to comment on 3 points. 1) -not all EO are safe. Especially any bought OTC. Check the label, some warn of being harmful if swallowed and/or for external use only, because most contains fillers. EO are also heated oil, they can burn if not use correctly. 2) -YLO warns about using EO on Children n Pets, and offer specific instructions when using any of their products on either. And to be safe, they have added a line of products that are designed especially for both groups. That being said, everyone has to decide what is right for them which brings me to point 3)- I attend a church that took in a family with an ill child (after being treated for Cancer) by a well known children’s research hospital. The cancer is now gone completely however, the treatment damaged the child’s internal system and he is completely shutting down and is not expected to live. Should other parents be warned that the same may happen to them, of course, but that doesn’t mean it will and the hospital is also well known for having helped n heal thousands of other children.
Stacy
December 28, 2014 at 9:13 pmI see that you do not recommend any internal use of EO’s. Not sure if you have heard of Melaleuca or not, but the company uses tea tree oil in all sorts of things including tooth paste and mouth wash. Is this dangerous and would you recommend not using these things?
Dr. Erika Krumbeck
January 3, 2015 at 3:49 pmIt all depends on dose. Most of the toothpastes and mouth washes use essential oils, but quite dilute. I’m not concerned when there are a few drops of EO added to toothpaste or mouthwash, that’s fine.
kendra garland
December 28, 2014 at 1:58 amWhat age could kids be treated like adults? I know with some medication it is 12. Is it weight?
Dr. Erika Krumbeck
January 3, 2015 at 3:48 pmI usually dose by weight. If 1-2 drops of EO is effective for an adult, then 1/2, 1/5 or 1/10 of a drop is probably effective for kids. (And much safer.)
Krista
December 27, 2014 at 4:16 pmI have been doing a lot of reading and research about usage of oils with children. I have been using oils for over a year and recommending them to people, but want to always make sure that I am directing them to correct and useful information and not misguiding them. I have read from different sources that Eucalyptus in any form should not be used on children under 10, but then other places (especially most highly-used/known essential oil companies) state that Eucalyptus radiata is a milder form and can be used on children if diluted. I have some blends that include Eucalyptus and want to make sure that I am using them appropriately. Any thoughts?
Marissa Pease
January 4, 2015 at 1:54 amKrista I am in the same boat ! I read conflicting things and it drives me nuts lol
Tempi
December 27, 2014 at 4:01 pmI want to THANK YOU so much for this article. My mother has gotten my grandmother into using these, along with a bill of over $100.00 each month. My grandmother has been using these on my deaf, autistic son to a point that it has started to concern me (you can’t give advice to old women). My son had the very rash you spoke about on his neck. My fiancée tried to tell me it was because of the oils and I did not agree with him simply because my son has psoriasis. I did ask my grandmother to leave the oils off it until I could get a doctors appointment for him to be seen. My sister in law came for Thanksgiving (she uses them correctly) and warned me about how the oils were being used. This article WILL be shown to both my mother and grandmother. I think that having certain ones are beneficial. I like to use a blend for a foot soak that helps you relax. But I also think that there is not enough information giving on the oils on how to use correctly. Again, THANK YOU! From the bottom of my heart this could have hurt my child and now I can educate others.
Sincerely,
Tempi Montgomery
Annie
December 27, 2014 at 12:56 pmI suffer from migraines and I bought a salt lamp for them I heard the lamps were good for whole body health and it happens to have an oil diffuser on top I was told to fill the bowl with a small amount of water and add a few drops of oil to diffuse. What are some good essential oils for prevention? (I can’t stand the smell of lavender though.) Also what would be good for nausea and I would assume I would dilute it and put it on the pulse point on my wrist? I get nausea so bad oral drugs don’t always help me and I don’t like the side effects of some of my meds when taken together.
Dr. Erika Krumbeck
January 3, 2015 at 4:02 pmAnnie,
My approach to migraines is very different than just applying essential oils for prevention. For a naturopathic physician the goal is always to uncover the underlying cause – WHY is there a migraine? Here’s a good article from Dr. Rothenberg: http://www.naturopathic.org/article_content.asp?article=810