Table 2.
Toxicity of some essential oil compounds to experimental animals.
| Compound | Animal | Route | LD50 mg/kg. b.wt. | WHO category |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Category II (Moderately hazardous), 50-2000 mg/kg | ||||
|
| ||||
| Thujone | Mice | Subcutaneous | 87.5 | II |
| Pulegone | Mice | Intraperitoneal | 150 | II |
| 3-Isothujone | Mice | Subcutaneous | 442.2 | II |
| Apiol | Dogs | Intravenous | 500 | II |
| 2-Acetonaphthone | Mice | Oral | 599 | II |
| 2-Methoxyphenol | Rats | Oral | 725 | II |
| Thymol | Rats | Oral | 980 | II |
| Linalool | Rats | Oral | >1000 | II |
| Cinnamaldehyde | Guinea pigs | Oral | 1160 | II |
| Methyl eugenol | Rats | Oral | 1179 | II |
| Dillapiol | Rats | Oral | 1000-1500 | II |
| Anisaldehyde | Rats | Oral | 1510 | II |
| (+) Carvone | Rats | Oral | 1640 | II |
| γ-terpinene | Rats | Oral | 1680 | II |
| Thymol | Mice | Oral | 1800 | II |
| Methyl chavicol | Rats | Oral | 1820 | II |
|
| ||||
| Category III (Slightly hazardous), over 2000 mg/kg | ||||
|
| ||||
| trans-Anethole | Rats | Oral | 2090 | III |
| Cinnamaldehyde | Rats | Oral | 2220 | III |
| Maltol | Rats | Oral | 2330 | III |
| 1,8-Cineole | Rats | Oral | 2480 | III |
| Eugenol | Rats | Oral | 2680 | III |
| Menthol | Rats | Oral | 3180 | III |
| Terpinen-4-ol | Rats | Oral | 4300 | III |
| d-Limonene | Rats | Oral | 4600 | III |
| Citral | Rats | Oral | 4960 | III |
|
| ||||
| Category U (unlikely to present acute hazard), 5000 mg/kg | ||||
|
| ||||
| Myrcene | Rats | Oral | 5000 | U |