The toxicity of essential oils

摘要

Rasooli et al. have reported the anti-listerial effects of thyme oil.1 The authors state that “essential oils such as thyme oils (…) could be considered as preservative materials on some kinds of foods (…) they could find an application as additives to foodstuffs (…)”. Essential oils, including those from different species of thyme, have a variable composition of components, some of which are acutely toxic to humans in small amounts. Eugenol, which is a component of thyme oil from Thymus capitatus, cilicus, funkii, and vulgaris, is hepatotoxic.