title: Topical eucalyptus oil poisoning.
abstract: Eucalyptus oil is well documented as being extremely toxic if ingested. We report a case of systemic eucalyptus oil toxicity from topical application. A 6-year-old girl presented with slurred speech, ataxia and muscle weakness progressing to unconsciousness following the widespread application of a home remedy for urticaria containing eucalyptus oil. Six hours following removal of the topical preparation her symptoms had resolved, with no long term sequelae.
authors.affiliation: Department of Dermatology, Mater Misericordiae Hospital, South Brisbane, Queensland, Australia.
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Darben
authors.forename: B
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Cominos
authors.forename: C T
authors.initials: CT
authors.lastname: Lee
mesh_terms: D000287:Administration, Topical; D002648:Child; D062787:Drug Overdose; D005052:Eucalyptus / Q000506:poisoning*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008111:Liver Function Tests; D008519:Medicine, Traditional; D008517:Phytotherapy; D010938:Plant Oils / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000506:poisoning*; D010946:Plants, Medicinal; D011507:Proteinuria / Q000209:etiology; D011537:Pruritus / Q000628:therapy*; D012075:Remission, Spontaneous; D014474:Unconsciousness; D014581:Urticaria / Q000628:therapy*
chemical_list: D010938:Plant Oils