Is Oil of Lemon Eucalyptus safe while breastfeeding?
Here is what LactMed, the Drugs and Lactation Database published by the U.S. National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD), reports about Oil of Lemon Eucalyptus. The text below is quoted from that source — it is not our own verdict.
Summary of use during breastfeeding
No published information is available on the clinical use of oil of lemon eucalyptus (para-menthanediol) during breastfeeding. However, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and U.S. Environmental Protection Agency consider oil of lemon eucalyptus to be safe and effective during breastfeeding when used as directed. It should be used by breastfeeding women to avoid exposure to mosquito-borne viruses. [1] Avoid application directly to the nipple and other areas where the infant might directly ingest the product.
Effects on the breastfed infant
Relevant published information was not found as of the revision date.
Effects on milk supply
Relevant published information was not found as of the revision date.
Levels in milk
Maternal Levels. Relevant published information was not found as of the revision date.
Infant Levels. Relevant published information was not found as of the revision date.
Alternatives LactMed lists
“No published information” means the studies do not exist yet — not that Oil of Lemon Eucalyptus is known to be harmful, and not that it is known to be safe. Your prescriber or pharmacist can weigh your baby's age and whether a better-studied alternative would do the same job. Worth asking before stopping a medicine you need.
Source: Drugs and Lactation Database (LactMed), National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD), via NCBI Bookshelf, record “Oil of Lemon Eucalyptus” (LM1251). LactMed on NCBI Bookshelf. LactMed is a registered trademark of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.
Educational summary of an authoritative source — not medical advice. Never start, stop, or change a medicine while breastfeeding without confirming with your doctor.