Ingesting tea tree oil could result in life-threatening organ damage, seizures and even a coma, a GP has warned.
According to Dr Sermed Mezher, a UK based doctor, swallowing tiny amounts of the essential oil can result in serious poisoning ‘within a minute’.
Dr. Mezher, in an Instagram video that has garnered over 2.1 million views, outlined the dangers associated with ingesting tea tree oil after a young boy was hospitalized for doing so.
According to Dr. Mezher, swallowing tea tree oil can be extremely hazardous because of its strong chemical composition, which contains terpinen-4-ol, cineole, and other volatile compounds.
Tea tree oil, derived from the Melaleuca alternifolia tree, mainly consists of terpinen-4-ol, a compound known for its antifungal and anti-inflammatory properties.
However when ingested, the oil can rapidly affect the nervous system, leading to drowsiness, loss of coordination and seizures.
In 2022 alone, the US poison control centre treated more than 2,200 cases of toxicity linked to tea tree oil.
‘One of them was a 23-month-old boy who drank just 10mls which put him in a coma for five hours until he thankfully recovered,’ Dr Mezher explained.
Dr Mezher is urging people to think twice about keeping this essential oil in their homes, especially if they have kids or pets
He added that its supposed benefits for skin health may also be bogus.
‘Tree oil has been sold as a miracle cure to multiple skin conditions, and yet there’s very little evidence that it works,’ he said.
A 2023 study found that tea tree oil has antibacterial, anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties that helped treat teenage and adult acne—though researchers cautioned it was not possible to draw conclusions on its safety.
The poison control centre treated twice as many cases of toxicity caused by tea tree oil compared to any other essential oil, including cinnamon, clove and eucalyptus oil.
‘I don’t know about you, but I am not keeping this at home,’ Dr Mezher cautioned.
As well as attacking the nervous system, ingesting the ‘horrifically toxic’ product can also irritate the gastrointestinal tract, causing nausea, vomiting and diarrhea.
‘Tea tree oil is also harsh on the liver,’ Dr Mezher added.
‘The body struggles to metabolise its toxic components, potentially leading to organ damage with repeated or high-dose exposure.’
‘Because tea tree oil absorbs quickly into the bloodstream, poisoning symptoms can appear within minutes to a few hours.
The US centre for poison control treated twice as many cases of tea tree oil poisoning than any other essential oil toxicity
Hundreds of cosmetic and personal care products have been revealed to contain forever chemicals that can have adverse effects on people’s health
‘If ingestion occurs, immediate medical attention is essential to prevent serious complications.’
The NHS warns against trying to make someone who has swallowed something poisonous and is unconscious sick, and recommends instead putting them in the recovery position until an ambulance arrives.
Tea tree oil, a common ingredient in many skincare products, has previously been linked to a number of superbug infections including MRSA—a type of bacteria that is resistant to treatment and causes life-threatening infection.
US scientists discovered that repeated low-dose use of the essential oil made the MRSA bacteria, as well as E.coli and salmonella, more resistant to antibiotics.
Professor David McDowell, from the University of Ulster, warned that people who use tea tree oil on their skin repeatedly to treat acne, could be ‘stressing’ the bacteria on the skin rather than killing it—increasing their resistance to antibiotics.
‘Although tea tree oil may be an effective antimicrobial agent when appropriately used at high concentrations, its application at low concentrations may contribute to the development of antibiotic resistance in human pathogens,’ he warned.
