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Herb library · Herb · Eucalyptus globulus

Eucalyptus leaf

The leaves of the Tasmanian blue gum, drunk as a tea or inhaled for coughs with a cold. EU regulators accept the leaf for that on long tradition. The essential oil pressed from the leaves is a different matter: it has caused seizures, mostly in children.

Serious warning

Eucalyptus OIL (not the dried leaf used for tea) can cause seizures. A 2021 case series and review pooled 110 published cases of seizures after inhaling, swallowing or applying eucalyptus oil products, 49 of them in children, some needing intensive care.

Traditional use

The European Medicines Agency recognizes eucalyptus leaf tea as a traditional herbal medicine for relief of cough with a common cold, for adults and children over 12 (tinctures for adults only). Eucalyptus oil is sold in over-the-counter rubs and inhalants.

What studies show

  • Insufficient

    Cough with a cold: accepted in the EU on traditional use alone. The EMA considered studies of 1,8-cineole (eucalyptol), a component of the leaf, which suggested some effect in airway disease, but these were not studies of the leaf itself.

Be careful of

Cautions

  • NoteNever swallow eucalyptus oil, and keep it and oil-based rubs away from children. A 2021 review of 110 published cases found seizures after inhaling, swallowing or rubbing on eucalyptus oil products, 49 of them in children.
  • ConditionDo not use eucalyptus preparations in children under 30 months: EU guidance warns that cineole-containing products can cause spasm of the vocal cords (laryngospasm).
  • ConditionSee a doctor if you have shortness of breath, a fever, or cough up pus.
  • PregnancyEU guidance: safety in pregnancy and breastfeeding has not been established, so use then is not recommended.
  • Ask a clinicianTalk with a clinician or pharmacist before using this if you take prescription medicines, are pregnant or breastfeeding, or are giving it to a child.

Sources

  1. Eucalyptus leaf: summary for the public (EMA/HMPC/300235/2013) (opens in a new tab) · EMA · read September 25, 2026
  2. Community herbal monograph on Eucalyptus globulus Labill., folium (EMA/HMPC/892618/2011) (opens in a new tab) · EMA · read September 25, 2026
  3. Clinico-laboratory characteristics and outcome of patients with eucalyptus oil-induced/provoked seizures: A case series and systematic review of the published patients (Trop Doct, 2021) — PubMed record (opens in a new tab) · NIH · read September 25, 2026
  4. Eucalypti folium — herbal medicinal product (EMA) (opens in a new tab) · EMA · read September 25, 2026

Reviewed September 25, 2026.