PLANT INDUCED SEIZURES

The following research study was written in reference to humans, however could be applicable for canines that absorb these plant oils:

J Neurol 1999 Aug;246(8):667-70

Plant-induced seizures: reappearance of an old problem.

Burkhard PR, Burkhardt K, Haenggeli CA, Landis T Department of Neurology, University Hospital, CH-1211 Geneva 14, Switzerland, Pierre.Burkhard@hcuge.ch

Several plant-derived essential oils have been known for over a century to have epileptogenic properties. We report three healthy patients, two adults and one child, who suffered from an isolated generalized tonic-clonic seizure and a generalized tonic status, respectively, related to the absorption of several of these oils for therapeutic purposes. No other cause of epilepsy was found, and outcome was good in the two adult cases, but the course has been less favorable in the child. A survey of the literature shows essential oils of 11 plants to be powerful convulsants (eucalyptus, fennel, hyssop, pennyroyal, rosemary, sage, savin, tansy, thuja, turpentine, and wormwood) due to their content of highly reactive monoterpene ketones, such as camphor, pinocamphone, thujone, cineole, pulegone, sabinylacetate, and fenchone. Our three cases strongly support the concept of plant-related toxic seizure. Nowadays the wide use of these compounds in certain unconventional medicines makes this severe complication again possible.

PMID: 10460442, UI: 99389832

SUBSTANCES THAT CAUSE CONVULSIONS (SEIZURES)

From "Problems in Small Animal Neurology", by Cheryl L. Chrisman, DVM (College of Veterinary Medicine, University of Florida)

Published in 1991 by Lea & Febiger

The following in on p. 190 of the book, and notes that it is courtesy of Dr. Roger Yeary, The Ohio State University Dept of Veterinary Physiology and Pharmacology:

Chemicals that cause convulsions:

absinthe, acetanilide, acetone cyanohydrin, acetonitrile, acetylsalicylic acid, aconite, acridium Cl, acrylonitrile, aldrin, amanita pantherona, 2-aminopyrine, amphetamine, apomorphine, arecoline, arsenic trioxide, arsine, aspidium, astropine, barium, bromates, butacaine, caffeine, camphor, carbon dioxide, castor beans, cedar oil, chenopodium oil, chloramine T, chlordane, chlorinated camphene, chloronaphthalene, chlorpromazine, choke cherry, cocaine, coniine, corticotrophin, cortisone, cresol, creosote, cyanide, cyclotrimethylene, DDT, DFP, digitalis, dimenhydrinate, dimercaprol, dinitrobenzene, dinitrocresol, dinitrophenol, diphenhydramine, disulfiram, dulcamara, endrin, ephedrine, ergot, ethylene glycol, eucalyptus oil, fluorides, galerina venerata, gasoline, gloriosa superba, gymnothorax flavimarginatus, helvella, heroin, hexachlorophene, hydrogen sulfide, insulin, isoniazid, kerosene, ketamine, lead, lobeline, meperidine, mercaptan, metaldehyde, methapyrilene HCl, methyl bromide, methyl chloride, methyl formate, methyl salicylate, monochloroacetic acid, morphine, naphthol, narcissus bulb, neostigmine, nicotine, nitrogen oxide, oenauthe crocata, oxygen (100%, 3 atm), pantopon, parathion, phencyclidene, phenol, phosphorus, physostigmine, picrotoxin, pilocarpine, procaine, pyridamine maleate, pyrimidine, quinine, resorcinol, rhodotypos (berries), rosemary oil, saffron, sage (oil of), salicylates, santonin, senecio canicida, sodium fluoroacetate, squill, streptomycin, strychnine, tanacetum vulgare, taxus baccata, tetracaine, tetrachloroethane, tetraethyl pyrophosphate, tetraodontia, thallium, thiocyanates, thuja, trinitrotoluene, tripelennamine HCl, veratrum, Vitamin D, water hemlock, zinc cyanide.