Regul Toxicol Pharmacol. 2013 Feb;65(1):115-8. doi: 10.1016/j.yrtph.2012.11.009. Epub 2012 Dec 1.
The European Medicines Agency concluded that there is a risk of suppositories containing terpenic derivatives, which are used to treat coughs and colds, inducing neurological disorders, especially convulsions, in infants and small children. Terpenic derivatives are found in essential oils obtained from plants and include camphor, eucalyptol (syn. 1,8-cineol), thujone, and menthol. Chemistry, pharmacodynamics and pharmacokinetics of these compounds are clearly different and explain the appearance of convulsions following camphor, thujone, and eucalyptus oil overdose/poisoning, whereas no convulsions have been reported in cases of menthol overdose/poisoning in accordance with the pharmacological properties of menthol. Thus, a general verdict on all terpenic derivatives without differentiation appears inappropriate.
欧洲药品管理局得出结论，含有萜烯衍生物的栓剂（用于治疗咳嗽和感冒）可能导致婴儿和幼儿出现神经紊乱，尤其是抽搐。萜烯衍生物存在于从植物中提取的精油中，包括樟脑、桉油醇（别名 1,8-桉油醇）、侧柏酮和薄荷醇。这些化合物的化学、药效学和药代动力学明显不同，这可以解释在樟脑、侧柏酮和桉树油过量/中毒的情况下会出现抽搐，而根据薄荷醇的药理学特性，在薄荷醇过量/中毒的情况下则没有报告出现抽搐。因此，对所有萜烯衍生物不加区分地一概而论似乎并不合适。
