The Toxicity of Herbs and Oils: Pets - A Departure from My Usual Posts for Those Who Have Pets

Neem oil: animals
I knew toxicity existed for neem (aka: margosa, Azadirachta indica, A. indica) oil and mice from the research I had previously done for the post below this one, 2008 http://medind.nic.in/ibv/t08/i1/ibvt08i1p56.pdf, http://ktanihairsense.blogspot.ca/2014/11/neem-oil-margosa-oil-safety-and-uses.html. However, it is not the only one, and mice are not the only animals affected.

Bold and color added to text by me.

2018 "Cats..Essential Oils"
https://www.canadianveterinarians.net/documents/cats-and-essential-oils
"lack..information..many essential oils on..health..pets..reported cases..harm..death..Dogs..also susceptible..cats..much more so..Eucalyptus..Rose..Rosemary..Avoid..use..oils on..lists pending further research" https://twitter.com/ktanimara/status/1074440898212057088

2018
"Neem" 

https://www.drugs.com/npp/neem.html

"Azadirachta indica A...Neem..margosa..Arishtha..Praneem..inadequate clinical trials to support specific therapeutic doses..safety and efficacy in pregnancy..lactation is lacking. Avoid use..Severe poisoning in infants..reported." https://twitter.com/ktanimara/status/1067472752288780288

2014

"ESSENTIAL, 'HERBAL', OIL POISONING", color and bolding added by me Note: the link is not currently on that server.

http://www.vet.cornell.edu/consultant/Consult.asp?Fun=Cause_3091

"Essential Oils, volatile oils extracted from plants ... components of 'herbal' medicines such as flea or tick treatments or other products can be toxic in dogs and/or cats. Melaleuca (Tea Tree) Oil, Neem (Margosa) Oil, Pennyroyal Oil, Potpourri Oil, Pine Oil, Peppermint Oil, Cinnamon Oil, Lemongrass Oil, Clove Oil, Thyme Oil, Cedarwood Oil, Rosemary Oil, Eucalyptus Oil, and d-Limonene have been in products associated with signs of toxicity."

2012. from the link above "Retrospective study from 2006 to 2008."

"Adverse reactions from essential oil-containing natural flea products exempted from Environmental Protection Agency regulations in dogs and cats", color and bolding added by me

http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/j.1476-4431.2012.00780.x/abstract

"Dogs and cats can experience significant adverse effects when exposed to plant-derived flea preventatives even when used according to label directions." 

"Essential Oil and Liquid Potpourri Toxicity in Dogs and Cats", color and bolding added by me

https://vcahospitals.com/know-your-pet/essential-oil-and-liquid-potpourri-poisoning-in-dogs

"Essential oils are the concentrated liquids (volatile organic compounds) of plants. ... use in aromatherapy ... alternative medicine ... in cleaning products, food and drink flavorings, herbal remedies, ... personal care products ... Many liquid potpourri products and essential oils, including oil of cinnamon, citrus, pennyroyal, peppermint, pine, sweet birch, tea tree (melaleuca), wintergreen, and ylang ylang, are poisonous ... Both ingestion and skin exposure can be toxic. ... Essential oils and liquid potpourris contain chemicals ... rapidly absorbed orally or through the skin. Many of these chemicals are metabolized through the liver. ... cats lack some of the enzymes necessary to effectively metabolize these chemicals. ... can also irritate or burn the skin and mouth. ... Only a couple of licks or a small amount on the skin could be harmful."

2014

"Understanding the toxicity of lilies" 
http://aercmn.com/blog/posts/understanding-the-toxicity-of-lilies/#.Vq-maumFQ9Q.twitter 
"many common lilies are extremely toxic to cats ... All parts of the plant are toxic ... leaves, stems, pollen" 

I have seen raw garlic recommended online for flea and tick control - Toxic!

2013

"Hidden Dangers in the Kitchen: Common Foods Toxic to Dogs and Cats"
http://www.vetfolio.com/toxicology/hidden-dangers-in-the-kitchen-common-foods-toxic-to-dogs-and-cats 
"Most cases of toxicosis are attributed to a single episode of accidental ingestion of raw onion or feeding of foods containing onions or garlic."

2001
"Herbal and Other Natural Products Pose Intoxication Risks to Pets"

https://www.vin.com/apputil/content/defaultadv1.aspx?pId=11131&id=3844040

Email Reply: Reports online neem oil, pets

I found this among others like it when I decided to research neem oil and pets. 
https://www.amazon.com/review/RFWWC4IGYD8IM/ref=cm_cr_pr_viewpnt/175-8014626-5235322#RFWWC4IGYD8IM

UV, Skin And Oils, Psoriasis And Phototherapy Risks

I sent an email to Health Canada about mineral oil baby oil use on skin and UV and received this back some time ago, colour and bolding added by me. I asked for references too and received them as well. This email information was posted by me online previously but not in this blog. Outside of phototherapy, a lot of oil is not going to do much to protect you from UV without a decent SPF, and a broad spectrum SPF is best. A thicker application of petrolatum (Vaseline), or a cream is about such use negatively affecting desired phototherapy results, and possibly the safety of some types of phototherapy. Risk factors include the number of treatments and the UV dose used. See the end of this post for SPF information in previous blog posts. 

"There are a number of resources that support the fact the baby oil (oils in general) can intensify the absorption of UV rays. First of all, oils applied to the skin causes less reflection and refraction (bouncing-off) of the UV rays, therefore allowing larger proportion of the UV radiation to be absorbed by the skin. The skin surface on close inspection is quite irregular and by applying oils you make the surface smoother and more uniform, allowing a larger proportion of the UV radiation to be captured by the skin. Lastly, there are tiny air pockets between the horny scales in the stratum corneum (the outermost layer of the skin), creating spaces that allow a lot of scattering of the UV radiation. Oil is the perfect substance that is able to seep between these horny scales and minimizes diffusion of UV rays allowing more of it to penetrate deeper into the skin to be absorbed.

Here are a number of resources/references.

Penetration of epidermis by ultraviolet rays. Everett MA, Yeargers E, Sayre RM, Olson RL.
Photochem Photobiol. 1966 Jul;5(7):533-42.

The light barrier of the epidermis Dermatol Wochenschr. 1965 Jul 24;151 (30):887-9.

Increased penetration of epidermis by high intensity ultraviolet rays following the application of vaseline oil.
Leroy D, Dompmartin A, Deschamps P. Photodermatol. 1986 Feb;3(1):51-2.

Change in ultraviolet (UV) transmission following the application of vaseline to non-irradiated and UVB-exposed split skin K. Hoffmann, K. Kaspar, T. Gambichler, P. Altmeyer British Journal of Dermatology
Volume 143, Issue 3, pages 532–538, September 2000"


It is the thickness of the vaseline or petrolatum application, or cream used, which can make a difference in phototherapy. Thicker application of either can result in a higher dose of UV used, or an increased number of phototherapy treatments.

"Effects of topical preparations on the eyrthemogenicity of UVB: implications for psoriasis phototherapy." 1995, colour added by me.
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/7868718
"Thick application of petrolatum and emollient creams can reduce transmission of UVB. Mineral oil and a clear liquid emollient did not significantly affect transmission or erythemogenicity of UVB."
erythema defined

"Change in ultraviolet (UV) transmission following the application of vaseline to non-irradiated and UVB-exposed split skin." 2000, colour added by me.
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/10971325
"The thicker the layer of vaseline applied, the lower was the difference in transmission between non-irradiated split skin and UVB-exposed split skin. 
CONCLUSIONS: Application of the correct amount of vaseline can enhance transmission in either the UVA or UVB range, and would enable dose reduction during a course of phototherapy."


While NB-UVB treatment appears to have lower risks, more research needs to be done.

"Incidence of skin cancers in 3867 patients treated with narrow-band ultaviolet B phototherapy", 2008, colour and bolding added by me.
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18834483
"CONCLUSION: We found no significant association between NB-UVB treatment and BCC, SCC or melanoma. There was a small increase in BCCs amongst those also treated with PUVA. These reassuring results do not demonstrate the early increase in skin cancers that was found associated with PUVA treatment. However, cautious interpretation is required as the cohort contained relatively few patients who had a high treatment number and because the slow evolution of skin cancers may result in a delayed incidence peak. Ongoing risk assessment is therefore essential."

"Enhanced response of childhood psoriasis to narrow-band UV-B with preirradiation use of mineral oil." 2008, colour added by me.
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18950402
"The cumulative dose for clearance was significantly lower on the emollient pretreated side. No adverse effects were observed with mineral oil or narrow-band ultraviolet-B phototherapy. We conclude that preirradiation use of mineral oil enhances the therapeutic efficacy of narrow-band ultraviolet-B phototherapy in children with widespread psoriasis."

Phototherapy risks 2009
"[Narrow-band UVB therapy in psoriasis vulgaris: good practice guideline and recommendations of the French Society of Photodermatology].", colour and bolding added by me.
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20110064  
"(2) Adverse effects. The immediate adverse effects were generally of little consequence, with later effects alone posing problems. Because of the risk of induction of cataract, ocular protection must be used during sessions. In the absence of symptoms or known ocular disorder, prior ophthalmologic control is not considered necessary. The risk of skin cancer remains poorly defined, and this risk has not been clearly shown to be lower than with broad-spectrum UVB therapy or PUVA. The studies give no indication of the number of sessions after which therapy must be completely discontinued." 

More and larger studies need to be done. 
"Carcenogenic risks of psoralen UV-A therapy and narrowband UV-B therapy in chronic plaque psoriasis: a systematic literature review." 2012, colour and bolding added by me.
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22512677
"CONCLUSION: There is an increased risk of skin cancer following PUVA, shown by both US and European studies. The greater risk measured by the US studies may be at least partly explained by high UVA dose exposure and the lighter phototypes of the treated patients. The lack of prospective studies in psoriasis patients treated with NB-UVB constitutes a barrier to the robust assessment of carcinogenic risk of this phototherapy technique." 

See more about phototherapy at the Mayo Clinic 2015

See Also
The New York Times Article "Phototherapy" 2013, information review date "12/3/2013"
http://health.nytimes.com/health/guides/disease/psoriasis/phototherapy.html
and these blog posts, here, here and here, for more details on SPF and hair and scalp protection. 

Oils, Shampoos, Hair Protein Loss And Hair Dye Colour Fade

When hair is excessively swelled with water during washing, the cuticles are raised to the point of being more prone to tangling and being damaged, by being chipped and eroded when they are most vulnerable, while wet, resulting in hair protein loss. Coconut oil can help prevent that from happening, when used certain ways.

The lauric acid in coconut oil can penetrate hair to the cortex level of well clarified hair and bond to keratin there, during washing with shampoo after a pre-wash oil treatment, or when coconut oil is added to shampoo. The rest of the fatty acids in coconut oil can help prevent excess water from entering the hair shaft, reducing hair swelling. The shampoo used needs to be one that does not cause build-up and allows the lauric acid to penetrate the hair.

However, enough of any oil used in shampoo, or on the hair when it is washed, can help prevent too much water from entering the hair shaft and reduce hair swelling too. The prevention of hair protein loss by coconut oil was defined by lauric acid hair penetration to the cortex level, in research. Note: Most fractionated coconut oils contain no or almost no lauric acid. They are not suitable to be used for the prevention of protein loss.

Conventional shampoos for colour-treated hair often have added silicone emulsions or added oils to help prevent excess water from entering the hair shaft. Why? Hair colour fade is caused to the largest extent by too much water entering the hair shaft and washing away added hair colour molecules deposited there, not by shampoos in general or oils stripping hair colour. Oil used on its own as a grooming aid or on its own as a treatment is not known to lighten hair colour.

If oil is used as a treatment and washed out with a strong shampoo and there is resulting dryness, more water can enter the hair shaft. If a strong shampoo is used on its own, it can dry out the hair and that allows more water to enter the hair shaft too. Water being the biggest cause of hair dye colour fade has been stated by P&G for years.

As much as oil shampoo with coconut oil can be a great hair option, the fact remains that coconut oil or any vegetable oil or serum cannot moisturize hair as well for as long as mineral oil is able to do. Silicones are often much harder to remove than mineral oil and can require a sulfate or clarifying shampoo to do so. They cannot moisturize hair as well, or for as long as mineral oil is able to do.

Cosmetic mineral oil used on hair can help prevent too much water entering and excessively swelling hair during washing, reducing tangling and hair damage. It can do so without making the hair greasy, being difficult to remove by shampoo or conditioner only, complicated to apply, or requiring a specific type of shampoo to be used. When hair does not have too much water in it, it dries faster than usual because there is less extra water in it to evaporate.

While mineral oil is best used over not too much product or residue, the hair does not need to be clarified first, unless it is necessary for a better look, behaviour and feel. Small drops of mineral oil, evenly distributed throughout the hair are all that is needed. Mineral oil can replace conditioner and other products.

To help prevent hair dye colour fade and help moisturize or help keep hair moisturized, cosmetic mineral oil use is an easy option. Use it as a moisturizer on damp to wet hair, or on dry hair that has a good moisture level. It has excellent slip or detangling properties. Mineral oil can reduce or elimiinate tangles during and after hair washing, helping to prevent protein loss two ways and it can do so better than other oils, or silicones.

Mineral oil cannot chelate iron and copper like coconut and argan oils can, to help prevent damage from hair dye that contains peroxide, or hair damage from peroxide or bleach. Mineral oil needs to be washed out of the hair before using coconut and argan oils as a pre-treatment for those applications, to allow the oils to saturate hair most efficiently.

Cosmetic or USP/BP mineral oil can do far more for hair than other oils or silicones are able to but not quite everything, with regard to conventional hair colouring and lightening. It can be used to help prevent hair dye colour fade.

See Also
http://ktanihairsense.blogspot.ca/2009/11/part-1-of-3-part-series-on-innovative.html
http://ktanihairsense.blogspot.ca/2011/12/when-to-clarify-hair-and-with-what.html
http://ktanihairsense.blogspot.ca/2012/10/how-to-avoid-winter-hair-blues.html
http://ktanihairsense.blogspot.ca/2012/02/more-on-oils-and-oil-shampoo.html

More On Oils And Oil Shampoo

I have said all of this regarding oil shampoo and oil penetration of hair, on LHC. My posts there are copyright protected as are my posts in this blog. Linked sources, and partial quotes in this blog are from websites which anyone can access.

Someone once asked me about the 2003 research, the one "everyone" including scientists quote that shows that coconut oil can penetrate hair the deepest, compared to other oils. I was asked if I thought the research study was biased, since it was funded by a company that sells vegetable oils. My reply at the time was that it is a peer-reviewed study. To me, the results are accurate.

However, after rereading the research study, I realized that the hair had been prepped or prepared, with an emulsifier first to remove oils and then washed with SLES (sodium laureth sulfate), to make sure nothing could prevent any of the oils from penetrating hair.

In the 2005 study, on hair penetration and heat being used, the hair preparation is unclear to me. However, what is clear is that the cuticle scales are clear to the researchers in measuring what if any oils remain on the hair surface, or are visible. That means to me that absolutely nothing was on the hair that could obstruct any of the oils from penetrating it, in as much as the researchers could do to make that so.

I have no issues with the research studies. What they did not address was that in real life today, many shampoos and conditioners coat the hair and do obstruct the lauric acid in coconut oil from penetrating hair.

If this were not so, the results the movie stars in those articles I wrote about regarding oil shampoo had, hair with volume and curls and waves, with no tangling, when no conditioner had been used afterward and no styling aids either, just acidic rinses, would be the same results that anyone who tried any coconut oil shampoo would get.

That did not happen and I realized why. The coatings that exist today in products did not exist then. The coatings that did exist like certain botanicals were not widely used in soaps or the shampoos available then, like today in "all natural" hair products.

Coconut oil used over conditioner can cause dry "crunchy" ends. It is not going into the hair one bit. It is just sitting on top of the conditioner, which can be nice though, if there is also no product residue on the hair. No oil mixed with conditioner, or a butter on unclarified or clarified hair is going into the hair. They can make very nice surface conditioners only.

Even herb washes coat the hair and no results like those of the movie stars have been reported by people using coconut oil as a pre-wash before a herb wash that I have read anywhere.

It is as simple as that. Some coatings in shampoos today do allow lauric acid to penetrate hair. That is the biggest issue with oil shampoo, finding those shampoos and finding a clarifying shampoo that does not leave barrier coatings behind. Superfatted soaps can also create problems for an oil shampoo and lauric acid penetration. Extra, double bond oils, which can also be drying oils and cause tangling, or butters, which contain waxy stearic acid, choke off lauric acid access to the hair. Only a small amount of lauric acid can access hair without barrier coatings present.

Concerning coconut oil used as a grooming aid reducing protein loss from combing, the same thing applies. It would need to be used on bare hair for that benefit, like in the research. Used over coatings, it has no direct access to the hair. The protein loss coconut oil can help prevent is from the hair cuticles. Conditioner can help do that too or any coating on the hair that helps prevent friction, like mineral oil, which can do so better than conditioners, vegetable oils and silicones.

Protein treatments can penetrate hair, well clarified hair best, as directions on packaging often indicate and they can wash out easily, easy in, easy out.

When coconut oil lauric acid deeply penetrates well clarified hair, it bonds with protein in the hair cortex and while it can be washed out too, it tends not to be washed out as easily as protein treatments. Note: Most fractionated coconut oils contain no to almost no lauric acid. They are not suitable to be used to achieve this result.

Why was the research conducted? Here is the answer from your Page 3 or Page 177 of the study. Colour added by me.
"Prolonged use of coconut oil has been known to lead to healthy looking long hair, suggesting that it may prevent damage to the cuticle in grooming procedures involving abrasion. Obvious is the lubricating effect of oil on fiber friction, which reduces abrasive damage, especially in combing. However, in modern times, the trend in hair oil formulations is more towards the use of non-sticky oils such as mineral oil ..."

Setting The Record Straight About The Safety of Fats, Oils, Petrolatum, Iron Oxides And Our Lungs

While I was double checking the risks of inhaling iron oxide powder, I came across this research, that states while they found no link to inhaling iron oxides and lung cancer, there is a link between occupational workers and exposure to oil mists and bladder cancer.

There is thought to be about a weak link between populations exposed to iron oxides and cancer, where there is no exact cause identified. As stated here, "there is no evidence that occupational inhalation of iron oxides alone", alone being the operative word, can cause anything more than benign lung inflammation that does not restrict lung function.

Where is this leading and what does it have to to with is blog? It has do do with half truths and misinformation on the Internet and elsewhere, being perpetrated by marketers to generate profits, by not making all of the information known on products, that may be competing with their own.

Moving on to petrolatum and mineral oil, I came across this Wikipedia entry on petroleum jelly and the section on "improper uses" leading to lipid or more properly known as lipoid pneumonia, which when you click on it, gives a definition of the two kinds there are but not the causes in detail.

The truth about refined petrolatum, including mineral oil is that it is safe to use when it is USP or cosmetic grade.

The interesting thing is that the PHA contaminants, often incorrectly associated with cosmetic grade petrolatum may not be associated with lung cancer alone for occupational workers, but may actually be a combination of high levels and another contaminant.

The most fascinating thing about all of this to me has been understanding exactly how our bodies function regarding how fats can get into our lungs and cause lipoid pneumonia, which although rare does happen and it is not restricted to the use of petrolatum or mineral oil. It can be caused by the aspiration of any fat, including vegetable oils.

First some useful definitions. Vegetable oil is defined scientifically more broadly than one would think. Aspiration simply means breathing in. I found it very helpful to get a better understanding of just how we breathe and the anatomy of the lung.

Of the types of oils that can be aspirated, animal oil causes more problems than vegetable oil, which causes more than mineral oil. The oils are not intentionally introduced into the lungs. That can result from cultural practices as well as happen accidentally through a problem with a swallowing response.

Interestingly enough, the question about lipoid pneumonia and petroleum jelly was asked on the Mayo Clinic website and the reply is detailed.

Iron oxides should not present a risk to the consumer who wants to buy small amounts to use and is careful not to inhale the powder. They are not known to be carcinogens.