Can You Swallow Manuka Oil? Why You Should Not

Manuka oil is for skin and for scenting the air, not for swallowing, and that goes for mouthwash and "just a drop in water" too. Our label says not for internal use, and neither we nor any authority we could read gives a dose for it. The question comes up for understandable reasons, so here is where the confusion starts, what poison centres say, and what to do if a swallow has already happened.

Manuka Essential Oil bottle

Manuka Essential Oil

Our own Manuka Essential Oil, in sizes from 0.5 oz to bulk.

From $18.99

Shop Now →

Why the question comes up

Manuka honey is a food, so people reasonably wonder about the oil. They are different materials from different parts of the plant, as we explain in our honey versus oil comparison. Another source of confusion is that some essential oils appear in food as flavourings. A flavouring is one small component of a food, whereas the bottle is the whole concentrate, and being allowed in food in tiny amounts is not a licence to swallow the neat oil.

A useful way to think about it: an essential oil bottle is a bit like a bottle of concentrated cleaning product or strong vanilla extract. It can be wonderful for its purpose, and it is still not something you taste. The aroma is what you came for, and the aroma comes to you without any of it going near your mouth.

What poison centres report

None of this is data on manuka oil, but the pattern across oils is consistent. Poison Control says some essential oils can be poisonous if swallowed, and that inhaling an oil into the lungs while trying to swallow it can cause pneumonia. It describes an 18-month-old boy who swallowed a small amount of lavender extract and was extremely drowsy and confused three hours later, recovering in about six hours.

Tea tree oil is the closest relative with plenty of reports. The US National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health says it should not be swallowed, and that taking it by mouth can cause confusion, unsteadiness, inability to walk and coma. The Tennessee Poison Center describes a child under two who ingested no more than a teaspoon and also had significant skin exposure: the parent reported no symptoms at 30 minutes, and less than 90 minutes later the child needed ventilation. She recovered completely after intensive care. That is a different oil, and a single case, but it shows why we keep any bottle away from children.

Some quick arithmetic gives a sense of scale. At roughly 20 drops per millilitre, a teaspoon of 5 ml is about 100 drops, and the smallest bottle we sell, 0.5 oz, holds about 14.8 ml. That does not tell you what manuka oil would do at any amount. It simply means even a small bottle contains more than the quantities in published poisonings with other oils, which is why we ask you to store it out of the reach of children and pets.

If you want to enjoy the scent

There are plenty of ways to enjoy manuka without ever bringing it near your mouth. Put a drop or two on a cotton pad and tuck it into a drawer, add a little to a diffuser with a citrus or woody partner, or blend it into a body oil at a low dilution. Wash your hands after handling it, particularly before you eat or touch your face, because a drop on a fingertip is easy to forget.

What is known about manuka oil by mouth

Very little in people. The 2020 review of manuka oil found limited toxicology and dosing data, and notes the lack of human clinical trials. Research on the mouth has been done in the laboratory, with oral bacteria and cells in a dish, and a dish is not a rinse from a bottle. Whether any oral care product helps with a gum or throat problem is a question for a dentist or physician. We offer our oil as an external cosmetic oil, and we make no oral claims for it.

If someone has swallowed it

  1. Call poison control now. In the US that is 1-800-222-1222, or use the webPOISONCONTROL online tool. Poison Control says help is free, confidential and available 24 hours a day.
  2. Follow their instructions rather than a home remedy. The sources we read do not endorse one.
  3. Treat trouble breathing, drowsiness, confusion, unsteadiness or a seizure as an emergency and call emergency services.
  4. Have the bottle with you and tell them it is manuka oil, Leptospermum scoparium, how much may have gone and when.

A pharmacist or physician is the right person for a question about essential oils alongside a particular medicine, condition or pregnancy. Poison control is the right call for an actual swallow.

If you share a home with children or visitors, think about where a bottle ends up in a day. The bathroom shelf, the bedside table and the kitchen counter are all places a small hand can reach. A high cupboard, or a small box with a lid, takes seconds and takes the question off the table.

Storage is part of the answer

Our guidance is to keep the oil away from children and pets, and to store it tightly capped in a cool, dark place. Our storage guide has the rest. If you are using the oil on skin, the side effects guide covers dilution and what to do after a reaction.

In short: enjoy the aroma, dilute it for skin, and keep the bottle out of small hands.

Manuka Essential Oil bottle

Manuka Essential Oil

Manuka Essential Oil from our own shop, in sizes from 0.5 oz to bulk.

From $18.99

Shop Now →

Sources & Further Reading