Products with essential oils can be dangerous, UFC-Q Choicer warns

A few months ago, the National Medicines Safety Agency (ANSM) recommended against the use of vasoconstrictor-based medicines during colds. From now on, it is products based on plants and essential oils that are the subject of discussion, BFMTV reports this Tuesday.

If the first type of drug can cause strokes and heart attacks, essential oils are not safe either. In an article published on January 29 and published by our colleagues, UFC-Que Choisir warns against these plant-based products and their sometimes harmful effects.

Allergies and seizures

These products, natural cold relievers and nasal decongestants, can lead to allergies and attacks. A phenomenon that would be due to natural organic compounds present in terpenes, eucalyptus, thyme, menthol and camphor. According to consumer associations, therefore, there is no point in buying sprays and inhalation preparations made from plants.

Favor sea water

This information was confirmed by a Paris pharmacist on BFMTV. “It is not recommended for asthmatics, epileptics, pregnant women and children below six years of age,” he says. The effectiveness of these products is also questionable. UFC-Que Choisir thus assures that “the impression of decongestion is only a transient sensation”.

Still, according to the association, the only useful nasal irrigation products are those made with salt water. A recommendation to match the ANSM. For the agency, a cold will disappear after seven to ten days without treatment. Moisturizing your nose with physiological serum, sleeping with your head elevated and ventilating your home will ensure more comfort for cold sufferers.