Sabinyl acetate

Sabinyl acetate is one of the few toxic essential oil esters. It presents significant reproductive toxicity in animals.

Reproductive. A fraction of Spanish sage oil containing 50 percent sabinyl acetate injected subcutaneously into pregnant mice on gestational days 6 to 15 at 15, 45 and 135 mg/kg was dose-dependently abortifacient in all groups. Savin oil with 50 percent sabinyl acetate subcutaneously prevented implantation in mice at 45 and 135 mg/kg but not at 15 mg/kg, when given on gestational days 0 to 4. Plectranthus oil with about 60 percent sabinyl acetate, given orally at 0.5, 2.5 or 5.0 mg/kg, dramatically increased fetal resorption and fetal toxicity in pregnant rats.

A pregnancy-safe dose is undetermined but will be below 1 mg/kg oral.

Plectranthus oil is not commercially available. Savin and Spanish sage oils must be avoided entirely in pregnancy.