Perhaps the most attractive aspect of using essential
oils and/or their constituents as crop protectants (and in
other contexts for pest management) is their favorable
mammalian toxicity. Some of the pure essential oil compounds
are slightly toxic, with rat acute oral LD50 values
of 2}3 g kg~1 (viz. carvacrol, pulegone), but an essential
oil insecticide consisting of a proprietary mixture of essential
oil constituents (EcoSMART Technologies Inc.),
resulted in no mortality when fed to rats at 2 g kg~1
(Enan, unpublished data), the upper limit required for
acute toxicity tests by most pesticide regulatory agencies
including the EPA. in the United States. In that many of
the essential oils and their constituents are commonly
used as culinary herbs and spices, pesticide products
containing certain of these are actually exempt from
toxicity data requirements by the EPA.