A Study of the Chemical Composition, Acute and Subacute Toxicity of Bulgarian Tanacetum parthenium Essential Oil.

Thirty-seven volatile organic compounds representing 94.58% of the total oil composition were tentatively detected in the obtained EO. The dominant compounds were camphor (45.47%), -chrisantenyl acetate (21.65%), camphene (9.48%), and -isogeraniol (5.42%). The results showed that the EO was not toxic when administered in acute oral doses. The acute mean lethal dose for intraperitoneal administration was LD i.p. = 2.13 g/kg BW. In the subacute study involving administration of an oral dose of EO for 28 days, there were a number of changes in the hematological and serum biochemical parameters of the blood compared with the control group of animals. However, no symptoms of toxicity, changes in the body weight of the rats, death, or pathological changes in the histological indicators of the examined organs-brain, heart, stomach, liver, spleen and kidney-were found. Extrapolating the results obtained from the rat experiments, we can state that the EO is safe for use in doses below 1 g/kgBW for a period not exceeding one month.