Baby Safety / Compounds / Calamus oil (beta-asarone)

Is Calamus oil (beta-asarone) safe for babies and kids?

Context-dependent for kids

Not medical or professional safety advice, and not a substitute for a qualified clinician — consult one. Full disclaimer →

Infants are highly susceptible to Calamus oil (beta-asarone) due to lower body weight, immature detoxification pathways, and dietary exposure through contaminated grains or breast milk.

What is calamus oil (beta-asarone)?

Also known as: Calamus Oil, Аирное масло.

CAS number
8015-79-0

Risk for babies

Context-dependent

Infants are highly susceptible to Calamus oil (beta-asarone) due to lower body weight, immature detoxification pathways, and dietary exposure through contaminated grains or breast milk.

Neonates and infants up to 12 months have incomplete blood-brain barrier development, immature Phase I/II metabolic enzymes (particularly CYP3A4, UGT1A1), and higher gastrointestinal permeability. Equivalent doses produce higher internal concentrations and longer residence times.

What to do: Minimize infant exposure through source control. For breastfeeding mothers: reduce maternal exposure. For formula-fed infants: use certified low-migration bottles and verified water sources. Consult pediatrician regarding any concerns.

Risk for pregnant and nursing people

Severe risk

Abortifacient; beta-asarone is teratogenic in animal models

Regulatory consensus

1 regulatory bodyhas classified Calamus oil (beta-asarone).

AgencyYearClassificationNotes
EDC Assessment—Suspected endocrine disruptor

Regulators apply different standards of evidence — animal-data weighting, exposure-pattern assumptions, epidemiological power thresholds — which is why two scientific bodies can review the same data and reach different conclusions. The disagreement is the data.

Where kids encounter calamus oil (beta-asarone)

  • Personal Care — perfume (historical), aromatherapy
  • Food — flavoring (restricted)

Safer alternatives

Lower-risk approaches that achieve a similar outcome to Calamus oil (beta-asarone):

  • Avoidance (no chemical substitute)
    Trade-offs: Direct chemical substitution requires verification that the replacement does not introduce new hazards (regrettable substitution). Conduct full hazard assessment of proposed alternative before adoption.
    Relative cost: 1.2-2×

Frequently asked questions

Is calamus oil (beta-asarone) safe for kids?

Infants are highly susceptible to Calamus oil (beta-asarone) due to lower body weight, immature detoxification pathways, and dietary exposure through contaminated grains or breast milk.

What products contain calamus oil (beta-asarone)?

Calamus oil (beta-asarone) appears in: perfume (historical) (Personal care); aromatherapy (Personal care); flavoring (restricted) (Food).

What should I do if my child is exposed to calamus oil (beta-asarone)?

Minimize infant exposure through source control. For breastfeeding mothers: reduce maternal exposure. For formula-fed infants: use certified low-migration bottles and verified water sources. Consult pediatrician regarding any concerns.

See Calamus oil (beta-asarone) in the baby app

Look up products containing calamus oil (beta-asarone), compare to alternatives, and explore the full data record.

Open in baby View raw API data

Sources (6)
  1. PubChem Compound Database (2026) — database
  2. FDA 21 CFR 189.110 — Calamus and its derivatives prohibited as food substances (banned 1968 based on β-asarone hepatocarcinogenicity in B6C3F1 mouse cohort; substance + extract + oil + tincture all banned) (1968) — regulatory
  3. IARC Monographs Volume 10 + Supplement 7 + Volume 56 — Calamus (β-asarone Group 2B Possibly Carcinogenic to Humans; rodent hepatocarcinogenicity) (1987) — regulatory
  4. EFSA Scientific Committee on Food — α + β-Asarone (Acorus calamus) opinion (genotoxic carcinogen — ALARA principle; flavouring-restriction framework) (2002) — regulatory
  5. IFRA Standard 51st Amendment — Acorus calamus oil + derivatives prohibited from fragrance use (β-asarone genotoxicity + IARC 2B classification basis) (2024) — regulatory
  6. Council of Europe — Active Principles (Constituents of Toxicological Concern) Contained in Natural Sources of Flavourings — β-Asarone genotoxic-carcinogen restriction (2014) — regulatory

Reference data, not professional advice. Aggregates publicly available regulatory and scientific data; not a substitute for medical, pediatric, legal, or regulatory advice. Why we built ALETHEIA →