The Medicinal Properties Of Emu Oil

Health professionals, both in the United States and elsewhere around the world, are learning more about potential medical applications for emu oil, which is rendered from the fatty backside of the emu, an ostrich-like bird native to Australia. The demand for emu oil and its meat, which is low in fat, has given rise to U.S. emu ranches, which numbered more than 5,200 in 2002, the latest USDA data available, according to USA Today.

Ability to Penetrate Outer Layer of Skin

In an article in "Explore" magazine, Serena DuBois cites emu oil's ability to penetrate below the outermost layer of the epidermis, also known as the stratum corneum, as perhaps its single most important property. DuBois, who has written extensively on health and nutrition, credits this property to emu oil's high levels of oleic acid, a monounsaturated fatty acid. Many other medical creams and lotions designed for topical application are unable to break through this barrier to reach the tissues beneath it. DuBois points out that massage therapists and chiropractors often use emu oil for this reason "because it gets into the muscles and relaxes them so that the chiropractic work that has been done lasts longer." She suggests that this property of emu oil is likely to provide a new pathway for delivery of medicinals to deeper tissue that is far less expensive than liposomes or iontophoresis.

Anti-Inflammatory Properties

After a 10-year clinical study of patients using emu oil for a variety of applications, Dr. G.R. Hobday concluded that the oil's anti-inflammatory properties are near the top of the list of its beneficial characteristics, according to the website of the Emu Oil Institute. Hobday's study focused on the usefulness of emu oil in the treatment of chronic dry skin, muscular aches and pains, and wounds that had epithelialized, or built up an excessive level of scar tissue. His study found that emu oil's anti-inflammatory effects on joint pain, particularly that of arthritic origin, are most notable in cases where the affected joint lies not too far below the skin's surface, as in elbows, knees, hands and feet. He reported similar findings in the treatment of muscle pain and bruising, concluding that the most positive results came in cases of recent bruising and muscular pain that was relatively superficial. Hobday also found that emu oil is helpful in the treatment of keloids, eczema and burns.

Anti-Aging Benefits

A promising, double-blind animal study conducted by Dr. Michael Holick of the Boston University School of Medicine found that emu oil promotes skin growth as well as hair growth, according to DuBois' article. Holick and his colleagues topically applied Kalaya, a processed emu oil manufactured by New World Technology, to mice from which the hair had been removed. Roughly half of the animals in the study were treated with Kalaya, while the control group received applications of corn oil over a period of two weeks. Mice treated with Kalaya showed a 20 percent increase in skin growth, including an increased thickness of skin, as well as stimulation of hair growth. Of the hair growth, Holick observed that "over 80 percent of hair follicles that had been asleep were woken up and began growing hair."