Emu Oil

The most valuable and unique component of emus is the high value fat. This produces oil, which is reported by Australian aborigines, to have anti-inflammatory and wound healing qualities.  The earliest documentation of the oils qualities appears to be by the early Australian explorer Ludwig Leichhart in 1844-45, who recorded at the time as follows:

“It has been considered a good antirheumatic, and I occasionally used it for that purpose” &

“Several times, when suffering from excesive fatigue, I rubbed it into the skin all over the body, and its slightly exciting properties proved very beneficial.

Similar effects were reported by a naturalist (George Bennett, M.D.) in 1860:

“It is likewise considered a good embrocation for sprains and bruises…..”

Because emu oil is extracted from the fat of emus it can also be eaten.  (So long as it is presented in a natural form as part of a meal or in a way, which complies with the Australian and New Zealand Food Authority (ANZFA) guidelines for edible fats, oils and dietary supplements.)

(In 2001 we were involved with an observation, that recorded the responses of 1,000 people consuming emu oil orally.  Of the 540 people who responded to the questionnaire only 2 reported adverse reactions, which prevented them from taking emu oil orally.)

Dr George Hobday (1994) in the Australian Emu Journal reported that Emu Oil has been :

“Used for centuries by the Indiginous people of Australia…as an embrocation for muscle and joint problems and for a variety of skin conditions”

This statement, combined with the fact, that emu oil can be eaten, suggests that emu oil is: a natural, non toxic substance and;

because of the “evolutionary” age of the Australian aboriginal people it means that Emu Oil is THE OLDEST (or ONE OF THEOLDES) anti-inflammatory products used by the human race, to reduce pain and stiffness in sore muscles and joints.

Hobday again:

“Use of emu oil was most prevalent in country areas where it was applied in the treatment of painful joints, bruised and swollen muscles and subcutaneous tissue, burns, and dry skin problems.  Also it is widely used to keep leather riding tackle supple in the dry inland areas of Australia and as cooking oil.” &

“Bush legend has it that emu oil penetrates glass.  It does not, but stored jars have been found to have a film of oil on the outside due to the meniscus and capillary action of the oil against the glass.”

The oil is also ideally suited as a cosmetic base and one of the best scientific studies supporting this was reported by Alexander Zemtsov in the October/November 1994 issue of the American Emu Association News.  Following is a summary of that report:

“Cosmetic and moisturising properties of emu oil were assessed in a double blind clinical study. Emu oil in comparison to mineral oil was found overall to be more cosmetically acceptable and had better skin penetration/permeability. Furthermore it appears that emu oil in comparison to mineral oil has better moisturising properties, superior texture, and lower incidence of comedogenicity, but probably because of the small sample size these differences were not found to be statistically significant. Neither of the oils were found to be irritating to the skin. Finally emu oil fatty acid composition was studied by gas chromatography and was found to have a high concentration of non polar mono unsaturated fatty acids which may explain emu oil’s ability to penetrate easily through the stratum corneum barrier”.

Maria Minnaar in The Emu Farmers Handbook  (1998) explained part of the value in Emu oil’s properties as:

“Of the many fatty acids, only two are considered to be essential to man (and other mammals): alpha-linoleic acid (“omega-3”), and linoleic acid (“omega-6”).  Other essential fatty acids can be manufactured in the body but these two can not be manufactured.  They must be ingested, or absorbed through the skin.”

These “two EFA’s belong to the poly-unsaturated group of fatty acids, meaning that they have two or more double bonds ….. The more double bonds a fatty acid has the more reactive it is.  Reactive fats take part in many vital chemical reactions within the body, and are necessary for good health..”

She goes on to say:

“As important as the presence of essential fatty acids, is the ratio between them. According to most sources, an acceptable ratio of linoleic to alpha-linolenic acid in the diet is between 3:1 and 10:1.  In fact, healthy human body fat contains about 10% linoleic acid and 2% alpha-linolenic acid, giving a 5:1 ratio.

Testing of emu oil produces a variation in the percentage and ratios of the different fats.  Maria Minnaar again:

“The profile for emu oil may not be exactly the same for all emu oils, since there will be individual variations based on diet, genetics, age, sex and other factors.”

Our emu oil test results range from a ratio of 7:1 to 5:1.  We therefore believe that our skin care products are produced from the highest quality oil, which when combined with pure organically grown vegetable and essential oils, has produced –

“The TJURINGA & Aussensuals  SKIN CARE Ranges”