Emu oil


Emu Oil is an oil derived from adipose tissue harvested from certain subspecies of the emu, Dromaius novaehollandiae, a flightless bird indigenous to Australia.
Unadulterated emu oil can vary widely in colour and viscosity anywhere from an off-white creamy texture to a thin yellow liquid, depending on the diet of the emu and the refining method used. Industrially refined emu oil is composed of a minimum of 70% unsaturated fatty acids. The largest component is oleic acid, a monounsaturated omega-9 fatty acid. Emu oil also contains roughly 20% linoleic acid and 1–2% linolenic acid. Fully refined emu oil has a bland flavour.
Commercial emu oil supplements are not standardised and vary widely in their potency. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration highlighted emu oils in a 2009 article on "How to Spot Health Fraud", pointing out that many "pure emu oil" products are unapproved drugs.

Research

As of 2019 there have been at least three randomised controlled trials in humans. A first study suggests a trend for reduced skin toxicity for patients receiving emu oil during radiation therapy; a second RCT found that a gel containing emu oil was possibly effective as a topical treatment for acute phase Peyronie's Disease; and a third study failed to show a greater efficacy for emu oil over placebo in a population of postmenopausal women with early breast cancer experiencing arthralgias following initiation of an aromatase inhibitor.