EMU OIL

Introduction

Within the last ten years in the United States the emu has gone from being just another rare bird imported from a foreign country as an exotic animal to becoming among the fastest growing segments of alternative agriculture. The emu, hunted for thousands of years by Australian Aborigines for its red meat and lifesaving oil, came to the United States in the 1930s as a zoo animal and exotic pet. After 50 years in this country, word is spreading and interest growing in the emu as a source of low fat red meat, fine leather, unusual feathers and most particularly for its unique oil. It is this penetrating oil and its medical and cosmetic uses that are the main focus of this article.

History and Background

The emu, Dromaius nova hollandiae, is a flightless bird part of a group called ratites which also includes the ostrich and the kiwi. The emu is on the Australian coat of arms along with another equally exotic animal the kangaroo. Modern Australians learned early on from the aborigines the many valuable qualities in the emu and its oil. The earliest research studies in emu oil come from Australia, and Australia continues to export emu oil to this day.

In the United States today there is a growing network of ranches and research labs interested in emus and their incredible oil. Emu ranches, which raise the birds in a free-ranging manner, are found in all the lower 48 states, particularly in Alabama, Texas, Oklahoma, Michigan and in the west in California, Oregon and Washington and north into Canada as well. This animal that was originally imported as an oddity, a rare species with unique attributes, has become the source of an oil worth hundreds of dollars per gallon on the current wholesale market. I personally have heard or read bulk wholesale prices ranging from $250.00 a gallon to $400.00 a gallon. Packaged for retail in one, two or four ounce containers it can cost much more, of course. Most people agree it is cheap at the price considering its health promoting characteristics.