# Blue Emu Oil...Does It Work? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [July 28, 2017, 10:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/blue-emu-oil-does-it-work/792351 "2017-07-28T22:35:41Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![FoieGrasIsEvil](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/foiegrasisevil/32/16638_2.png) [@FoieGrasIsEvil](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FoieGrasIsEvil)\ **Post date:** [July 28, 2017, 10:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/blue-emu-oil-does-it-work/792351/1 "2017-07-28T22:35:41Z")
All- I have some increasingly painful neuropathy issues in my thighs, most likely due to damage cause by alcoholism. My doctor has me on Gabapentin and while it certainly helps, I often rely on lidocaine roll ons or even prescription lidocaine patches to relive the pain. As I browse the “pain relief” aisles, I often ponder the emu oil creams, sprays, etc. They are EXPENSIVE! So it got me wondering, and I saw mixed reviews online about it…do the teeming dozens that use this think it works? Why does it cost so much? My cynical side says it can’t be any better than lidocaine-based products. If you look at the active ingredients in the emu-based products it’s major and first-listed component is 10% Trolamine Salicylate, which is the same percentage and compound as in the far cheaper Aspercreme, etc products. Online reviews seem to indicate that the emu oil is a superior penetrant and affords the salicylate to penetrate deeper into the affected area? What’s the dope on this shit? ---
**Author:** ![Darren\_Garrison](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/darren_garrison/32/92_2.png) [@Darren\_Garrison](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darren_Garrison)\ **Post date:** [July 28, 2017, 10:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/blue-emu-oil-does-it-work/792351/2 "2017-07-28T22:56:47Z")
[Blue Ewoo](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=701898). ---
**Author:** ![FoieGrasIsEvil](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/foiegrasisevil/32/16638_2.png) [@FoieGrasIsEvil](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FoieGrasIsEvil)\ **Post date:** [July 28, 2017, 11:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/blue-emu-oil-does-it-work/792351/3 "2017-07-28T23:16:34Z")
> [@Darren\_Garrison](#): > > [Blue Ewoo](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=701898). Seems pretty jokingly dismissive without any actual conclusions. ---
**Author:** ![TimeWinder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/bcef8e/32.png) [@TimeWinder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TimeWinder)\ **Post date:** [July 28, 2017, 11:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/blue-emu-oil-does-it-work/792351/4 "2017-07-28T23:30:12Z")
> [@FoieGrasIsEvil](#): > > Seems pretty jokingly dismissive without any actual conclusions. You’re safe to dismiss all medical claims made on the Internet unless they’re backed by a peer-reviewed, double blind clinical trial. A quick bit of googling shows that such trials were started in 2000, 2002, and 2007, as were a bunch of industry-sponsored “pseudescience” type trials and “summaries” of research that basically say “there’s no evidence” but try to put a spin on it with “yet” a lot. Since it’s been plenty long enough for those trials to have concluded, and I don’t see successes summarized anywhere, my conclusion is that there’s no evidence the stuff works. The fact that it’s still being sold by woo dealers and confirmation-bias-heavy anecdotal claim marketing is also a pretty good indicator that this hasn’t made the jump from “alternative medicine” to “medicine.” (Several of the legitimate papers also seem to indicate that the makeup of the oil varies too wildly from sample to sample for it to have any clinical reliablility even if it worked.) Your illness, your choices, but if it were me, I’d spend my money on something else. ---
**Author:** ![cochrane](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cochrane/32/10441_2.png) [@cochrane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cochrane)\ **Post date:** [July 28, 2017, 11:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/blue-emu-oil-does-it-work/792351/5 "2017-07-28T23:32:36Z")
> [@FoieGrasIsEvil](#): > > Seems pretty jokingly dismissive without any actual conclusions. He linked to a thread with people’s opinions on the stuff. He can’t help it if those aren’t the opinions you’re looking for. People seem to agree the stuff is woo. ---
**Author:** ![FoieGrasIsEvil](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/foiegrasisevil/32/16638_2.png) [@FoieGrasIsEvil](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FoieGrasIsEvil)\ **Post date:** [July 29, 2017, 2:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/blue-emu-oil-does-it-work/792351/6 "2017-07-29T02:08:17Z")
I am not looking to spend this kind of money on pain relief, especially since Medicaid won’t cover it. I was merely looking for direct experience from Dopers whom have tried it. It’s amazingly expensive and i was wondering why. ---
**Author:** ![Ulfreida](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ulfreida/32/8014_2.png) [@Ulfreida](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ulfreida)\ **Post date:** [July 29, 2017, 2:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/blue-emu-oil-does-it-work/792351/7 "2017-07-29T02:28:57Z")
It’s amazingly expensive because people will pay for it. Very simple. When I think about all those rusting emus out there it just makes me cry. ---
**Author:** ![Jackmannii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jackmannii/32/311_2.png) [@Jackmannii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jackmannii)\ **Post date:** [July 29, 2017, 3:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/blue-emu-oil-does-it-work/792351/8 "2017-07-29T03:26:06Z")
> [@FoieGrasIsEvil](#): > > I am not looking to spend this kind of money on pain relief, especially since Medicaid won’t cover it. I was merely looking for direct experience from Dopers whom have tried it. In that case, you don’t want snark from a bunch of cynics who talk about “evidence”. You want [_testimonials_](http://www.uniquelyemu.com/testimonials.htm). I was impressed by [this one](http://blogs.mcgill.ca/oss/2013/09/15/emu-oil/): _“Ivan Durrant, an Australian artist claims to have noted a most unusual emu effect. His art consists of carving patterns in emu eggs. This apparently causes a lot of egg dust to fly around. He discovered that when he licked the dust off his fingers his hunger for the opposite sex became unstoppable. Further research revealed a quarter teaspoon of powdered emu egg shell was enough to stimulate him for at least two days.”_ What sets off my quackometer about emu oil is the fact that it’s supposed to cure or alleviate such a vast array of conditions. **Jackmannii** ’s First Law of Woo states that the more disorders a remedy is supposed to fix, the less likely it will work for any one of them. Dr. Jen Gunter [agrees](https://drjengunter.wordpress.com/2014/06/01/emu-oil-schmaltz-is-the-new-cure-for-everything/). ---
**Author:** ![Thudlow\_Boink](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thudlow_boink/32/320_2.png) [@Thudlow\_Boink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Thudlow_Boink)\ **Post date:** [July 29, 2017, 3:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/blue-emu-oil-does-it-work/792351/9 "2017-07-29T03:29:47Z")
If your blue emu is squeaking, is you can probably just use regular oil. ---
**Author:** ![susan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/susan/32/17537_2.png) [@susan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/susan)\ **Post date:** [July 29, 2017, 3:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/blue-emu-oil-does-it-work/792351/10 "2017-07-29T03:32:04Z")
I haven’t used “Blue Emu Oil.” I used pure emu oil ([this stuff](https://smile.amazon.com/100-Pure-Montana-Ranch-Liquid/dp/B0026X8L46/ref=sr_1_14_s_it?s=beauty&ie=UTF8&qid=1501298731&sr=1-14&keywords=emu+oil)) quite a lot after my cancer surgery. My skin around the incisions was terribly sensitive and the lightest touch was painful (as in, I couldn’t have a sheet touching it when I was in bed). The touch of my own fingers would trigger acid-like nerve firing after about 15 seconds. Calendula oil was somewhat helpful but also felt fiery in short order. Pure emu oil was recommended to me by my oncologist, who said it was one of the few oils that had any ability to penetrate the skin. It was enormously soothing when nothing else was. Whether it actually penetrates the skin I couldn’t say, but I can report that it made it possible to wear a shirt, sleep, have an exam, and similar, and that most of the women in my online cancer subgroup wound up using it with good results. ---
**Author:** ![Musicat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/musicat/32/20189_2.png) [@Musicat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Musicat)\ **Post date:** [July 29, 2017, 3:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/blue-emu-oil-does-it-work/792351/11 "2017-07-29T03:34:02Z")
> [@FoieGrasIsEvil](#): > > Seems pretty jokingly dismissive without any actual conclusions. What is asserted without evidence can be dismissed without evidence. ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [July 29, 2017, 4:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/blue-emu-oil-does-it-work/792351/12 "2017-07-29T04:22:31Z")
> [@susan](#): > > I haven’t used “Blue Emu Oil.” I used pure emu oil ([this stuff](https://smile.amazon.com/100-Pure-Montana-Ranch-Liquid/dp/B0026X8L46/ref=sr_1_14_s_it?s=beauty&ie=UTF8&qid=1501298731&sr=1-14&keywords=emu+oil)) quite a lot after my cancer surgery. My skin around the incisions was terribly sensitive and the lightest touch was painful (as in, I couldn’t have a sheet touching it when I was in bed). The touch of my own fingers would trigger acid-like nerve firing after about 15 seconds. Calendula oil was somewhat helpful but also felt fiery in short order. Pure emu oil was recommended to me by my oncologist, who said it was one of the few oils that had any ability to penetrate the skin. It was enormously soothing when nothing else was. Whether it actually penetrates the skin I couldn’t say, but I can report that it made it possible to wear a shirt, sleep, have an exam, and similar, and that most of the women in my online cancer subgroup wound up using it with good results. Well, sure, _that_ makes sense. It is a high quality oil, and will do the kinds of things you would expect. But to cure arthritis? :dubious::dubious::dubious: ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [July 29, 2017, 4:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/blue-emu-oil-does-it-work/792351/13 "2017-07-29T04:27:56Z")
Ok, here’s a study which showed anti inflammatory benefits in rats about like that of Ibuprofen: > **[Emu oil(s): A source of non-toxic transdermal anti-inflammatory agents in...](https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s10787-998-0001-9)** > > The ‘oil’ obtained from emu fat can be a very effective inhibitor of chronic inflammation in rats when applied dermally (with a skin penetration enhancer). Assays for this activity using the adjuvant-induced arthritis model have shown: i.... Here’s another one which shows it’s better than mineral oil for cosmetic purposes: [http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/j.1440-0960.1996.tb01040.x/full](http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/j.1440-0960.1996.tb01040.x/full) another which shows that certain oils (including emu) may have anti inflammatory benefits > **[US5431924A - Anti-inflammatory composition derived from emu oil -...](https://patents.google.com/patent/US5431924)** > > A biologically active component of emu oil is disclosed which is useful in pharmaceutical composition for the treatment of inflammation of environmental and systemic origins. Pharmaceutical composition including emu oil and dermal transport... So, it does seem to have mild anti inflammatory benefits , which could be nice for those unable to take NSAIDs. ---
**Author:** ![Jackmannii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jackmannii/32/311_2.png) [@Jackmannii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jackmannii)\ **Post date:** [July 29, 2017, 1:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/blue-emu-oil-does-it-work/792351/14 "2017-07-29T13:08:13Z")
> [@DrDeth](#): > > So, it does seem to have mild anti inflammatory benefits , which could be nice for those unable to take NSAIDs. To sum up, your evidence for this claim is: 1. a study in rats, which speculated on “potential arthritis-suppressant/immunoregulant activity of these active fractions” when used in combination with a separate skin permeability agent, 2. a pilot study of 11 Texans with skin problems, in which the only outcome the authors found statistically significant (in the abstract provided) was emu oil’s “permeability” and “overall ranking” (whatever that means) in comparison to mineral oil. 3. a patent application circa 1990 from an Australian company. Not heavily convincing. ---
**Author:** ![Flyer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/flyer/32/7298_2.png) [@Flyer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Flyer)\ **Post date:** [July 29, 2017, 1:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/blue-emu-oil-does-it-work/792351/15 "2017-07-29T13:08:37Z")
> [@DrDeth](#): > > Well, sure, _that_ makes sense. It is a high quality oil, and will do the kinds of things you would expect. > > But to cure arthritis? :dubious::dubious::dubious: :rolleyes: It doesn’t cure arthritis any more than aspirin does. Either you are making a poor-taste joke, or else you are being deliberately obtuse. I’ve used Blue Emu in the past, and found it quite helpful. And by the way, OP, the first ingredient in it is Aloe Vera. If you decide that it’s too pricey for you, then try something that has either methyl salicylate or menthol as the active ingredient. I’ve never used anything that had trolamine salicylate, whatever that is. There are also creams with capsaicin, but those tend to be problematic, for various reasons. ---
**Author:** ![JackieLikesVariety](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jackielikesvariety/32/296_2.png) [@JackieLikesVariety](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JackieLikesVariety)\ **Post date:** [July 29, 2017, 1:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/blue-emu-oil-does-it-work/792351/16 "2017-07-29T13:23:54Z")
both my Mom & her Mom had very painful arthritis in their hands as they aged and I am starting to see it in myself. I assume that eventually I will have no problem spending the[$12 on amazon](https://www.amazon.com/Blue-Emu-Super-Strength-Emu-Oil/dp/B00027C9DM)to try it and see if it helps. there are a lot of options for topical pain relief and different things seem to help different people. ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [July 29, 2017, 7:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/blue-emu-oil-does-it-work/792351/17 "2017-07-29T19:35:30Z")
> [@Jackmannii](#): > > To sum up, your evidence for this claim is: > > 1. a study in rats, which speculated on “potential arthritis-suppressant/immunoregulant activity of these active fractions” when used in combination with a separate skin permeability agent, > 2. a pilot study of 11 Texans with skin problems, in which the only outcome the authors found statistically significant (in the abstract provided) was emu oil’s “permeability” and “overall ranking” (whatever that means) in comparison to mineral oil. > 3. a patent application circa 1990 from an Australian company. > > Not heavily convincing. Several similar studies, also. Check Google Scholar yourself. But like I said “_seems_ to” “_mild_ anti inflammatory benefits”. Hardly a ringing endorsement. But even Web MD agrees: [http://www.webmd.com/vitamins-supplements/ingredientmono-825-emu%20oil.aspx?activeingredientid=825&activeingredientname=emu%20oil](http://www.webmd.com/vitamins-supplements/ingredientmono-825-emu%20oil.aspx?activeingredientid=825&activeingredientname=emu%20oil) ---
**Author:** ![TruCelt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/trucelt/32/523_2.png) [@TruCelt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TruCelt)\ **Post date:** [July 29, 2017, 9:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/blue-emu-oil-does-it-work/792351/18 "2017-07-29T21:32:12Z")
Those creams have never made any sense to me. All they do is make my skin hurt, or tingle, above the site of the pain. I can’t think of any reason that anti-inflammatories sinking into the skin near the site of pain would be any more useful than those absorbed into the blood stream through the digestive system. In fact, given that the goal is to interrupt communication of pain between the site and the brain, medicine sunk into the epidermis, muscle and other tissues would seem to be missing the target. ---
**Author:** ![susan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/susan/32/17537_2.png) [@susan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/susan)\ **Post date:** [July 29, 2017, 9:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/blue-emu-oil-does-it-work/792351/19 "2017-07-29T21:42:40Z")
> [@](#): > > But to cure arthritis? I don’t know what you’re talking about, but I was responding to the OP’s question, “do the teeming dozens that use this think it works?” I responded about my experience. No arthritis was invoked by me or the OP. ---
**Author:** ![Jackmannii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jackmannii/32/311_2.png) [@Jackmannii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jackmannii)\ **Post date:** [July 29, 2017, 11:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/blue-emu-oil-does-it-work/792351/20 "2017-07-29T23:06:58Z")
> [@DrDeth](#): > > But even Web MD agrees: > [http://www.webmd.com/vitamins-supplements/ingredientmono-825-emu%20oil.aspx?activeingredientid=825&activeingredientname=emu%20oil](http://www.webmd.com/vitamins-supplements/ingredientmono-825-emu%20oil.aspx?activeingredientid=825&activeingredientname=emu%20oil) From the WebMD link: \*Insufficient Evidence for: Headaches. Reducing cholesterol. Weight loss. Coughs. Skin and hair conditions. Burns. Wounds. Muscle and joint problems. Earaches. Eye irritation. Shingles. Hemorrhoids. Insect bites. Diabetic nerve problems. Other conditions. More evidence is needed to rate the effectiveness of emu oil for these uses.\* [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/blue-emu-oil-does-it-work/792351.md?page=2)