Emu oil

Emu Oil

1. Identity

Taxonomy and Source

Emu oil is a mixture of fatty acids derived from the fat of the emu (Dromaius novaehollandiae). The oil comes from the fat deposits of this large flightless bird native to Australia, rendered primarily from two fat sources: a thick pad of subcutaneous fat along the emu's back, and deeper fat surrounding the internal organs, known as retroperitoneal fat. The back fat pad is the most well-known source, as emus store large reserves of fat there to sustain them through periods of scarce food in the Australian outback.

Emu oil is a traditional animal fat derived from the Dromaius novaehollandiae — a large, flightless bird native to the vast, arid lands of Australia. Emus are remarkable not only for their astonishing height (they are the second largest bird in the world after the ostrich), but also for their unique avian ability to build fat stores for survival.

Common Names

The substance is known commercially and in the scientific literature exclusively as emu oil. It has no botanical name, as it is an animal-derived lipid rather than a plant extract. In Australian Aboriginal tradition it has been described as a "sacred oil" and as a "traditional sacred food."

Production and Commercial Forms

Turning emu fat into the clear oil found in commercial bottles involves several stages. After the fat is harvested, it goes through washing, cooking, and separation to pull the liquid fat away from the tissue. The collected fat is then either macerated or passed through a centrifuge to liquefy it, and the resulting liquid is filtered to remove impurities. That produces a crude oil, but most commercial products go through further refining. The full process includes neutralizing free fatty acids with a caustic solution, bleaching to remove color, deodorizing to eliminate any remaining smell, and a step called winterization, which removes saturated fats that would otherwise solidify at cool temperatures.

The American Emu Association (AEA) Emu Oil Trade Rules divide commercial oil into three grades: Crude Emu Oil (the least processed, suitable for soap making and animal feed); Once Refined Emu Oil (suitable for some topical applications but requiring further processing for most cosmetic uses); and Fully Refined Pure Emu Oil (food-grade oil requiring no further processing, suitable for all cosmetic and manufacturing uses). The AEA recognizes these three grades (A, B, and C), with only Grade A (Fully Refined) able to carry the AEA Certified Fully Refined seal.

The AEA Certified Emu Oil Program was developed to establish quality control measures to ensure that pure emu oil displaying the AEA Certified Fully Refined seal is a high-quality product that meets or exceeds industry-recognized standards for Fully Refined Grade A Emu Oil as defined in the Emu Oil Trade Rules. In 2000, the AEA's Oil Standards Committee teamed with the American Oil Chemists Society (AOCS) to help develop specification criteria for the three grades.

Commercially, emu oil is sold in several forms, including:

• Pure liquid oil (topical application)
• Oral capsules (dietary supplement)
• Creams, lotions, and balms incorporating emu oil as an active ingredient or carrier
• Formulations combined with other actives (e.g., curcumin, aloe vera, caffeine, vitamin K)

2. Traditional and Historical Use

Aboriginal Australian Tradition

Traditional beliefs of geographically widely-separated Australian Aboriginal communities agree on the beneficial properties of emu oil as a natural remedy. The oral history of the Australian Aborigines indicates their use of emu oil for over forty thousand years to reduce pain and stiffness in sore muscles and joints, to help expedite wound healing, as a dermal protectant from the effects of wind and sun, and in the treatment of bruised subcutaneous tissue, burns, and dry skin problems.

Historically, emus were hunted with respect and care by the native Australian people. Only killed out of necessity, nearly every part of the carcass was used for a special purpose — from the consumable meat and fat to bones and tendons reserved for making tools, nothing was wasted. The fat from the emu was considered very precious. Once harvested, liquefied, and preserved, it functioned as a topical medicine, dietary fat, lubricant, rub to maintain wooden utensils and tools, and as the base for paints used for ceremonial body adornment, among other uses.

Traditional methods of collection and application included hanging an emu skin on a tree to collect the oil and wrapping sufferers in a freshly killed skin. In both cases, the heat of the sun was used to liquefy the emu fat and enhance its absorption into the skin.

Aboriginal Australians used emu oil to help reduce pain and swelling of joints, arthritic and muscle pain, improve the healing of wounds and burns, reduce itch and inflammation of insect bites, relieve sunburn, dry skin, cracked lips, and skin irritations.

Early Written Records and Adoption by Settlers

Passed down through generations by spoken word, these applications of emu oil were not highly analyzed for their benefits nor scientifically recommended, but rather a simple part of everyday life. The Aboriginal people passed down knowledge by word of mouth, so it was not until 1860 that emu oil's traditional use was first recorded by G. Bennett in his Gatherings of a Naturalist in Australasia, in which he reported that Aborigines and early white settlers used emu oil to heal wounds, reduce pain, and relieve various muscular disorders.

It was the Aboriginal people who introduced emu oil as a healing aid to the early Australian explorers and settlers. Emu oil very soon became a valued addition to the settlers' medicine cabinet. Use of emu oil was most prevalent in country areas, where it was applied in the treatment of bruised and subcutaneous tissue, burns, and dry skin problems.

3. Key Constituents and Chemical Composition

Fatty Acid Profile

The saturated fatty acid content of emu oil is approximately 34.78%, which is lower than that of lard or tallow. Unsaturated fatty acids prevail in emu oil (64.28 ± 1.04%), with oleic acid (45.76 ± 0.53%) being the highest content unsaturated fatty acid. Linoleic acid is the second most abundant unsaturated fatty acid in emu oil (14.00 ± 0.21%).

Specific quantified fatty acids include:

• Oleic acid (18:1n-9) — the dominant monounsaturated fatty acid, present at approximately 46 weight percent in subcutaneous adipose tissue oil
• Linoleic acid (18:2n-6) — the primary polyunsaturated fatty acid, averaging approximately 23 wt% for oil from subcutaneous adipose tissues
• Palmitic acid (16:0) — the major saturated fatty acid, at approximately 18–19 wt%
• Palmitoleic acid (16:1) — averaging approximately 3.8%
• Stearic acid (18:0) — approximately 10.0%
• Alpha-linolenic acid (18:3n-3) — approximately 1.5%
• Myristic and linolenic acids are also present.

Efforts to explain emu oil's potential anti-inflammatory effects center on its n-3 and n-9 fatty acids (accounting for approximately 1% and 49% of emu oil, respectively). Saturated long-chain fatty acids, in particular palmitic acid (accounting for approximately 24% of emu oil), have been implicated in the improvement of intestinal epithelial barrier function.

Lipid Fraction and Structural Characteristics

Emu oil is almost purely triglyceride in nature, which makes it an almost completely neutral lipid. Emu oil has a lipid content of approximately 98.0% and variable levels of compounds with antioxidant properties.

Minor and Non-Triglyceride Constituents

Physicochemical characterization of emu oil has shown it to have a low acid and peroxide value, low amounts of carotenoid and phenolic compounds, and high concentrations of oleic acid and linoleic acid. The total polyphenol content of emu oil has been measured at 6.64 ± 0.37 mg/kg.

Emu oil contains fat-soluble vitamins including vitamins A, D, and E, as well as their precursors and metabolites. The natural diet of the emu consists of seeds, berries, grasses, leaves, and plants present within the Australian bush, which would be expected to contribute carotenoids, vitamins, terpenes, flavones, and other naturally occurring bioactive compounds.

Emu oil contains biological components including polyphenols and carotenoids. The anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, reparative, and protective properties of emu oil have been attributed to its unique blend of fatty acids and non-triglyceride fraction.

Variability in Composition

Different preparations of emu oil influence their anti-inflammatory efficacy. Emu oil samples vary with respect to additives, whether the oil is derived from subcutaneous or intraperitoneal adipose tissue, bird origin (e.g., Western Australian or Queensland), the commercial or laboratory source, oil rendering processes, and storage conditions. Studies have identified that varying oil extraction methods result in differences in physical properties, including oiliness, viscosity, density in the liquid state, color, and refraction index.

4. Mechanisms of Action

Skin Penetration and Transdermal Carrier Properties

Emu oil has been shown to penetrate into human skin and has been evaluated as a transdermal vehicle for various chemical compounds including progesterone, anesthetic agents, and insulin. Emu oil's unique composition, rich in unsaturated fatty acids, enhances skin penetration and exhibits anti-inflammatory properties, making it suitable for pharmaceutical applications.

Research using FTIR microspectroscopy at a synchrotron facility demonstrated emu oil's penetration through the layers of the stratum corneum. This penetration effect appears to involve disruption of some hydrogen bonds in which amide C=O and N–H groups of keratin are involved.

Anti-Inflammatory Mechanisms

Studies have proposed that the n-3 and n-9 fatty acids in emu oil can exhibit anti-inflammatory behaviors, and may be used to treat numerous chronic inflammatory diseases, such as rheumatoid arthritis and inflammatory bowel disease.

In cell-based studies, emu oil has been shown to reduce LPS-induced production of nitric oxide (NO), TNF-α, and inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) expression in a dose-dependent manner. These products enhance the inflammatory response, and emu oil thereby demonstrated anti-inflammatory properties.

In vivo studies of wound healing have shown that emu oil enhanced the secretion of IL-10 while suppressing IL-1β secretion, promoting M2 macrophage polarization, and significantly reducing the phosphorylation of JNK and p38 — components of the MAPK signaling pathway involved in inflammatory signal transduction.

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 using the adjuvant-induced arthritis model have shown considerable variability in potency of different commercial oil samples; little or no correlation of activity with color or linolenic acid (18:3) content; relative stability of some active oils to heat and ageing at room temperature; and that the bulk of the anti-inflammatory activity was present in a low-triglyceride fraction, with potential arthritis-suppressant and immunoregulant activity of these active fractions.

Antioxidant Activity

The polyphenols present in emu oil may be responsible for the antioxidant activities observed in laboratory assays. Linoleic acid, which can decrease the risk of cardiovascular diseases, was shown to be the second most abundant unsaturated fatty acid in emu oil.

Mucosal Repair

Well-controlled experimental studies have highlighted the anti-inflammatory and reparative properties of orally administered emu oil in intestinal disorders characterized by inflammation, ulceration, malabsorption, and mucosal damage. In a rat model of dextran sulfate sodium-induced ulcerative colitis, orally administered emu oil reduced colonic tissue damage and facilitated mucosal repair, indicated by reduced colonic damage and enhanced crypt elongation.

5. Scientific Evidence by Area of Use

5.1 Skin Moisturization and Barrier Function

A clinical study found that an emu oil-based cream was effective in improving stratum corneum hydration of breast areolae (mean ± standard deviation, from 56.9 ± 18.2 to 65.0 ± 17.2 conventional units, P < .003) and did not affect skin pH, temperature, or elasticity. This prospective, open-label, controlled clinical trial was carried out at a clinical center in Italy and focused on the hydrating properties of an emu oil-based cream in 70 at-term, breastfeeding women early after delivery. Institutional review board approval was obtained before the study began.

A separate clinical report indicates that a single application of an emu oil-based lotion was effective in improving heel stratum corneum hydration, and was associated with increases in both skin pH and elasticity without any effect on temperature.

Evidence strength: Preliminary. Human data are limited to small, open-label, or otherwise methodologically limited clinical studies. No large randomized controlled trials on moisturization as a primary endpoint have been published.

5.2 Wound Healing

A preliminary laboratory investigation suggests that emu oil might promote wound healing by accelerating the growth rate of keratinocytes.

In a study on 144 Wistar male rats, topical application of emu oil in second-degree burn wounds was shown to have a favorable, anti-inflammatory effect and to improve wound healing by inhibiting the secondary inflammation process.

However, other animal data have yielded conflicting results. In a separate study on Balb/c mice with superficial second-degree burns, emu oil-treated burns were found to heal more slowly and inflammation lasted longer in the treatment group. However, the number of hair follicles in the margins of the wounds increased over time in the emu oil group compared to the control group. Multiple studies have claimed that early application of emu oil on burn wounds can elongate the inflammatory phase and delay the healing process.

In a small clinical study (N=10), emu oil was evaluated as a lubricant and aid in reducing scar formation in healed burns. Photoanalysis of this study showed wound areas treated with emu oil healed significantly better (P<0.02) than those in the control group.

A dedicated review of the evidence available to support the proposal that emu oil is efficacious in wound healing and cellular regeneration characterized it as sparse and unconvincing as of 1997, acknowledging that preparations had been shown, using appropriate animal models, to possess significant anti-inflammatory activity.

A more recent (2024) publication demonstrated that emu oil enhances cutaneous wound healing by modulating inflammation through promoting macrophage M2 polarization via the MAPK signaling pathway.

Evidence strength: Mixed and primarily preclinical. Animal evidence is contradictory, with some models showing benefit and others showing delay in healing. Human evidence consists of a very small study and a conference abstract. Well-controlled human clinical trials are lacking.

5.3 Inflammatory Skin Conditions

Seborrheic Dermatitis

Based on the anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties of emu oil, a clinical trial was designed to evaluate its effects on seborrheic dermatitis (SD), comparing it with routine treatments. The trial enrolled 126 patients, with 62 patients in a clotrimazole-versus-emu oil group and 64 in a hydrocortisone-versus-emu oil group. The right side of the face in both groups was treated with topical emu oil; the left side with clotrimazole or hydrocortisone respectively. After one month, pre- and post-treatment symptom severity scores of pruritus, erythema, and scales were compared.

The study found that emu oil is a potentially useful agent that significantly improves itching, erythema, and scales associated with SD; however, it was less effective than hydrocortisone and clotrimazole, which are routinely prescribed to treat SD.

Evidence strength: Limited. This was a single randomized clinical trial in 126 patients, but it lacked a placebo control, and the study design (within-patient split-face comparison) has inherent limitations.

Atopic Dermatitis

A 2024 study published in the journal International Immunopharmacology reported that emu oil alleviates atopic dermatitis-like responses by inhibiting Cdc42 signaling of keratinocytes. This constitutes preclinical mechanistic evidence. No adequately powered human clinical trials on emu oil specifically for atopic dermatitis have been identified in the peer-reviewed literature.

Evidence strength: Very preliminary (primarily in vitro and animal models).

5.4 Radiation-Induced Dermatitis

A single-institution pilot study was conducted to evaluate the feasibility and safety of an oil-based skin agent (Ultra Emu Oil) on skin reactions in patients receiving radiation therapy to the breast and chest wall. In this study, median times to peak rash, skin redness, peeling, and skin swelling tended to be slightly, but not significantly, longer in emu oil-treated patients than with placebo (cottonseed oil); area under the curve of Skindex-16 scores tended to be lower with emu oil, and overall quality of life was slightly better with emu oil.

This pilot study confirmed the safety of oil-based skin treatments during radiation therapy and suggests a trend for reduced skin toxicity for patients receiving emu oil. A larger study is needed to evaluate the efficacy of emu oil in reducing radiation-induced dermatitis.

Evidence strength: Preliminary. A single, small, double-blind, placebo-controlled pilot study from the Mayo Clinic showed a non-significant trend toward benefit. No adequately powered follow-up trials have been published.

5.5 Gastrointestinal Inflammatory Conditions

The most substantial body of preclinical research on emu oil involves gastrointestinal inflammatory conditions.

Oral administration of emu oil has effectively attenuated disease parameters in preclinical models of gastrointestinal disease, including NSAID-induced enteropathy, ulcerative colitis, colitis-associated colorectal cancer, and chemotherapy-induced mucositis.

Orally administered emu oil has demonstrated anti-inflammatory properties in previous models of gastrointestinal disease. In a study using the TNBS rodent model — a well-established model that mimics the histopathology and clinical presentation of Crohn's disease — the hypothesis that emu oil would attenuate disease severity was confirmed. Emu oil attenuated disease severity from clinical scores and colonoscopy results, adding to the literature of IBD mouse models and supporting the therapeutic potential of emu oil.

Emu oil has also been demonstrated to improve mucosal architecture in the small intestine by lengthening crypts during early recovery from chemotherapy-induced mucositis in rats. Emu oil has been demonstrated to endow partial protection against chemotherapy-induced mucositis, with early indications of improved intestinal repair. Emu oil could therefore form the basis of an adjunct to conventional treatment approaches for inflammatory disorders affecting the gastrointestinal system.

A partial amelioration of chemotherapy-induced intestinal mucositis has been reported following treatment with emu oil in combination with a New Zealand Green-Lipped Mussel extract.

A 2025 narrative review published in Inflammatory Intestinal Diseases (Karger) summarized emu oil as a naturally sourced agent that may be utilized to broaden therapeutic options in IBD. The anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, reparative, and protective properties of emu oil have been attributed to its unique blend of fatty acids and non-triglyceride fraction. To date, several preclinical trials of orally administered emu oil have demonstrated these properties in a range of intestinal inflammatory conditions, showing reduced inflammation and mucosal damage and enhanced intestinal healing. The review concluded that while emu oil remains an interesting candidate for future investigations, current knowledge is limited to animal models and its clinical relevance is yet to be defined. Well-designed clinical trials will be essential to determine the safety and efficacy of emu oil before it can be considered as a potential adjunct to conventional therapy for IBD.

Evidence strength: Preclinical only. The gastrointestinal research base is relatively large and consistent across multiple animal models. However, as of the time of writing, there are no published human clinical trials examining emu oil for IBD, mucositis, or NSAID-enteropathy.

5.6 Musculoskeletal Inflammation and Arthritis

Dermal application of emu oil obtained from emu fat can be a very effective inhibitor of chronic inflammation in rats (with a skin penetration enhancer). Assays using the adjuvant-induced arthritis model showed considerable variability in potency among commercial oil samples; little or no correlation of activity with color or linolenic acid (18:3) content; relative stability of some active oils; and that the bulk of the anti-inflammatory activity was present in a low-triglyceride fraction with potential arthritis-suppressant and immunoregulant activity.

Some oils tested were equipotent with oral aspirin in the rat assay (ED50 ~300 mg/kg) and showed analgesic activity in preliminary clinical studies. However, these "preliminary clinical studies" have not been published as full peer-reviewed trials and should be interpreted with caution.

Topical delivery of curcumin with emu oil holds promise as a noninvasive and efficacious intervention for the treatment of inflammatory arthritis, and it assists in further development of a topical formulation of curcumin using emu oil as a vehicle. This research represents emu oil primarily as a transdermal carrier rather than as an independent anti-arthritic agent.

A 2020 systematic review of clinical trials involving emu oil searched the literature for human evidence specific to non-specific musculoskeletal pain. The most thorough review of evidence for emu oil benefit published in 2014 cited its potential application to mitigate the following conditions: mucositis, inflammatory bowel disease, auricular inflammation, and cancer-related conditions, among others. Emu oil is not an FDA-approved medication, and no identifiable database of diagnoses for which emu oil is most commonly prescribed exists.

Evidence strength: Primarily animal/preclinical. Rat arthritis models show consistent anti-inflammatory effects; human clinical evidence specific to joint pain is very limited and methodologically weak.

5.7 Hair Growth

Interest in emu oil for hair loss conditions has emerged from several lines of investigation. In animal studies, the number of hair follicles in the margins of wounds increased through time in the emu oil group compared to the control group.

Critically, as of available literature, there has not been a single randomized clinical trial in humans specifically examining emu oil for alopecia.

Evidence strength: Insufficient. No published randomized human clinical trials exist for emu oil in hair loss conditions. Available data are animal/laboratory based.

5.8 Chemotherapy-Related Bone Loss

One published animal study examined emu oil in the context of chemotherapy-induced systemic effects. Dietary emu oil supplementation was shown in an animal study to suppress 5-fluorouracil chemotherapy-induced inflammation, osteoclast formation, and bone loss, as reported in the American Journal of Physiology — Endocrinology and Metabolism (2012).

Evidence strength: Preclinical only. No human data available.

6. Body Systems Associated with Emu Oil

• Integumentary (skin) system: Moisturization, barrier function, wound healing, inflammatory dermatoses, radiation dermatitis, burn care
• Musculoskeletal system: Joint and muscle inflammation, arthritis (animal data)
• Gastrointestinal system: IBD (ulcerative colitis, Crohn's disease), NSAID-enteropathy, chemotherapy-induced mucositis (all preclinical)
• Integument / hair follicle: Hair follicle stimulation and hair growth (preclinical only)
• Cardiovascular / metabolic: Oleic acid present in emu oil has been studied in relation to prevention of rheumatoid arthritis, and may attenuate the prothrombotic state of the postprandial phase; linoleic acid has been associated with decreased risk of cardiovascular diseases. These are attributions from individual fatty acid research rather than from emu oil-specific cardiovascular trials.
• Drug delivery: Emu oil is studied as a transdermal carrier for pharmaceutical compounds

7. Dosage Forms and Doses Reported in Studies

No standardized therapeutic dosage for emu oil has been established by any regulatory body. The following dosages have been reported in specific published studies:

• Topical (dermatitis, burn, and skin studies): Applied topically to affected areas; in a burn wound mouse study, emu oil was applied topically twice daily.
• Topical (arthritis rat model): The maximum daily topical dose used in rat dose-response studies was 2 ml/kg, applied for four days to the shaved dorsum from the time of onset of arthritic symptoms.
• Oral (rat colitis model): Male Sprague Dawley rats were orally administered vehicle, emu oil, zinc monoglycerolate (ZMG), or ZMG combined with emu oil daily from days 0–5 of an experimental colitis protocol. Specific oral doses in mg/kg were not uniformly reported across studies.
• Topical (breastfeeding women): An emu oil-based cream (Clemulina Pus cream, Sitar Laboratories, Padua, Italy) was applied to the nipples and areolas of breastfeeding mothers after each nursing session.
• Topical (radiation dermatitis pilot): A specific product referenced as "ultra emu oil" was used in the radiation dermatitis pilot trial. The precise dosing regimen was not retrievable in the abstract-level data available.
• Toxicological safety testing: In toxicological studies, no aberrations occurred in chromosomal assays at treatment concentrations of 1.25, 2.5, and 5 μg/mL; in the bone marrow micronucleus test, emu oil up to 20 mL/kg showed no significant increase in micronucleated polychromatic erythrocytes; and emu oil up to 19.3 mg/kg body weight did not affect body weight in an acute oral toxicity study.

8. Safety Considerations

General Toxicological Profile

In formal genotoxicity testing, emu oil demonstrated no change in the amount of revertant colonies in a bacterial reverse mutation (Ames) assay for all strains tested. In a chromosomal aberration assay, no aberrations occurred in any of the emu oil treatment groups.

In the bone marrow micronucleus test, emu oil up to 20 mL/kg showed no significant increase in the incidence of micronucleated polychromatic erythrocytes. Moreover, emu oil up to 19.3 mg/kg body weight did not affect body weight in an acute oral toxicity study.

Topical emu oil was not associated with an increase in adverse events in a placebo-controlled clinical study evaluating efficacy in preventing radiation-induced dermatitis.

Repeated applications of selected emu oils did not induce any of the more prominent side effects associated with NSAIDs (e.g., platelet inhibition, gastrotoxicity) or certain anti-arthritic medications.

Skin Sensitization

Some people may experience skin irritation when applying emu oil directly to the skin as a topical ointment. Formal human sensitization testing, as described in toxicological literature, has not detected allergic reactions in small volunteer populations tested.

Regulatory Status

The FDA has not approved pure emu oil products for medicinal use and has not supported claims that emu oil is a safe or effective treatment, citing the absence of significant clinical studies conducted in humans. Emu oil is sold in the United States as a cosmetic ingredient or dietary supplement, not as a drug.

Grade and Purity

Risks associated with inadequate refinement exist primarily when pure emu oil is used on human skin or taken orally. If emu oil is not fully refined, there is a risk that the oil is contaminated or has not been sterilized. Cases have been documented in which emu oil was adulterated or blended with other types of oils and then marketed and sold as pure emu oil.

Drug Interactions

Emu oil needs to be researched more in humans to understand its short- and long-term effects on health fully. It is unknown whether emu oil interacts with other medications and supplements taken by mouth or applied to the skin. No pharmacokinetic drug interaction studies have been identified in the peer-reviewed literature.

Because emu oil is under investigation as a transdermal carrier for pharmaceutical compounds — including progesterone, anesthetic agents, and insulin — there is a theoretical basis for concern that co-application of emu oil with topically applied medications could alter the absorption rate or systemic exposure of those drugs. This has not been systematically studied in humans.

Variability in Potency

Studies point to the need for more rigid quality control before considering emu oil as a complementary therapy. Considerable variability in potency has been demonstrated across commercial oil samples, with little or no correlation between anti-inflammatory activity and color or linolenic acid content of the oil. This variability is a meaningful safety and efficacy consideration because the therapeutic value of any given commercial product may differ substantially from what has been studied in research settings.

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