Oil may be just the salve to save emu industry
By J.T. SMITH
Farm Editor
When emu meat surged in price, a lot of people simply couldn't afford it.
Jim and Penny Ward of Box L Emu Ranch of Abilene realized that raising emus only for their red meat was too risky.
While the meat demand has been up and down with supply and price, the cosmetic and medicinal uses for emu oil have continued to grow steadily.
For Jim and Penny, this is the big market for their flightless birds nowadays. Emus are ratites and are second only to the ostrich in size.
Only recently, their Emuriel trademark line of health and beauty aid products signed a contract with Worldwind International of Denton to provide emu oil products. Worldwind has a network of markets nationwide.
Jim and Penny have been manufacturing their health and beauty products through a cosmetic laboratory in Dallas since October 1995.
They first do their own oil rendering and refining here in Abilene.
A variety of emu oil products
Uses for the emu oil range from cosmetic to medicinal purposes for both humans and animals.
Dr. Joe Bob Stricklin, a respected Abilene veterinarian, has been observing emu oil in his equine practice.
"For about five months now, I have been using emu oil for the treatment of problems in animals," Stricklin reports. "There are definite merits to the action of the oil as I found out for myself."
Beyond horses, Stricklin used the oil on an extremely sore neck at a time when he couldn't turn his head.
He had tried linaments, heat packs and anti-infammatories for a week with no results.
When he was asked to try emu oil - naturally, Stricklin was a bit skeptical. But he had a nothing to lose but pain and stiffness.
"In two days, my neck was back to normal," Stricklin notes. "I decided if it could do that for me, it must be of benefit to animals as well."
Since then, Stricklin has used "Cutter's Pal" on numerous horse injuries and has seen good results.
The veteran DVM suspects that the emu oil's success is probably due to its penetrating action.
Jim Ward says Cutter's Pal performance lotion is 20 percent emu oil in an 8-ounce bottle. Many professional ballplayers are now trying an athletic formulation as a super analgesic, he notes.
Many oils and purposes
Shampoo from emu?
-- The Emuriel Shampoo is 6 percent emu oil that penetrates the scalp to relieve itching and stimulate hair follicles. But it does not leave the hair oily - but rather with a lustrous shine.
-- Emuriel Hand and Body Lotion also is 6 percent emu oil. It is non-greasy but rich in moisture.
-- The Emuriel Analgesic Lotion has the therapeutic effects of emu oil combined with the deep heating action of capsicum. (The capsicum is natural, Jim notes, as it is a derivative from cayenne pepper. Hence, the heat).
-- Pure Emu Oil is Emuriel's 100 percent oil.
With high levels on linolenic acid, the pure emu oil helps relieve muscle and joint pain with its anti-inflammatory properties.
Can relieve burns and insect bites
Pure emu oil can relieve insect bites and help burns heal faster.
Troy Roland of Abilene learned first hand.
"I burned my hand while carrying hot grease outside to the trash," Roland said. "My wife ran to get the Emuriel Emu Oil. The burn was so bad you could see the muscle because all the skin was gone and my had was just white. I poured the (emu) oil over my hand, and within a few minutes, the pain had completely stopped."
Hope Ward, a two time All-American sprinter on the Tarleton State University track team uses Cutter's Pal on her muscles.
"I have used many products to 'warm' muscles and help eliminate muscle pain, but nothing works like Cutter's Pal Performance Lotion," Ward says. "I use it during practices and before each race, then again before bed."
Several other members of the track team also have been using it, she notes.
Verba Hamrick, a Bangs beautician for 36 years, is amazed by emu oil.
"I have not found a product that works on my hands like the Emuriel Lotion product," she says. "For the first time, my hands look presentable and my skin is smooth."
Emuriel Balm is another popular beauty product - especially on the lips as a protective sealant from the hot winds of summer and cold blasts of winter.
You might get the impression emus are God's perfect creatures. But they certainly are not. The curious rascals will attempt to grab anything shiny from buttons to Penny's earrings.
With 300 emus running about at Box L Emu Ranch - if Penny ever forgets - it's just a question of which emu nabs her earring first.
And with pierced ears ... ouch!
The one advantage is that Jim and Penny have plenty of emu oil handy to quickly ease the pain.