Can emu oil ameliorate inflammatory disorders affecting the gastrointestinal system?

Abstract

Emu oil possesses significant anti-inflammatory properties in vivo, primarily when applied topically. However, to date, the evidence supporting its therapeutic application has been largely anecdotal, and significant batch-tobatch variations in potency have been reported. Nevertheless, the anti-inflammatory properties of emu oil suggest therapeutic promise for the adjunctive treatment of a range of disparate gastrointestinal diseases and disorders characterised by inflammatory processes. These include the idiopathic condition inflammatory bowel disease, chemotherapy-induced mucositis, non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug enteropathy and the various infective enteritides (i.e. fungal, bacterial and viral gastroenteritis). Although rigorous scientific investigations are in their infancy, the evidence for emu oil efficacy in extra-intestinal disorders, supported by limited in vivo investigations of other naturally sourced oils, identifies emu oil as a possible adjunct to conventional treatment approaches for inflammatory disorders affecting the gastrointestinal system.