ON SNAKE OIL: Snake oil originally came from China where it had a long history of use for inflammation and pain in rheumatoid arthritis, bursitis, etc. by rubbing on the skin. Chinese laborers brought it to the US for treating the pains from building the railroads and then gave it to Europeans. US Patent medicine promoters ridiculed the claim and it has had the stigma ever since. But in 1989, a sample of oil from the Chinese water snake obtained from San Francisco's Chinatown was analyzed and found to be composed of over 20% of the omega 3 derivative, eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA). EPAs are absorbed through the skin and are the parent of the series 3 prostaglandins which inhibit the production of pro-inflammatory series 2 prostaglandins. At 20% EPA, Chinese water snake oil is therefore the richest known source of EPA!
from the book, FATS THAT HEAL, FATS THAT KILL, by Udo Erasmus, 1986, 1993; Alive Books, Burnaby BC, Canada ISBN 0-920470-38-6 (pbk). Probably the best in depth overview of the healthy fat issue (the omega 3, 6 balance) in print (VERY well referenced). Dr. Erasmus is the developer of the famous oil supplement "Udo's Choice" and "the Missing Link" -- The silver-list is a moderated forum for discussion of colloidal silver. To join or quit silver-list or silver-digest send an e-mail message to: [email protected] -or- [email protected] with the word subscribe or unsubscribe in the SUBJECT line. To post, address your message to: [email protected] Silver-list archive: http://escribe.com/health/thesilverlist/index.html List maintainer: Mike Devour <[email protected]>
