Skunk oil
Skunk oil (also referred to as "skunk grease") is an oil that is obtained from the two lateral glands that run the length of a skunk's back. Skunks store fat in these glands for use during hibernation or semi-hibernation in warmer climates. Skunk oil has minimal odor.[1]
Uses
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Skunk oil was, according to later recounts, a not uncommon remedy used by frontiersmen in parts of the northern USA in the late 19th century. It was used against severe colds by rubbing it on the chest in combination with the ingestion of warm herbal teas.[2]
Skunk oil was used by the Native Americans as a healing balm or liniment. When rendered from the glands over a low heat, it has the consistency of an SAE10 motor oil and the feel of coal oil when applied to the skin. It gives a warming sensation as a mild liniment would. The early explorers and fur buyers, especially in Canada, found that the oil was a very useful addition to their medical kits and paid the natives a premium price for it.
Natives of the Micmac tribe of Nova Scotia, Canada, reportedly mixed skunk oil with oil from the red squirrel to produce an ingestible concoction that induces vomiting and relieves whooping cough.[3]
It is also used in the United States as a way for deer hunters to mask their human odor while hunting.
Production
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Around 1900, the state of Maine produced about 25,000 gallons of the oil annually which sold for about $4/gallon.[4][5]
See also
References
- ^ Archer, Britt. "What is Skunk Oil?". wise-geek.com. Wisegeek. Archived from the original on 10 October 2021. Retrieved 10 October 2021.
- ^ Davis, LeRoy G. (1938). "Frontier Home Remedies and Sanitation". Minnesota History. 19 (4): 369–376. ISSN 0026-5497.
- ^ Wallis, Wilson D. (1922). "Medicines Used by the Micmac Indians". American Anthropologist. 24 (1): 24–30. ISSN 0002-7294.
- ^ Fur Trade Review. Vol. 25. 1897. p. 517. ISBN 978-1247969480.
- ^ Fox, Irving P. (1905). The Spatula. Vol. 12. p. 32. ISBN 978-1130517866.