What it is castoreum and whether to drink it

In folk medicine, a lot of interesting ingredients that promise a magic cure for all diseases. Castoreum - one of those.

The name sounds strange. Mined Castoreum also very intricate and sometimes dubious methods.

What is castoreum and where it is taken

Note: now it can be frustrating. Castoreum - a dense, oily liquid that is produced in prianalnyh (yes, from the word "ass") glands of the beaver. It has a dark brown color and a distinctive musky odor, thanks to which the beavers mark territory. In scientific terms, this liquid is called castoreum.

Previously, it is actively used during the manufacture of perfumes, added to foods as flavoring. Well and used just like that. For health. Actually, in this way - as a bioactive supplement that promises to improve health, castoreum popular today.

The belief in the healing properties of castoreum is so great that for the sake of his people are actively destroying beavers.

For example, in Sweden, the population of these animals, who had the imprudence to produce under his tail, "the curative flavor", in the XIX century was plagued almost completely.

Although there are already methods to extract castor without killing most of its media (they are practiced on specialized farms), many hunters continue to operate the old fashioned way. Thus, the publication of The Business Insider resultsVanilla-Scented Beaver Butt Secretions Are Used In Food And Perfume word hunter from Northern Ontario, saying that if you ever go on a hunt for wild beavers, remember that sacks with castoreum "easy to pull out with a knife and your fingers." Further, they can be sold - at $ 60-80 per share.

This high cost makes castoreum uneconomical for use as food or cosmetic flavor. But that's for the health of people do not skimp.

How useful castoreum

Fragrant extract mucus from glands prianalnyh beaver is credited with many healing properties. It is proposed to add it to a glass of water: up to 20 drops, if something wants to correct health quickly and actively, and to 5 drops as a preventive drink, "so that nothing hurt."

Among the promised effects of the following:

• strengthening the immune system, especially in the current season of colds;
• soothing properties - for example, to drink castor is recommended for stress and nervousness;
• the state relief from painful monthly among women;
• improving sexual function in men;
• normalization of the state of sleep disorders.

You can continue for a long time. But now - completely pointless. The truth is that evidence-based medicine today recognizesCastoreum (And then only with reservations) only one ability castoreum. Castoreum can actually have a calming effect - that is, to improve self-control and general condition under stress.

But how many drops of castoreum is necessary to add in a glass of water to the drink became a sedative, doctors did not specify. And for those who still can not wait to receive medical treatment in folk medicine, it is recommended to discuss the need for this and possible dose castoreum with the therapist.

With regard to the other properties - such as the ability to relieve menstrual pain or cope with sleep disturbances - the evidence of the effectiveness castoreum still insufficient. Science, of course, is working on this issue, and it may well be that one day we will update this article and said, yes, indeed, castoreum treats! But not right now.

Can castoreum be harmful

In this issue of certainty anymore. Office of the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), as well as the American Association of manufacturers of flavors and extracts (FEMA) sayCastoreum Castoreum drug totally safe. At least, animal studies show that castoreum non-toxic: no ingestion or dermal.

This means that the use of castoreum with high probability will not hurt you. As, however, and the benefits.

The only reservation concerns of pregnant and lactating. Because science is not yet known as castoreum can affect infants, use Castoreum during pregnancy and breastfeeding is not recommended.