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Cetyl myristoleate, an oil, is
the hexadecyl ester of the unsaturated fatty acid cis-9-tetradecenoic acid. The common
name for the acid is myristoleic acid. Myristoleic acid is found commonly in fish oils,
whale oils, dairy butter, and kombo butter. The chemical formula for cetyl myristoleate is
(Z)-ROCO(CH2)7CH=CH(CH2)3CH3. Cetyl myristoleate was unrecorded in chemical literature until Dr. Diehl's
discovery was reported.
Research
Dr. Diehl, retired after 40 years of service at the National Institutes
of Health in the laboratory of Chemistry of the National Institute of Arthritis,
Metabolic, and Digestive Diseases, was lead to discovery of cetyl myristoleate through his
concern of a neighbor's pain and disability from arthritis in 1953. Dr. Diehl pursued the
scientific fact that mice do not get arthritis and discovered cetyl myristoleate through
his experimentation. After numerous experiments, reactions and purifications, the immunity
factor was identified as cetyl myristoleate through gas chromatography and mass
spectrophotometry. Dr. Diehl later discovered that cetyl myristoleate also occurs
naturally in male beavers and sperm whale oil.
Next Dr. Diehl worked with a colleague to develop a scientific paper on
cetyl myristoleate which was published in the Journal of Pharmaceutical Sciences (vol. 83,
no. 3, Mar. 1994 pp. 296-299). This paper reports that ten normal mice were injected in
the tail with Freund's adjuvant (an arthritis-producing material). In a period of 10-20
days, no swelling was detected as determined by comparison of measurements of paws at the
time of injection. These attempts to introduce arthritis to mice failed. Next, a group of
rats were injected with cetyl myristoleate and 48 hours later were given Freund's
adjuvant. A control group of rats was given Freund's adjuvant only. Both groups were
observed for a total of 58 days with respect to weight change, hind and front leg
swelling, and general well-being. All rats receiving Freund's adjuvant only developed
severe swelling of the front and hind legs, lagged in weight gain, and were lethargic and
morbid. Those receiving cetyl myristoleate before receiving Freund's adjuvant grew an
average of 5.7 times as much and had little if any evidence of swelling or other symptoms
of polyarthritis. The authors concluded that is was apparent that cetyl myristoleate gave
virtually complete protection against adjuvant-induced arthritis in rats.
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Safety
A nationally certified testing laboratory tested Myristin® in accordance with federal regulations. Myristin® was administered to a group of test
animals to evaluate its toxicity in accordance with federal requirements as listed in 16
CFR 1500.3. A single oral dose of 5 grams per kilogram of body weight was given and the
animals were observed for 14 days thereafter. Any and all behavioral/clinical
abnormalities would have been observed and recorded, but none were noted. All animals
appeared normal throughout the study period and no fatalities occurred.
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Manufacturing
While cetyl myristoleate is a naturally occurring material found in
mice, beavers, and sperm whale oil, no animals are used in it's manufacture. Myristin® is made in the United States
using purified, synthetically produced ingredients. Whales, mice, or beavers are in no way
involved in the production of Myristin®.
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