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Shark liver oil
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Shark liver oil is obtained from sharks caught for food purposes only, living in cold, deep oceans. The liver oil from sharks has been used by fishermen for centuries as a folk remedy for general debility, for healing wounds, sores, irritations of the respiratory tract and the alimentary canal and for lymph node swelling.
It has also been used as a means of weather prediction on the islands of Bermuda for many centuries. See Bermuda Traditions & Their Sources
It is one of the ingredients used in hemorrhoid creams such as Preparation H.
Shark liver oil is rich in alkylglycerols, which are naturally found in mother's milk and in bone marrow. It also contains pristane, squalene, vitamins A and D, omega-3 fatty acids, triglycerides, glycerol ethers, and fatty alcohols.
Shark Oil Barometers
Bermudians rely on unique, shark-oil based "barometers" to predict storms and other severe weather, even with electronic meteorological facilities available. Once, local St. David's Islanders cooked shark in its own liver oil. After being melted down in the hot sun, it was poured into any soda (carbonated beverage) bottle and hung outside. The appearance of the oil altered consistently with changes in the weather. From that time on, bottles of shark oil began appearing on walls or terraces.
Local practitioners of the art today say a reliable way of knowing what the weather is going to be like is to secure them with string, hang them up, then read how the shark oil settles or remains cloudy. Some old timers still check shark oil before going into deep waters. There are dozens of theories on why shark oil changes with the climate and whether it really is effective. The only one that seems to fit is that electrical changes in the atmosphere affect the shark's liver and alert the shark to move out to deeper water before a bad storm. The oil retains this function when removed, and the change is visible, the oil switching from a clear golden color like cooking oil to milky white.
Shark oil is common in many countries with sea access and so are soda bottles and shark oil barometers, so there is no need to export them from Bermuda (Source Bermuda Online)