"Phosphor [log in to unmask] XXXXXXXXXXXXXXX" wrote:
>
> > There is absolutely nothing from a goanna in "Goanna Oil".
> >
> > The name "Goanna" is simply a brand name.
>
> i didn't say "Goanna Oil." I said goanna oil.
> aborigines, and later whites, extracted oil and used it in bodyrubs for
> aches and pains. Can u guess from where they derived the inspiration for the
> brand name?

My apologies...

This issue has come a puzzling full circle for me.

Back in the 1980s I was involved in a martial arts group that spent a
lot of time doing "special" training. (other sports related exercise,
bush survival stuff, etc.) We went on numerous camps, meeting and
learning from a lot of interesting people.

During this time we all stank of liniment and Goanna oil most of the
time. <grin> The Goanna Oil issue was kind of a constant joke for us. On
one of the camps we went on, our Aboriginal guide (prompted by the
smell!) had a laugh with us about the Goanna Oil issue. He assured us
that although the goanna was "good tucker" there was no "oil" and
nothing from the goanna could be used as a medicine for aches pains and
muscular injuries.

We also met several orthodox and alternative sports/health experts. The
story was always the same. There was no "oil" available for the goanna
useful for rubbing on the body, and Goanna Oil had no real goanna in it.

However, after your reply, I find numerous references on the net to
using goanna oil for rubbing on the body! I am now very confused.

Was all that discussion I had more than 10 years ago wrong, or has the
legend taken on a life?

This only highlights (for me) the difficulty in sorting out just what
people really were eating 50-100,000 years ago.


Jim Walsh
(perplexed)