DMSO is liquid dimethylsuloxide. It was discovered by OHSU's Dr. Stanley Jacobs. It is made from plant organic extracts. It has a very unique property in that it will actually penatrate most any organic membrane and some cell tissues, including human skin and the underlying soft connective tissues; and salmon egg sack membranes. It also has the unique property of tissue anti-inflamatory action. Myself and other athletes at Portland State University, close to OHSU, used to get it in the 70's for careful clean topical application on the skin over sprained ankles to significantly speed up the healing time. And it works. Dr. Jacobs has tried for years to get it approved for medicinal use by the FDA. However, since it is so powerful of a penitrant the FDA would not pass it because it will take anything on your skin, or in impure DMSO, right into your blood stream with unknown side effects. None of us guys ever had any significant side effects, that we know about. I used it a lot for years on basketball abused feet and knees. It does tend to irritate and redden the skin. Dr. Jacobs has versions out licensed for experimental use that are in a gel form and also some with pharmacutical anti-inflamatories mixed right in it. He claims the side effects are greater for oral anti-inflamatory use than to have it go thru your skin and soft connective tisses locally on an injured or inflamed area. It is so penatrative that in several minutes after applying it over a sizable skin area you will have the taste of clams in your mouth. (A net search on DMSO will confirm all of the above). It works but the side effect concerns prevent me from using it on my body anymore. It can be found in some variety stores and pharmacies (at least in Oregon) labeled as a solvent with a skin warning, to get around the FDA. I have experimented with distilled water diluted 50% DMSO solutions for egg curing. It will break down oils and fats to a degree. It smells fishy (and taste clammy). I have tried mixing egg cure powder and pouring it over eggs (90% solution will destroy the egg sack membranes). I'm in the early stages of this experiment. Some of the eggs got gooey. Some have caught fish. I think it may have great potential in combination with other ingredients and mediums, for it's dispertion, scent, and curing factors. I just don't have enough time to be on the water properly testing it. That's why I would like Marty and St.1 to experiment and river test it for me (using rubber gloves!). Perhaps using it in place of alcohol in St.1's formula could be interesting! Stay tuned. - RT