Vile Bile
Ambergris is one of the most valuable substances found in nature (about half the price of gold, per gram for an average quality sample).
It is composed of fatty bile produced in the intestinal tract of a whale which is then vomited into the ocean. It is thought to help the whale digest hard things. After a long exposure to sun and salt water it hardens into a sweet-smelling substance which can wash onto shore in small pieces or up to 100 lb. chunks.
Traditionally ambergris has been used in making expensive perfumes, but also medicinally and as a flavoring agent. Today though, its properties can be synthesized in a lab.
Apparently, it is illegal in the United States to buy, sell, or import ambergris, even if you just find some on a beach.
It is composed of fatty bile produced in the intestinal tract of a whale which is then vomited into the ocean. It is thought to help the whale digest hard things. After a long exposure to sun and salt water it hardens into a sweet-smelling substance which can wash onto shore in small pieces or up to 100 lb. chunks.
Traditionally ambergris has been used in making expensive perfumes, but also medicinally and as a flavoring agent. Today though, its properties can be synthesized in a lab.
Apparently, it is illegal in the United States to buy, sell, or import ambergris, even if you just find some on a beach.
