A Brief Story on the Discovery of CM8 (Cetyl Myristoleate)

CM8™ (Cetyl Myristoleate) was discovered during a two-year period from 1962 to 1964 by Mr. Harry W. Diehl while on a personal quest to find a cure for arthritis. Mr. Diehl was a research chemist working in sugar metabolism at the National Institutes for Health in Bethesda, Maryland. In 1953 he became concernerned about a neighbor’s pain and disability from rheumatoid arthritis. Mr. Diehl pursued the scientific fact that mice are immune to arthritis and discovered cetyl myristoleate through his exhaustive investigations and analysis. As he put it, "My discovery of cetyl myristoleate was a lot of hard work....."

Diehl’s research on cetyl myristoleate was published in the March 1994 issue of the American Journal of Pharmaceutical Sciences, the prestigious peer review journal of the American Pharmaceutical Association and the American Chemical Society. Mr. Diehl received three U.S. Patents for “use” on cetyl myristoleate, the first in 1977 on cetyl myristoleate, the second in 1978 for the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis, and then in 1996 for the treatment on osteo-arthritis. After receiving his first “use” patent, Mr. Diehl immediately approached the pharmaceutical industry with his amazing discovery. Unfortunately, none of the pharmaceutical companies were interested in his discovery, probably because cetyl myristoleate was a natural substance and could not be granted a “product” patent, which meant that there would not be any exclusivity and they couldn’t make billions of dollars. Being a scientist and not a marketing person, Mr. Diehl knew of no other way to bring Cetyl Myristoleate to the public, and consequently his discovery sat on the shelf collecting dust until 1991 when he, himself, developed arthritis.

As Diehl got older, he began to experience some osteoarthritis in his hands, knees, and the heels of his feet. His family physician tried the usual regimen of cortisone and non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs without much effect on the course of the disease. Finally his physician told Harry he could not have any more cortisone.  "So," Diehl said, "I thought about my discovery, and I decided to make a batch and use it on myself. " He did, and the symptoms of osteo-arthritis disappeared. Many of his family members and friends became aware of the relief Diehl got from his discovery, and they wanted to try it, too. Time after time, people with both rheumatioid and osteo-arthritis received astounding relief with cetyl myristoleate. Before long, family members and friends grew into customers, and cetyl myristoleate appeared on the market as a dietary supplement in 1991.

Harry Weldon Diehl died after a short illness in Charlottesville, Virginia on December 22, 1999 at the age of 89. In life, Harry Diehl was a tower of strength. He has left behind a legacy of hope.