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Octanol, a naturally occurring 8-carbon alcohol approved by the FDA as a food additive, has been shown to inhibit calcium channels on inferior-olive neurons in the medulla, thereby reducing these neurons' synchronized intrinsic oscillations and reducing drug-induced tremor in a rat model. Ethanol has similar effects on drug-induced tremor and is known to reduce essential familial tremor (EFT) in humans. In a randomized, placebo-controlled trial, Bushara and colleagues showed that a single 1-mg/kg oral dose of 1-octanol decreased tremor amplitude for up to 90 minutes in 12 patients with EFT without resulting in serious side effects or signs of intoxication (Neurology 2004; 62:122). Now, the same group reports the results of an open-label, do…