You are being crystal clear. I'm the one making things sound confusing.
The consensus appears to be that they are meant to be eaten. However, I have received different answers when I asked the same question in this forum a couple years ago. Either way, keep in mind that these are rawhide which is known to potentially cause internal blockages.
The biggest danger of these chews: choking and potential blockage. Wylie's Mom, the chief mod here, almost lost one of her dogs to choking on one of these.
If your pup is smart and only swallows small pieces at a time, you probably won't have a problem. Also, I would use the medium size and not the small strips.
My dogs are crazy and try to swallow them in big pieces or whole. You would be surprised what can get into a little throat.
We used Merrick's Texas Toothpicks, which are edible tail pieces with a narrow, soft-ish bone in the middle. Teddy got a piece stuck in his throat. He threw up and something went wrong. His eyes were rolling back and he went limp. I thought he was dying.
With any chew, know your dog's chewing capabilities, supervise closely, and be extra cautious. Some people may think I am overly cautious and a party pooper, but if they had seen little Teddy go limp, they would understand.