So this is fun: actual snake oil (the type made by Chinese railway workers) probably had some medicinal benefits. However, white “doctors” co-opted this for their medicine shows; it contained no snake and was just mineral oil, so this is where the term has its origins.
Maintenance Phase podcast did a great episode on medicine shows.
I believe cod liver oil does have some benefits too. My understanding is that historically one of the primary uses was to stave off rickets, a childhood disease. This actually worked because the oil is high in vitamin D, the thing these kids actually needed.
Technically not snake oil.
Lol and yet, simultaneously, it is snake oil, at least figuratively.
Drinking snake oil would be crazy
Drink cod oil instead
So this is fun: actual snake oil (the type made by Chinese railway workers) probably had some medicinal benefits. However, white “doctors” co-opted this for their medicine shows; it contained no snake and was just mineral oil, so this is where the term has its origins.
Maintenance Phase podcast did a great episode on medicine shows.
I believe cod liver oil does have some benefits too. My understanding is that historically one of the primary uses was to stave off rickets, a childhood disease. This actually worked because the oil is high in vitamin D, the thing these kids actually needed.