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.
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.