Snake oil was originally a genuine Chinese anti-inflammatory remedy

Evidence

It appears, however, that the original fascination with snake oil followed from the arrival of the Chinese railroad workers in the 1800s, who had brought with them snake oil. The remedy was made from the oil of the Chinese water snake, which was rich in omega-3 acids and reduced inflammation of the joints. Eventually, the remedy would be shared with Americans, but with the lack of Chinese water snakes in the U.S., many wondered how they would be able to create their own version. Ultimately, Clark Stanley touted the healing power of the rattlesnake, without reference to the original Chinese snake oil. — Tim Wu, The Attention Merchants, 1170

Categorization

• CANDY: A genuinely fun, tweetable fact: snake oil was a real, effective Chinese medicine before it became a byword for fraud.
• XREF: connects to: Snake Oil was literally mineral oil, beef fat, and spices mislabeled as a cure — Tim Wu, The Attention Merchants, 119; Early snake oil sellers invented mythologized origin stories to lend products credibility — Tim Wu, The Attention Merchants, 87

Broader Connections

• Snake Oil was literally mineral oil, beef fat, and spices mislabeled as a cure #contradicts (0.90) — Tim Wu, The Attention Merchants, 119
• Early snake oil sellers invented mythologized origin stories to lend products credibility #expands (0.75) — Tim Wu, The Attention Merchants, 87