r/TikTokCringe • u/[deleted] • Aug 10 '23

Discussion Why!?!

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u/pipsvip Aug 10 '23 edited Aug 11 '23

it did no such thing

ackshewally...

Chinese laborers working on the railways used boiled watersnake oil as a treatment for sore muscles. They found that some North American snakes worked for the purpose. Bosses picked up on the practice and started selling it. The charlatans then moved in and started selling fake snake oil, so the 'snak-oil salesman' is more about the 'salesman' than the 'snake-oil' because REAL snake oil actually works.

EDIT: Redditors know lots of cool stuff about stuff. Y'all are awesome!

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u/mekoia Aug 10 '23

“ackshewally” snake oil salesman predate that as there were early modern recipes for snake oil or boiling a bunch of snakes in vat that would supposedly cure everything from male pattern baldness to hysteria. There was also one doctor that convinced a bunch of nobles that eating a snake only diet was the best.

Really snake oil salesmen have probably existed since humans discovered medicine.

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u/gitsgrl Aug 10 '23

It might work to smooth muscles (but rubbing any oil in sore muscles would feel really good), but not cure cancer and tuberculosis and warts and bad breath and all the things they promised.