Where did “snake oil” originate?
Robert Tignor
Independence, Missouri
“Snake oil” comes from 19th-century Chinese railroad workers who used medicine made from the Chinese water snake. The stuff worked; rich in Omega-3 fatty acids, it effectively treated conditions such as arthritis and bursitis. Americans were amazed by its healing powers.
The term took on a new meaning when phony patent medicines promised to cure every disease known to man. Made up of mostly alcohol, this snake oil

True West May/June 2025
In This Issue:
Features
- Historic Hotels of the American West
- A Journey Through Wyoming’s Outlaw History
- A Journey Through Washington’s Wild Frontier
- Blazing The Oregon Trail
- Journey Through Time
- Did Brigham Young Order a Massacre?
- Mountain Meadows Scapegoat John D. Lee VS. A Firing Squad
- Mormons in the Movies
- An Indigenous Consultant Ensures Accuracy
- The Battle Axe And A Raw Deal
- Showdown: Bridger VS. Brigham
- The Mountain Man and the Mormon Moses
- The Ghosts of Mountain Meadows
- The War Before the War
- Mountain Meadows