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Snake Oil Remedies

The term "snake oil" has become synonymous with a remedy or idea of little or no value that is being passed off as a miracle cure. Historically, many of the cure-alls being peddled as snake oil contained no part of the snake whatsoever; so whether or not they had any benefit had nothing to do with snake oil.

  1. History

    • Snake oil was a real remedy brought from China by immigrants who came to America in the 19th century. Many Chinese immigrants worked on the railroad, and they used their traditional remedies to help ease the aches and pains associated with such hard physical labor. They may have shared with their fellow laborers of all ethnic backgrounds and word spread that snake oil was a good treatment for aches and pains. As word got around, opportunists used the reputation of this remedy to sell their own ointments and liniments, many of which used beef or other grease in place of snake oil.

    Uses

    • Snake oil remedies are meant for arthritis pain, bursitis, muscle soreness, sprains, cuts and other minor skin irritations. Snake oil salesmen, the ones who gave this remedy a bad name, touted their ointments as curing not only these conditions but many others that could not realistically be taken care of by a fatty acid alone. If you need relief from aches and pains, Erabu sea snake oil is a good choice, according to Scientific American. You can also take snake oil as an internal Omega-3 supplement if you want to make sure you are getting the richest source.

      Tests on the rendered fat from Chinese water snake show that it contains 20 percent eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA), which is one of the most readily usable Omega-3 fatty acids. Comparatively, rattlesnake oil, which was sometimes used to emulate the original remedy, only contains 8.5 percent EPA. Salmon is the closest in Omega-3's, containing 18 percent.

    Purchasing

    • Purchase snake oil products online. You can also check with your local health food store to see if they carry this remedy, or can order it for you. Be careful to look for authentic Erabu sea snake oil with a high EPA concentration.

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