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How Is Snake Oil Produced?

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Mister Pig

Pigamus Maximus
I have read a lot about snake oil here on AK, but don't know how its actually made. Do you have to squeeze a snake in a press to get the oil? Like an olive? Is there a distillation and extraction process, like essential oils? Do you have to wring the snake by hand to get oil? Perhaps you drill for it, like crude oil. I am just not sure.

Also, how do you know you have authentic snake oil. There could be counterfeit stuff made from earthworms. I bet you have to pay good money to have ahthdntuc and high quality snake oil....

Regards
Mister Pig
 
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I don't know but please don't ask about baby oil, OK? :-O

In seriousness, snake oil was one of those many "patent medicines" that were widely sold - and used - prior to the Pure Food and Drug Act of 1906 and the Harrison Drug Act of 1914. Even large pharmaceutical companies (and I won't mention names, because one of them is an erstwhile employer of mine!) were in that business prior to the 20th Century. There were all sorts of odd things sold as medicinals -- some were benign, some were laced with narcotics (i.e., opiates, in that day and age), and some were downright dangerous.

413px-Snake_oil.jpg


Had I to guess -- yes, the oil was expressed from snakes under pressure -- I don't think snake oil was typically venomous.
 
Pig I would like to know also since I have never had any hands on expireanc with that type of oil.

It seems to go hand in had with large monetary investment but to me that doesn't make sense.
 
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Although it's very likely that most "snake oil" sold in the 1800s contained nothing related to snakes, the name originally comes from oil from snakes brought over from China by the Chinese laborers who built much of the railroads.

So, originally it had some actual benefit but was later reduced to fraudulent claims and did nothing. Kind of like cable elevators and the Tice Clock.:D

Happy trails,
Larry B.
 
mhardy6647 said:
I don't know but please don't ask about baby oil, OK? :-O

In seriousness, snake oil was one of those many "patent medicines" that were widely sold - and used - prior to the Pure Food and Drug Act of 1906 and the Harrison Drug Act of 1914. Even large pharmaceutical companies (and I won't mention names, because one of them is an erstwhile employer of mine!) were in that business prior to the 20th Century. There were all sorts of odd things sold as medicinals -- some were benign, some were laced with narcotics (i.e., opiates, in that day and age), and some were downright dangerous.

413px-Snake_oil.jpg


Had I to guess -- yes, the oil was expressed from snakes under pressure -- I don't think snake oil was typically venomous.
Click to expand...

I have the feeling I will be seeing this jpeg again...

"Is good for everything a liniment ought to be good for". Pretty hard to argue with that!
 
That's a stupid question, the answer is obvious, it's oil with snakes in it, DUH?!
 
Snake oil is produced primarily in the human brain when one jumps to an immediate conclusion that because they cannot afford something it is not worth the asking price.

Sent from my ZTE Olympia
 
Not an actual snake extraction, it's half truth, half balderdash, and the rest is simply half-subjective. It's sort of like a mix of Yoda and Yogi.
 
RamblinE said:
Snake oil is produced primarily in the human brain when one jumps to an immediate conclusion that because they cannot afford something it is not worth the asking price.

Sent from my ZTE Olympia
Click to expand...

I thought it had to do with a monetary investment.
 
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Snake oil production is proprietary and a highly guarded secret. I can sell you some of my stash if you are seeking. I can only take cash of course.
 
I think that you have to vigorously rub 2 or more snakes together for an indefinite amount of time before they will start to produce oil. It can be fairly dangerous if the snakes object to this handling. Don't try this at home.

Cheers,
James
 
Legend has it that snake oil is produced by a bored, churlish, swine-like troll who lives in isolation somewhere in the Pacific northwest.
 
Nobody with a worthwhile opinion ever describes anything as "snake oil".

Sent from my ZTE Olympia
 
kirk57 said:
"Is good for everything a liniment ought to be good for". Pretty hard to argue with that!
Click to expand...

I believe that you've found the answer to: "Also, how do you know you have authentic snake oil." I have to doubt that earthworm snake-oil would have this fine attribute. It would probably only do 1/4 of "everything a liniment ought to be good for". For instance, I doubt that earthworm snake-oil would be a good treatment for dried out cloth surrounds. But real snake-oil? Oh yeah.

Cheers,
James
 
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