In the 19th century, Chinese railroad laborers brought a host of traditional medicines to our shores, among which was the oil of the Chinese water snake to treat inflammation and arthritis. An American, Clark Stanley, commercialized the concept of boiling rattlesnakes and skimming the fat off the top. It proved to be a lucrative business, likely because it worked. The fatty oil was rich in omega-3 fatty acids, which we now know have a powerful anti-inflammatory effect. By the late 1800s, the newly self-proclaimed “rattlesnake king” popularized his remedy by putting on medicine shows in which he would kill a live snake to prove the product authentic. But demand, greed, and copycats resulted in products with little or no snake oil. The US government, emboldened by the 1906 Food and Drug Act, found Stanley’s cure-all to be useless, popularizing the term “snake oil salesman” as a synonym for quackery. Today, we continue to see companies promising single products that can cure diverse, complex illnesses, and using testimonials and anecdotes rather than scientific proof. Social media often serves as a platform for modern day, virtual medicine shows, which has resulted in a multi-billion dollar industry. It’s led by charismatic, fast-talking, influencers whose health recommendations are followed by nearly half of the adults in this country. On this episode, we talk about contemporary snake oil and more.