Snake Oil

Snake oil is the name for a fraudulent medicinal product, most commonly a mineral oil mixture blended with herbs, spices and other compounds and marketed as a cure-all under the label snake oil liniment, despite containing no snake-derived ingredient at all. Such products were sold widely across the United States from the 18th through the early 20th century, often making exaggerated claims to treat a wide range of ailments, and many formulations also secretly contained addictive substances such as cocaine, amphetamine, alcohol or opium. Snake oil and similar remedies persisted longer in the United States than in Europe because the United States had no federal drug regulation until the Pure Food and Drug Act of 1906, after which the newly created Food and Drug Administration's enforcement against false medical claims led to the decline of the snake oil trade.