Chinese New Year of the Snake 2025

A little reptile trivia in celebration of the Year of the Snake!

In the 19th Century, America and Europe saw the rise of patent ‘cure-all’ medicines, touted by vendors at medicine shows. The trope of the snake oil salesman, depicted in Western films, was born from this. But bottled snake oil was actually a thing! Extracted by boiling rattlesnakes and skimming off the oil, this ointment was little more than a placebo and, in an attempt to increase profit, ingredients were substituted with mineral oil, turpentine and other random contaminants. Admittedly, fewer snakes were harmed (hurrah!), but the resultant product bore no hint of the reptile-related oil as advertised on the bottle. Hence, snake oil became a term to describe deceptive marketing or a scam, and a confidence trickster delivering such a scam was known as a snake oil salesman.

It’s believed that rattlesnake oil was inspired by a more legitimate medicine, however. In the 1800s, Chinese labourers were sent to the US to work on the Transcontinental Railroad (an estimated 20,000 of them). They brought with them a centuries-old Traditional Chinese Medicine used to treat joint pain – oil derived from Chinese water-snakes. This medicine was reported to be an effective anti-inflammatory, possibly due to its unusually high quantities of omega 3 fatty acids, as was later discovered. Word got around about this wonder drug, so creating a demand for snake oil and prompting many a cunning marketeer to try and replicate it by any means.

January 29th 2025 begins the Chinese New Year of the Snake – a symbol of transformation. If you were born in 1953, 1965, 1977, 1989, 2001, 2013, it’s likely you are a Snake. This is your year. Use it wisely for change and personal growth. Look out for opportunities but, please … BEWARE of the snake oil salesmen!

Kung Hei Fat Choi
Wishing you health and prosperity in the year of the Ssssssssnake!
Mo & Dave