Snake Oil: A Local Anesthetic

In Chinese traditional medicine i believe they used oil from water snakes. To do just where you're describing to rub some sort of ointment or salve on joints right in the idea of being this would reduce pain from things like arthritis and so on. I think it may have functioned as a local anesthetic perhaps. You know you and i have seen our fair share of serpents in the field we don't really think of them as a resource but what you're pointing out absolutely make sense.