Black Salve Treatment
Black salve treatment actually is about two different kinds of black salve, used for different skin conditions. Although each salve has been in use for more than 150 years, self-treatment with black salve for skin cancer is controversial, with traditional and alternative medicine on opposite sides of the fence on both its safety and efficacy.
Basics
Two ointments available are referred to as "black salve." The first ointment is today what is touted as an alternative treatment for skin cancer; the second is an ointment referred to as "drawing salve," which contains ichthammol.
Definition
Black salve, an unscientific alternative treatment applied to areas of skin cancer, is classified as an escharotic medication. Escharotic means that the salve induces the formation of eschar, a scab of dead skin most frequently seen after burns or with decubitus ulcers (bedsores). Many products sold under the name "black salve" and that are purported to treat skin cancer contain bloodroot, a perennial flowering plant.
Drawing salve is black due to its chief ingredient, ichthammol.
Uses
Black salve, the topical agent usually containing bloodroot, is used in the self-treatment of skin cancer. For hundreds of years, Native Americans used the sap from the bloodroot plant's roots to self-treat cancer, warts and moles. This black salve is only applied topically.
Drawing salve is used to treat conditions, such as boils, for the removal of slivers under the skin or treatment of festering, pus-filled skin eruptions. Drawing salve is applied to the affected area to draw out the infection as the salve aids the body's natural mechanisms for fighting invading organisms/items.
Considerations
Black salve, the herbal corrosive topical agent being used by some to self-treat skin cancer, is a treatment that meets with two extremes. The traditional medical community eschews the use of this black salve while some in the alternative medical community firmly embrace black salve's use in the self-treatment of skin cancer.
Before making any decisions on which treatment option you should choose for your skin cancer, consult with your health care provider. Additionally, gather information from as many reputable and reliable sources as you can before you make a decision that not only will affect your health and well-being currently but could have long-term effects, too.
Drawing salve should not be used in the treatment of open wounds, by people who have allergies to any of the salve's ingredients or in treatment of a boil or other pustular eruption for more than a few days before consulting a health care provider. The presence of fever indicates a more prevalent infection and warrants seeking medical attention.
Precaution
Some skin cancers are more prone to metastasis, meaning that the cancer can spread within your body. A topical treatment for the skin cancer alone will not treat any cancer that has spread within the body. Only medical testing can ensure whether the cancer has spread beyond what is visible on the skin.
Tags: skin cancer, black salve, Drawing salve, alternative treatment, Black salve, Black Salve Treatment