Giving Some Truth to the Black Salve Trend

Dermatologists are urging skin cancer patients to stay away from black salve, an herbal paste that can be purchased online and is being purported as a miracle cure for skin cancer.

YouTube is ridden with homemade videos of people attesting to the alleged cancer-curing powers of black salve. The wet tar like substance contains corrosive zinc chloride; sanguinarine, an ammonium salt; and bloodroot, a medicinal plant traditionally used by Native Americans to treat hemorrhoids and sore throats, among other conditions.

Many believe black salve to be a quick and cheap fix for getting rid of skin cancer. Although it can effectively destroy the superficial layer of skin cancer, it can’t target the cancer internally.

According to Mark J. Eliason, MD, a researcher who debunked black salve’s life-saving powers in a recently published study, “There is a misperception that black salve ‘draws the cancer out,’ when, in fact, it just indiscriminately damages anything it touches. One of the reasons black salve treatment is so dangerous is that many users have no idea how harmful it can be.”

For the study, researchers from the Department of Dermatology at the University of Utah interviewed 18 people who reported using black salve. They found that 70 percent didn’t consult with a dermatologist before using the salve. Most users said they used the salve as an alternative to surgery.

“I’ve worked with many patients who have experienced the harmful side effects of black salve use,” said the study’s lead researcher Sarah D. Cipriano, MD. “Although black salve is labeled as a natural product, it is not a safe one. Relying on word-of-mouth, marketing testimonials and Internet searches is dangerous when it comes to your health.”