Black salve, also known as drawing salve, is a corrosive herbal paste that's applied to the skin over tumors, skin tags, moles and infections. It has also been applied on the skin over internal tumor sites to “draw out” the cancer.
Black salve was created by Native Americans to "draw out" infections from the body. The original black salve included the herb bloodroot (Sanguinaria canadensis) and crushed ash, however, there are now many variations on the original recipe. Other common ingredients include chaparral (Larrea tridentata), DMSO (dimethyl sulfoxide), chickweed (Stellaria media), Indian tobacco (Lobelia inflata), comfrey (Symphytum officinale), myrrh (Commiphora myrrha), marshmallow (Althaea officinalis), mullein (Verbascum thapsus), zinc, and Sodom's apple (Solanum sodomaeum).
Although black salves are widely available on the Internet, there is no scientific evidence showing that it's safe or effective. There is also no evidence that it can "draw out" cancer cells or infection. Possible side effects of using black salve include incomplete removal of the tumor, severe scarring, and the destruction of surrounding tissue.
