Drawing Salve Uses

Drawing salve is a treatment derived from a combination of organic and mineral sources that first appeared in18th century England . The main ingredient in black drawing salve is ichthammol, a sticky substance found in slate then blended with various herbs and chemical additives. From its mythical past to its many potential uses, drawing salve is a traditional natural remedy.

18th and 19th Century Uses

• The qualities of drawing salve made it ideal to remove splinters and boils from the skin. Placing it on the affected area and covering it for a period of hours would extract a foreign object or topical infection. This gave drawing salve mythical properties. People in the 18th and 19th centuries then assumed it could draw out harmful elements from the skin and thus became a cure for almost any illness.

Acknowledged Uses

• Drawing salve has a number of practical uses and is still seen as a viable treatment today. It also has anti-inflammatory and antibiotic properties that make it useful for treating minor cuts and abrasions, and it can reduce the effects of insect bites and bee or wasp stings by drawing out any poisons. Salve should be applied to the skin and covered with clean bandages overnight until any splinters, infections or irritants are extracted.

Cancer Treatment

• Black salve is believed by some to be a cure for skin cancers and surface tumors. Individual cancer sufferers have attempted to remove cancerous lesions and masses with the application of black salves consisting of blood root and zinc chloride with mixed results. While no official studies have yet been conducted, there is potential for the treatment, which has successfully removed the cancer in some cases. Some dermatologists like the late Dr. Frederic Mohs, a surgeon at the University of Wisconsin, have used this salve mixture as a form of chemotherapy and part of more extensive overall treatment to remove certain skin cancers.

Alternative Uses

• Drawing salve has many alternative uses across the spectrum of medical disciplines. It is used frequently by veterinarians for the removal of splinters and boils from horses and dogs. Drawing salve is sometimes used by holistic practitioners to treat warts, moles, eye infections, staph infections, impotency and a range of gastrointestinal ailments. The range of potential uses for drawing salve is long, but the scientific proof of its effectiveness is nonexistent. The Food and Drug Administration does not typically sign off on the use of natural remedies and drawing salve is no exception.