Black salve explained

Black salve should not be confused with black ointment.

Black salve
Risks:Necrosis, scarring, delayed treatment, ulcers
Legality:Illegal to market for cancer treatment in most of the world

Black salve, also known by the brand name Cansema, is an ineffective and unsafe alternative cancer treatment. The product is commonly classified as an escharotic—a topical paste which destroys skin tissue and leaves behind a scar called an eschar.[1] Escharotics were widely used to treat skin lesions in the early 1900s, but have since been replaced by safer and more effective treatments.[2] Escharotics, such as black salves, are currently advertised by some alternative medicine marketers as treatments for skin cancer, often with unsubstantiated testimonials and unsupported claims of effectiveness.[3]

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has listed Cansema as a "fake cancer cure" and warns consumers to avoid it.

Usages and dangers

Cancer salves were first utilized during the Victorian period. As the medical profession started to gain better understanding, many home remedies, black salve as one example started to be criticized by medical professionals. An example of this is documented and labeled as a form of quackery in a 1955 Time magazine article:[4]

They are not recommended as treatments for skin lesions or skin cancer by medical authorities, but are marketed as such by some alternative medicine practitioners.[5] Use of escharotics, particularly when used instead of proven treatments, can be dangerous. The escharotic may not remove all of the cancerous cells, and frequently removes healthy tissue. Practitioners who use or sell escharotics frequently provide testimonials, in place of scientific evidence, to convince others of effectiveness and safety which does not exist. Safer and more effective treatments exist for skin cancers, such as: cryotherapy; topical agents such as imiquimod, fluorouracil and ingenol mebutate; radiation therapy; and surgical excision, including Mohs surgery (microscopically controlled surgery used to remove and test cancerous tissue).

Escharotics can cause serious scarring and damage to normal skin. Their manufacture is largely unregulated, so the strength and purity of marketed products are unknown and unverified. Numerous reports in the medical literature describe serious consequences of using escharotics in place of standard treatments for skin cancer, ranging from disfigurement to preventable cancer recurrences.[6] [7] The website Quackwatch warned against the use of escharotics in 2008, with a collection of sourced documents compiling issues of patient injury from their use.[8] A more recent study revealed that many individuals who have used black salve were unaware of its potential dangers.[9] In 2016, the American Academy of Dermatology urged patients to consult a dermatologist before using home remedies for skin cancers.[10]

It was reported in 2018 that the use of black salve had been expanded to include pets. In a Facebook group, people described the use of black salve on cats, dogs and horses.[11]

In 2018, black salve was strongly linked to the death of Helen Lawson in Australia. Lawson covered her abdomen in black salve under the direction of Dennis Wayne Jensen, a self-proclaimed healer, who advised her that it would draw out her ovarian cancer. The black salve left Lawson with a mass of wounds on her abdomen, which became so large within a few weeks that surgeons could not operate on it. Lawson's sister-in-law described the wounds as extending from "above her pubic bone, all across her abdomen almost up to her rib cage", and as "raw, mutilated bubbling flesh". Lawson died in April 2018.[12]

In 2019, Jensen was issued a prohibition order by the Health Complaints Commissioner of Victoria, forbidding him permanently from providing substances which "he (or anyone else) claims can cure or treat cancer or other serious disease or illness".[13] This includes black salve.

Ingredients

Common ingredients of black salves include zinc chloride, chaparral (also known as creosote bush),[14] and often bloodroot, a plant frequently used in herbal medicine.[15] The extract of bloodroot is called sanguinarine, a quaternary benzophenanthridine alkaloid which attacks and destroys living tissue and is also classified as an escharotic.[16]

Regulation

Australia

The Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA) of Australia is advising consumers against purchasing or using black salve, red salve or Cansema products.[17] The TGA has found the Australian Vaccination-Skeptics Network (AVN) in breach of advertising regulations,[18] and in a separate finding the AVN's former president Meryl Dorey together with Leon Pittard of Fair Dinkum Radio were found to be in breach.[19]

United States

Cansema is listed by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) as one of 187 fake cancer cures.[20] Cansema continues to be marketed by numerous individuals, as evidenced by recent FDA Warning Letters.[21] The FDA has taken enforcement action against illegal marketing of Cansema as a cancer cure, as in the 2004 arrest and conviction of Greg Caton.[22]

The FDA has taken an active role in the banning of these chemicals for use as a cancer cure.[23] Typical warning letters detail the dangers of this product while also admonishing the purveyors of their obligation to comply with federal law.[24] Summaries of recent letters are cataloged on the FDA website.[25]

See also

Further reading

External links

Notes and References

  1. Jellinek N, Maloney ME . Escharotic and other botanical agents for the treatment of skin cancer: a review . J. Am. Acad. Dermatol. . 53 . 3 . 487–95 . September 2005 . 16112359 . 10.1016/j.jaad.2005.04.090 .
  2. Web site: Staff . Mayo Clinic . Mohs Surgery . Mayo Clinic Patient Information MY01304 . Mayo Clinic Website . June 30, 2010 . January 4, 2012.
  3. Web site: Ngan . Vanessa . Escharotic agents . DermNet NZ . New Zealand Dermatological Society . December 21, 2009 . January 1, 2010 . https://web.archive.org/web/20130412132536/http://www.dermnet.org.nz/treatments/escharotics.html . April 12, 2013 . dead .
  4. Cancer Quacks . Time. February 28, 1955 . October 21, 2014.
  5. McDaniel S, Goldman GD . Consequences of using escharotic agents as primary treatment for nonmelanoma skin cancer . Arch Dermatol . 138 . 12 . 1593–6 . December 2002 . 12472348 . 10.1001/archderm.138.12.1593.
  6. Affleck AG, Varma S . A case of do-it-yourself Mohs' surgery using bloodroot obtained from the internet . Br. J. Dermatol. . 157 . 5 . 1078–9 . November 2007 . 17854372 . 10.1111/j.1365-2133.2007.08180.x . 32304839 .
  7. Osswald SS, Elston DM, Farley MF, Alberti JG, Cordero SC, Kalasinsky VF . Self-treatment of a basal cell carcinoma with 'black and yellow salve' . J. Am. Acad. Dermatol. . 53 . 3 . 509–11 . September 2005 . 16112364 . 10.1016/j.jaad.2005.04.007 .
  8. Web site: Barrett . Stephen . Stephen Barrett . Don't Use Corrosive Cancer Salves (Escharotics) . Quackwatch . December 22, 2008 . December 21, 2009.
  9. Clark JJ, Woodcock A, Cipriano SD, Hyde MA, Edwards SL, Frost CJ, Eliason MJ . Community perceptions about the use of black salve . Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology . 74 . 5 . 1021–1023 . May 2016 . 10.1016/j.jaad.2015.10.016 . 27085238 . free .
  10. Web site: American Academy of Dermatology . Beware of black salve . [Press Release] . May 11, 2016 . October 19, 2016.
  11. Web site: McAfee . David . These People Are Killing Their Pets With 'Black Salve' Fake Cancer Cure . Patheos . July 24, 2018 . July 24, 2018.
  12. Web site: She was a nurse. So why did Helen shun conventional cancer treatment?. Dow. Aisha. May 21, 2018 . The Age. en. May 27, 2018.
  13. Web site: January 22, 2019 . Prohibition Order Dennis Wayne Jensen 18 January 2019. December 30, 2020 . Health Complaints Commissioner. en.
  14. http://www.hc-sc.gc.ca/ahc-asc/media/advisories-avis/_2005/2005_135-eng.php Health Canada warns consumers not to take products containing chaparral
  15. Web site: Kettering . Sloan . Herbal Database – Bloodroot . MSKCC . April 12, 1998 . June 10, 2010.
  16. Croaker. Andrew. King. Grahm J.. Pyne. Jonh H.. Anoopkumar-Dukie. Shailendra. Simanek. Vilim. Liu. Lei. 2017. Carcinogenic potential of sanguinarine, a phytochemical used in 'therapeutic' black salve and mouthwash. Mutation Research/Reviews in Mutation Research. 774. 46–56. 10.1016/j.mrrev.2017.09.001. 29173498. free. 10072/408304. free.
  17. Web site: Black and red salves in treating cancer. March 19, 2012. (Australian) Therapeutic Goods Administration. March 13, 2013. July 3, 2014. https://web.archive.org/web/20140703025823/http://tga.gov.au/safety/alerts-medicine-black-salve-120203.htm. dead.
  18. Web site: Complaint against AVN over black salve advertising. August 16, 2012. (Australian) Therapeutic Goods Administration Complaints Resolution Panel. https://web.archive.org/web/20160513090950/https://www.docdroid.net/hCtfiFN/tgacrp-com-au.rtf.html. May 13, 2016. dead. March 13, 2013. mdy-all.
  19. Web site: Complaint against Meryl Dorey and Leon Pittard over black salve advertising. August 16, 2012. "(Australian) Therapeutic Goods Administraction Complaints Resolution Panel. https://web.archive.org/web/20160514065345/https://www.docdroid.net/bDAXUg2/tgacrp-com-au-2.rtf.html. May 14, 2016. dead. March 13, 2013. mdy-all.
  20. Web site: 187 Fake Cancer 'Cures' Consumers Should Avoid . . July 7, 2009 . December 21, 2009 . https://web.archive.org/web/20170723111430/https://www.fda.gov/Drugs/GuidanceComplianceRegulatoryInformation/EnforcementActivitiesbyFDA/ucm171057.htm . July 23, 2017 . dead.
  21. Web site: Rodriguez Jr. . Reynaldo R. . Hampton, Burt 20-May-08 . Food and Drug Administration . May 20, 2008 . January 1, 2010.
  22. Web site: Chapter 6: Office of Criminal Investigations – Fiscal Year 2004 . Food and Drug Administration . April 6, 2006 . January 1, 2010.
  23. Web site: FDA Warns Against Internet Sales of Fake Cancer Cures . Health News . June 20, 2008 . February 15, 2010 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20081025100706/http://www.healthnews.com/alerts-outbreaks/fda-warns-against-internet-sales-fake-cancer-cures-1257.html . October 25, 2008 . mdy-all .
  24. Web site: Warning Letter to Black Salve Seller . Food and Drug Administration Letter . May 20, 2008 . February 15, 2010.
  25. Web site: FDA Fake Cancer Cure Warning Letters . FDA . 2008 . February 15, 2010.