Q: How do I apply black salve and what should I expect to happen?
A: Please see the section titled "Directions" on this site.

Q: What herbs should be in a good black salve?
A: An effective black salve should have Bloodroot, Burdock Root, Graviola, and Chaparral. You may also find Red Clover and DMSO in some salves. Salves with pine tar and bees wax mixed with one or two herbs are not designed for skin cancers but rather for drawing out splinters, boils, etc.".

Q: What is DMSO?
A: The initials DMSO stand for Dimethyl sulfoxide. DMSO is a by product of paper manufacturing and is used to deliver medications and supplements to their intended target cells more rapidly. DMSO used in salves is intended to "carry" the herbal compound deeper into the tissue to the affected area or tumor.

Q: Can I put the salves on my face?
A: Yes you can but remember that there will be some scarring from it. Never put the salve on or around the eyes or inside the nose.

Q: Can I treat more than one spot at a time?
A: Typically you should only put either black or bloodroot salve on one spot at a time to let the immune system focus on that area. If you are treating skin tags or warts in the same general area then you may work on 2-3 at a time.

Q: How large of an area can I apply the salve to?
A: You should not put the salve on an area larger than one square inch. Effective salves have zinc chloride in them which will burn and cause a lot of pain if applied to too large an area. You can always re-apply the salve to the next section of an affected area once the initially treated area heals.

Q: How long should I keep the salve on before I know if it is working?
A: The applied area will start to tingle shortly afterwards -- anywhere between 5 minutes to 6 hours after the initial application.

Q: What if I do not feel anything from the black salve?
A: If you feel "nothing" after three to six hours, it is most likely that nothing more will happen: Black salve has failed to come into direct contact with the cancer or there is no cancer present.

Q: Will it hurt when I apply the salve?
A: In some cases, there is a burning sensation with larger lesions, so it is important to have ibuprofen, or other non-prescription pain killer, available during the process. Note: the moment the scab/eschar falls out, usually within 6-10 days of the initial application, the pain will immediately stop! Areas larger than a square centimeter (or bigger than a U.S. "dime") may require even stronger analgesics, which, being prescription, will require the services of a cooperative physician.

Q: I applied Black salve and no scab/eschar appeared, what do I do now?
A: Black salve has to come into contact with the target cancer area in order to work. It has transdermal properties (i.e. skin penetrating ability) However, a couple of simple tricks can also speed up the process and/or reduce the number of applications required to "reach" a skin cancer that is well below the epidermis. Most people don't need these techniques if the skin cancer is close to the skin surface. We recommend that these "tricks of the trade" only be used if an initial application does not produce results - which turns out to be a minority of cases.

"Deep Loufah Wash" - Many people use a loufah sponge to rigorously wash and prepare the skin before applying Black Salve. This serves to remove some of the dead cells in the top layer of the epidermis (the stratum corneum), so that Black salve has less tissue through which to travel to get to the underlying cancer.

"Needle Points" - This technique is more effective, but more invasive. It involves taking a sterilized needle and carefully making holes in the skin - about a sixteenth to eighth inch deep, very much as an acupuncturist would - except that the needle is removed as soon as the holes usually spaced about a quarter-inch apart. Following the creation of the "skin holes," Black salve Salve is then (re)applied.

We recommend that this technique be used by practitioners and not end users. We also advise that practitioners prep the area by rubbing peroxide (3-6%) into the freshly "pricked" skin before Black salve is (re)applied.

Q: Is there anything I can use to reduce scarring?
A: Yes, there is a product called the After Care Salve from www.BestOnEarthProducts.com that should be applied as soon as the scab/escar is formed. Do this at least twice a day to keep it moist and to reduce scarring.