Black drawing salve is a natural remedy I first heard about when visiting a local Amish community to pick up produce and eggs. I saw one of the farmer’s sons applying what looked like tar to his arm after getting a large splinter from a fence post.
I asked what he was putting on his arm and was told that it was a drawing salve to help pull out the splinter and make sure the area didn’t get infected. I was fascinated and wondered if it would work and if it would stain the skin.
The farmer assured me that it didn’t stain the skin and that they used it all the time in their community to help with wound healing and drawing out things that were stuck in the skin. He said that it was even effective on some spider bites for drawing out the venom.
I asked if there was a place to buy it, and was told that they made it themselves but the farmer offered to write down the recipe for me.
Black Salve Recipe
We’ve been making variations of this recipe ever since. It takes a while to make but is very effective and well worth the time. We especially use it for splinters and pieces of glass that get stuck in the skin.
I have not tried it personally for this, but black drawing salves are also said to help remove moles and skin tags.
Salve Ingredients
- 3 Tablespoons comfrey, calendula and plantain infused olive oil (see instructions below)
- 2 teaspoons shea butter
- 2 Tablespoons coconut oil
- 2 Tablespoons Beeswax
- 1 teaspoon Vitamin E oil
- 2 Tablespoons Activated Charcoal Powder
- 2 Tablespoons Kaolin Clay
- 1 Tablespoon honey
- 20 drops (or more) Lavender Essential Oil
Salve Instructions
- Before making the salve, it is important to infuse olive oil with comfrey, calendula and plantain. You will need 1 tablespoon of each of the herbs, finely powdered in a food processor or blender, and ½ cup olive oil. It can be infused in one of these two ways:
- Powder the herbs and place in a small jar. Pour oil over the herbs. Leave in jar for 3-4 weeks, shaking daily, and then strain through a cheesecloth for use.
- Heat the herbs and olive oil in a double boiler. Leave on low/medium heat for about an hour until oil gets strong smelling and darker. Strain through cheesecloth for use.
- Personally, I keep a big jar of olive oil with plantain, comfrey and calendula in my herb cabinet and let it constantly infuse for use in salves and lotions. When the oil is used, I discard the herbs and begin the process again.
- Combine infused olive oil, shea butter, coconut oil, beeswax, vitamin E oil and honey in a glass jar in a small pan of water.
- Heat the water to a simmer and carefully stir mixture in the jar until all ingredients are melted.
- Remove from heat and add activated charcoal, kaolin clay, and lavender essential oil and mix well.
- Quickly pour in to small jars or tins and let sit until hardened (several hours).
- Store in airtight container and use as needed on cuts, splinters, etc.
How to Use Black Salve
Make sure area has been cleaned well. Put a generous amount of black salve on the wound or splinter and cover with gauze or a large bandaid.
Leave at least a few hours or overnight to allow it to draw out the infection or object. Some things (like glass… in my experience) may take a day or two and several applications to draw out an object.
This salve is a wonderful natural remedy but it is not a replacement for medical care when needed. Consult a doctor before using if you have any health conditions or concerns.
Ever made a salve? How did it work? Share below!
The Paleo Coach Book Review
»
I was wondering if you heard about this pulling out cancer? My grandmother was telling me of her friend using black salve to pull the cancer out of her body, it was a different recipe but I was wondering if you knew of this recipe doing the same?
The other “black salve” that’s used for cancer removal is an escharotic made with zinc chloride and some herbs, and I think the zinc chloride plays a big part. Maybe the reason it works so well is because of its astringent qualities. The recipe above might have a similar effect since it contains two ingredients that pull out toxins, though I’m not sure it’s enough for skin cancer treatment. I would certainly use additional or different herbal oils if I was making this for purposes of treating skin cancer–the ones used in the zinc-based salve would be fine.
This is a snippet from an article about escharotics (link below text quote):
“The herbs most commonly employed include Bloodroot, as already mentioned, Goldenseal (Hydrastis canadensis), Chaparral (Larrea tridentata), Cayenne (Capsicum frutescens), galangal root (Alpinia officinarium) and Red Clover (Trifolium pratence).
There are however many other herbs in other formulations that are also
used. In Ukraine, where I live and work, Greater Celandine (Chelidonium majus) for example, is more commonly used.”
http://www.positivehealth.com/article/herbal-medicine/escharotics-herbal-surgery-for-tumours
That would be the blood root herb that is the ‘cancer removing’ herb.
Hi there,
I like your web site and I like this recipe, I thought black salve has blood root in it, correct me please and if you have a recipe with blood root please hand it to I’m sooooo in need for it I’m battling a long term illness and I out of money and children to look after I find it difficult to continue the fight. I wonder whether you can direct me to where I can buy blood root herb
Regards
https://www.mountainroseherbs.com/products/bloodroot-powder/profile
Is this what your looking for?
Rick Simpson Oil, will cure skin cancer. This has been verified by Harvard medical. Jus saying, keep up the work, profiteers of big pharma won’t do the research for us. Lol
Can I omit the Plantain? it is the only thing I don’t have
I got pencil lead stuck in my skin about 15 years ago and it left a blue-gray dot. Do you know if this salve would get that discoloring off of my skin or the graphite out?
I’m not sure after that long but it probably wouldn’t hurt to try…
Oh my gosh, I had that same thing happen! I’ve got a blue gray dot on my foot where a sharp pencil on the floor got me as I walked by! I’ll be honest–I probably won’t actually make the recipe myself (time, money, effort to collect ingredients, etc), but totally post if it works for you! Or if it doesn’t!
Tried making this…when I stirred in the powders (act. charcoal & bentonite clay) it just got very clumpy. When I tried pouring it into tins I dropped bits of the clumps in there but it WOULD NOT mix with the other stuff. The more I mixed, the bigger the clump grew. Is this typical or did I do something wrong?
was there any liquid at any point?
Yes. It started out looking like all other salves I have made. Only way I veered from directions was my herbs were heat infused instead of solar infused. I actually made it twice. First time I forgot to take it off heat first (although heat was very low) before adding the charcoal and clay. But I thought maybe the heat caused the clumping. So I tried again and let it sit off heat for maybe 5 minutes or less (didn’t want it to harden). I used a double boiler instead of mason jar. But as soon as I added the powders it was like it clumped together in the bottom of the pan. There was still a lot of liquid, but also a big clump that got worse as I mixed and as it cooled. The consistency was like gack (if you know what that is). I poked the clump thinking it was just the powder not wanting to mix-but that wasn’t it. And the more I whisked and mixed-the bigger the clump. So I poured the liquid (which there was still quite a lot of) into my tins and then tried to evenly distribute the clump among my tins. The whole mix turned black so I know it had to mix somewhat.
Did you strain the infused oil hearb on a cheesecloth – Separating the oil from the powder first, or did you put the entire content of oil and powder into the charcoal? Because, if you mixed all the hearbs and oil together with the charcoal then that could explain its flax gelatin poultice it created insteat getting a liquid mix. Hope that help.
It’s the Bentonite that clumps (it ‘flocculates’). Only use a very little bit, evenly sift a light layer onto the top of the hot balm and let it moisten by itself. Ordinary Kaolin works much better for the formula but the Bentonite has amazing drawing power. It’s not a true clay; it belongs to the mineral group called montmorillonites.
Thank you so much! We always used drawing salve when I was a kid and it works so well. I can’t wait to make up a couple of batches, one for my parents and one for me.
I remember this salve as ixthamal. no longer available anywhere.[Ickthamap] or Ick the mal
You can get Ichthammol at Amazon.
I can buy it at the local drug store. You just have to ask for it, as it is “behind the counter.” Wonderful stuff!
My druggist at Walgreen’s said “NO.” Walmart, NO, Save Rite NO
Rite Aid – in Pennsylvania 🙂 Hopefully, you can find it.
I saw it at CVS a few weeks ago. It hadn’t been there prior, as I had been looking for it! Possibly it’s enjoying a resurgence in popularity?
I just bought some at my local feed store to use on a horse. Would it work on cracked/bruised ribs to draw bruising and soreness out?
Any salve made of just calendula and comfrey would help with that. You can just make an infused oil with those herbs, and then mix 8oz oil to 1 oz beeswax. Very simple and effective at helping with healing, if nothing needs to be drawn out. I’m definitely excited to try this recipe, for sure though!
Yeees!! My tube is so old. Gotta try to find it again.
Ichthamol is commonly used for livestock. Most often to pack hoof abscesses in horses. Check your local farm supply stores. One of them should carry it. 9therwise you can probably find it on Amazon.
Just made a batch of this tonight. I did omit the plantain because I couldn’t find any locally and didn’t have the patience to wait for an online order. I’m kicking myself because I thought about picking my own from the yard/woods this summer and never got around to it.
I also made a couple other variations to the recipe:
I substituted neem oil for vitamin E oil.
I also used manuka honey in place of regular honey.
It turned out very well. I was nervous at first because the olive oil was separated in the jar while I mixed in the other ingredients. Once I had everything in I closed the lid and gave it a good shake. Everything mixed perfectly then.
I’m giving it a try on a weeping abscess that just showed up on my horse. Very interested to see the results.
Plantain, I thought, is the main drawing ingredient.
Ichthammol Ointment 20% is still available.
Manufactured by Allan Pharmaceutical Warminster, PA. I bought mine from Walgreens, I think.
You can also get Ichthammol at CVS pharmacy. I just bought a tube of it less than an hour ago. Looked everywhere for it and couldn’t find it until CVS .
Cvs drug store says yes for 8 or 9.00.
Yes, My parents had a tube of black Ikthemol salve that was inherited from my mom’s parents in 1967. It never lost it effectiveness and the tube was finally emptied in the 1980’s.
Once again, you rock my world! You come through on SO MANY LEVELS! Thank you!
My husband’s uncle has made black salve and he and his wife have used it on moles on the skin and it does work to get the moles to fall off.
When it’s used for moles, do you apply the salve daily and cover with a bandaid to keep it in place? Any idea how long it takes to work? Thanks in advance for your response!!
I think there’s some confusion here between (black) drawing salve and black salve. Drawing salve–what’s described in this post–is not strong enough to remove a mole. Think about it; if it could remove a mole, would you want to put it on an open wound? Black salve (without the word “drawing”) is something else entirely and literally eats holes in the skin.
Do you have a recipe or link for Black Salve?
I’ve been trying many different “remedies” to get rid of brown moles on my skin…this drawing salve will work??
So strange! My parents always had a small pot in the cupboard and we’re from South Africa! We used to buy it in the chemist. Used to love the smell, very distinctive, probably because it made everything feel better. Will try your recipe. Curious if it’s the same recipe as to what I’m used too…
for the Black Salve: are the herbs dried or fresh? Can you mix dried and fresh?
Dried works better in this…