History of Herbal Treatment for Cancer

External Treatment for Cancer

The external treatment of cancer with escharotic salves actually seeks out and destroys cancer cells. Escharotic pastes and salves are caustic compounds that are applied externally on the skin. These are directly applied over the affected area and will erode the tissue to eventually destroy and remove the underlying tumor.

The direct application of herbs and herbal juices to tumors has been practiced in many different traditions and cultures far back into antiquity. It is known that the Native Americans commonly applied poultices of roasted onions and bloodroot as well as other substances, which eroded the skin to draw out cancers, tumors and other undesirable materials. Straight garlic poultice will also cause blistering and open the skin but, like onions, it is very painful.

These formulas were admired and used by medical doctors during the 18th century in Europe.

Other examples of topical application of herbs and their expressed juice are the use of chelidonium or dandelion latex to remove warts and other excrescences. The Chinese have a tradition of breaking open the seed of brucea javonica and taping directly over warts and excrescences to stimulate their dissolution. The treatment of breast cancer particularly through the use of dandelion latex was described as a folk remedy by the Chinese.

Japanese macrobiotics uses a grated poultice of the taro potato (Colocasia esculenta) which grows in tropical, hot countries. The Africans call this plant taro, in India it is called albi, in Japan it is sato-imo (“field-potato”), in the Caribbean’s it is malanga or yautia. It is a staple food of the Native Hawaiians who make a porridge called poi which is a staple of the traditional Hawaiian diet..

In the mid nineteenth century, Samuel Thompson, a leader of one of the most popular movements of natural healing based primarily on the use of Native American herbs, reported the successful treatment of breast cancer. This was done by using a paste of thickened decoction of red clover blossoms. It was repeatedly and thickly applied to the woman’s breast and covered over with a protective bandage. After a short time the cancer literally sloughed off through the surface of the skin, leaving a shallow crater. It is presumed that if this case is at all similar to dozens that I have seen or heard of, that this healed over without any complications.

Meanwhile and previously in Europe from the middle of the 18th century to the mid-nineteenth century one of the ways of treating cancer was by applying zinc chloride directly to tumors until they died and fell off. This was obviously a painful process. Around the mid-nineteenth century, Native American herbs became very popular in Europe and a Dr. J.W. Fell, working at Middlesex Hospital in London developed a paste made of bloodroot, zinc chloride, flour, and water. This was directly applied as a paste to a malignant growth and generally destroyed the tumor within two to four weeks.

Bloodroot (Sanguinarea canadensis) is one of the most beautiful eastern North American woodland herbs and was commonly used to treat cancer by the Native Americans. Since that time it has been identified as a primary ingredient in most escharotic salves and pastes, as these are called, used for the treatment of cancer. The alkaloid, sanguinarine has been indeed found to possess powerful anti-cancer properties.

The Eclectics medical doctors of the 19th century, especially Dr. Eli Jones, specialized in the treatment of cancer emphasizing internal treatment and lifestyle changes but evidently used escharotic salves and ointments with success. The late Dr. Raymond Christopher created a Black Ointment drawing salve that contained potent anti-cancer herbs such as poke root and black walnut bark. Many consider this to be only for drawing out slivers and such embedded in the flesh, but in fact, the salve is also used for drawing out cancers and tumors. In recent times various formulas for the salve has been sold or given away by various clandestine individuals who are mostly motivated by the desire to help provide patients with a less invasive and harmful method to remove cancers from various parts of the body.

One of the most startling facts is that the use of escharotics has been and continues to be an accepted and recognized medical procedure. A medical text entitled Chemosurgery: Microscopically controlled Surgery for Skin Cancer was written by Dr. Frederic E. Mohs, B.Sc., M.D. and last published by Charles Thomas in 1978. It uses the same basic escharotic paste used by Eli Jones, Hoxsey, and others for application for topical application for the removal of various cancers, molls, warts and other growths and excrescences. Dr. Mohs was clinical Professor of Surgery at the University of Wisconsin Medical School

As recently as the late 1960′s Vipont pharmaceuticals under the name of Vipont Chemical Co. of Fort Collins, Colorado, was formed by a rodeo cowboy named Howard McCrorey and two friends specifically to research and develop the salve for FDA approval. At one point they informally sent it off to an investigator of Mayo clinic to be tested for its efficacy in treating cancer. The investigator sent back two letters stating he had not tested anything that even came close to the anti-tumor activity of the salve.

In order to keep the company viable they performed various contract work. As a result they brought a toothpaste to market called Viadent which utilized the ingredients of their salve to maintain dental hygiene and prevent and cure periodontal disease. It was and still is very effective and the company was eventually bought up by Colgate who is the manufacturer of Viadent.

The Escharotic Black Salve researched by Vipont is the basic one that is usually found. It consists of Equal parts powdered bloodroot, galangal, zinc chloride and distilled water. Other versions of this add white flour to make more of a paste consistency.

Besides its topical use, there is a tradition of internal use for cancer and all infectious and inflammatory diseases. Vipont conducted an LD/50 toxicity study of the salve for internal use. It was reported that the LD/50 was around 700mg per kilogram of body weight. Since the recommended dose for internal use is no greater than 250mg, at this level toxicity is very low. However, it should never be taken on an empty stomach as it can be too irritating. The salve can be taken in a 00-sized gelatin capsule as it is taken each day.

Vipont and company has documented the use of the salve for a wide variety of problems, ranging from the removal of warts, moles and skin cancers to other internal cancers, colds, eye problems (diluted in a saline solution, one part salve to 1000 parts water), staff infections, impotency, skin diseases, gastrointestinal inflammations and other conditions too numerous to list. One representative who reported this story and was on the Board of Directors of Vipont Chemical Company, Clark Bigham stated that “my inclination is to try it for just about any known condition other than stomach ulcers and auto-immune diseases.”