# Are Ichthammol medicinal properties woo or scientific ? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [October 31, 2017, 8:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-ichthammol-medicinal-properties-woo-or-scientific/800325 "2017-10-31T20:14:32Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 8\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Duckster](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/duckster/32/1244_2.png) [@Duckster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Duckster)\ **Post date:** [November 1, 2017, 3:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-ichthammol-medicinal-properties-woo-or-scientific/800325/21 "2017-11-01T03:17:58Z")
> [@](#): > > Most major pharmacies : Walgreens, CVS, Walmart don’t carry Ichthammol either. We got it from a compounding pharmacy. Really? There do here. You have to ask for it because most will sell you a higher priced crappy alternative (that doesn’t work) if you don’t specify pharmaceutical grade ichthammol (20%). A one-ounce tube cost us about $10.00-$15.00. Then we found out it’s used a lot with horses. A 16-ounce jar costs $19.95. They say not to use on humans, but it’s the same quality. Same pharmaceutical grade, too. ---
**Author:** ![Beckdawrek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/beckdawrek/32/3647_2.png) [@Beckdawrek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beckdawrek)\ **Post date:** [November 1, 2017, 3:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-ichthammol-medicinal-properties-woo-or-scientific/800325/22 "2017-11-01T03:20:40Z")
That crap is bad, you can spread the germs from boil around when you apply it, It smells horrid,and it doesn’t cure anything. If your kid has a boil, he has an infection. I realize there is over use of antibiotics, as use on viruses. But a real infection might spread or get worse. There are times when penicillin is necessary. Not for viruses, I agree. Get the child diagnosed and treated. ---
**Author:** ![Busy\_Scissors](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/d78d45/32.png) [@Busy\_Scissors](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Busy_Scissors)\ **Post date:** [November 1, 2017, 10:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-ichthammol-medicinal-properties-woo-or-scientific/800325/23 "2017-11-01T10:13:46Z")
There seems to be a lot of formulations of ichthammol out there - I’ve never seen the black salve, the stuff I use is a beige-coloured paste that has no strong smell. I get good results with it for eczema (me) and dry skin in winter (our kids). I have no idea if it’s the ammonium bituminosulfonate having an actual medicinal effect - it could just be the paste acting as a heavy sort of emollient that is dermatologically kind on the skin [I find typical moisturisers are too thin and don’t really do anything for eczema]. Either way I’d use it no problem on any sort of mild skin condition. ---
**Author:** ![DesertDog](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/desertdog/32/11503_2.png) [@DesertDog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DesertDog)\ **Post date:** [November 1, 2017, 12:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-ichthammol-medicinal-properties-woo-or-scientific/800325/24 "2017-11-01T12:35:04Z")
> [@Beckdawrek](#): > > That crap is bad, you can spread the germs from boil around when you apply it, It smells horrid,and it doesn’t cure anything. If your kid has a boil, he has an infection. I realize there is over use of antibiotics, as use on viruses. But a real infection might spread or get worse. There are times when penicillin is necessary. Not for viruses, I agree. Get the child diagnosed and treated. And he doubles down, despite the above posts. One wonders how humanity survived boils before there were antibiotics (or doctors, even). If you read the posts, **Beck** , you’ll see the general consensus is that the stuff can be misused\* it is relatively benign and, in the majority of cases the best treatment is to mostly leave the boil alone. [WebMD](https://www.webmd.com/skin-problems-and-treatments/guide/boils#1): > [@](#): > > When to Seek Medical Care > > [ul] > [li]You start running a fever.[/li][li] You have swollen lymph nodes.[/li][li] The skin around the boil turns red or red streaks appear.[/li][li] The pain becomes severe.[/li][li] The boil does not drain.[/li][li] A second boil appears.[/li][li] You have a heart murmur, diabetes, any problem with your immune system, or use immune suppressing drugs (for example, corticosteroids or chemotherapy) and you develop a boil.[/li][/ul] > Boils usually do not need immediate emergency attention. However, if you are in poor health and you develop high fever and chills along with the infection, a trip to a hospital’s emergency room is needed. Personally, I woudn’t use the salve if I had a boil. According to the Wiki article, Ichthammol… > [@](#): > > …is a product of natural origin obtained in the first step by dry distillation of sulfur-rich oil shale (bituminous schists). By sulfonation of the resulting oil (or purified fractions thereof) and subsequent neutralization with ammonia, Ichthammol results as viscous, water-soluble substance with characteristic bitumen-like odor. …which is abusing the notion of “natural.” \*Especially the horror show in **Jackmanii** ’s link. :eek: ---
**Author:** ![running\_coach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/running_coach/32/15836_2.png) [@running\_coach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/running_coach)\ **Post date:** [November 1, 2017, 12:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-ichthammol-medicinal-properties-woo-or-scientific/800325/25 "2017-11-01T12:42:38Z")
> [@DesertDog](#): > > And he doubles down, despite the above posts. One wonders how humanity survived boils before there were antibiotics (or doctors, even). > > If you read the posts, **Beck** , you’ll see the general consensus is that the stuff can be misused\* it is relatively benign and, in the majority of cases the best treatment is to mostly leave the boil alone. [WebMD](https://www.webmd.com/skin-problems-and-treatments/guide/boils#1): > > Personally, I woudn’t use the salve if I had a boil. According to the Wiki article, Ichthammol…which is abusing the notion of “natural.” > > \*Especially the horror show in **Jackmanii** ’s link. :eek: Drawing salve has been used for decades. The “black salve” crap is[entirely different.](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Black_salve#Ingredients) ---
**Author:** ![saje](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/saje/32/3631_2.png) [@saje](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/saje)\ **Post date:** [November 1, 2017, 2:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-ichthammol-medicinal-properties-woo-or-scientific/800325/26 "2017-11-01T14:41:18Z")
Ichthammol works for splinters and boils coming to a head because it softens the skin and allows the infection pocket to erupt. After that, generally good basic surface cleansing is all you need. Lots of water, a little cleansing agent, _maybe_ some topical abx just to prevent re-infection of an open sore. ---
**Author:** ![Broomstick](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/broomstick/32/246_2.png) [@Broomstick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Broomstick)\ **Post date:** [November 1, 2017, 4:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-ichthammol-medicinal-properties-woo-or-scientific/800325/27 "2017-11-01T16:30:06Z")
> [@gnoitall](#): > > OTOH, Doctor, antibiotic overprescription is a thing. [A bad thing](https://www.cdc.gov/media/releases/2016/p0503-unnecessary-prescriptions.html). I suspect a systemic (oral) antibiotic for a localized skin infection (which is probably already on the mend) qualifies. Really, whether or not to prescribe an antibiotic for an infection, including boils, is best left to a medical professional. I’ve had boils and other skin infections over the years and sometimes the doc gives antibiotics and sometimes he doesn’t, and it depends on factors like how localized the infection is, evidence of systematic response (like fever), and how the problem will be dealt with (from what I understand surgical drainage, a.k.a. “lancing” the boil, can carry a risk of spreading the infection but hey, I’m not a doc, just a patient). Some are indeed minor and best left alone. Some are best treated more assertively. Yes, people survived before antibiotics existed. And some died of such infections as well, more frequently than they do today. ---
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [November 1, 2017, 4:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-ichthammol-medicinal-properties-woo-or-scientific/800325/28 "2017-11-01T16:43:18Z")
> [@Czarcasm](#): > > Does this ointment have a strong odor? I wish the OP would come back and answer this question, because if it were truly 20% it would stink, but the comments from the link the OP provided hints that the product being sold was more homeopathetic than not because more than one person said it had little to no smell to it. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-ichthammol-medicinal-properties-woo-or-scientific/800325.md?page=1)