Ichthammol Ointment

[ema-adama]

I was brought up with this at home. It was just called black ointment. My mum used it for pretty much any infected sore, as well as any boils, splinters etc.

I started looking into it again, as I had no idea what it was made from - just that it worked for us.

I found that it can be used for treating staphylococcus infection (http://herbs.lovetoknow.com/Ichthammol_Salve), amoungst other things. Does anyone else use this or have any information to share?

I have a stock I brought out from South Africa - I'll have to see if I can find it in Israel.

[Momtezuma Tuatara]

the first thing I did was put into google:

Ichthammol Ointment is made from

which told me what it was made from... http://herbs.lovetoknow.com/Ichthammol_Ointment

Also known as black drawing salve, ichthammol ointment (http://forums.beyondvaccination.com/Ichthammol_Salve) is made from sulfuric shale that is mixed with a carrier such as paraffin or beeswax. Sometimes, the ointment also contains other natural ingredients such as arnica, vitamin E or comfrey, which can further aid in healing. Ichthammol ointment is believed to have antifungal and antibacterial properties.

The ointment itself is black, which is why it is referred to as black drawing salve. It has a pungent, sulfuric odor that comes from the shale.
The ointment is available in various strengths that indicates the different levels of ichthammol in the carrier. For instance, a 10 percent ointment indicates that 10 percent of the ointment’s overall volume comes from ichthammol. Common strengths are 10 percent and 20 percent over the counter. Some compounding pharmacists will mix up higher strengths if recommended by your health-care provider.

Then I put into Google "google israel" which sent me to google israel, which has lots of stuff I don't understand.

So I just put Ichthammol Ointment into google israel, which came up with lots of hits, many of which made no sense to me :D

But there are lots of hits, so I presume it's available somewhere.

[ema-adama]

Yeah, that is the link I found with lots of information. I was wondering how commonly used it is by people on this forum.

I have an insect bite that got nasty, sending a track a good couple of cm upward (on my leg). I upped my vit C and I have been using this oitment. After two days the redness and swelling have almost dissapeared. I am quite impressed.

I looked on google - it seems to be registered as a vetinary medicine


For the treatment of furunculosis, abscess and purulent dermatitis in farm animals and pets.

I'll talk to our vet and see what I can find.