Indian Dirt (also known as Black Salve)

As I am no doctor, and these days you have to be very careful of what you post, (less some government agency come after you), I want to be clear that I am posting this for informational purposes only. These days, they even arrest the Amish for selling us milk. Anyway, what you do with this information is your own business. This is an herbal formula that has been handed down over hundreds of years. People have claimed to use it in our time to successfully remove skin cancer. There was a warning to use this salve carefully, it is like doing "herbal surgery". It is made from the following ingredients:

1/3 Bloodroot Powder

1/3 Galangal Root Powder

1/3 Zinc Chloride

A person making this today would need a petri dish or saucer (regular coffee cup saucer, not metal) and a small glass or plastic container with lid for storing your salve. (Recycled small Carmex jars work great for this.)

How one would go about making Indian Dirt:

Zinc Chloride looks like a brick of rock salt. It appears to act as a "carrier" for the two herbs. Some pharmacies carry it, about $30/lb. The two herb powders were available from Penn Herb Company 1-800-523-9971.

One would place a small quantity of zinc chloride in a saucer or porcelain dish. Then the dish is set in a clean place for 24-48 hours. During this time, the chunks of zinc chloride would liquify by pulling moisture out of the air. Alternately, one can add a tiny amount of distilled water and let set. Once all the crystals are completely dissolved, one would have what looks like a puddle of clear water in the dish.

Next, the person would get the two herb powders out and have two small spoons of identical size ready. The spoons can be 1/2 teaspoon size. Use one spoon for bloodroot, the other for galangal root. With each spoon, one would measure carefully equal quantities of each powder, 1 spoonful at a time, then stir the powder into the liquified zinc chloride using a match stick. Add more of each powder and stir again. They would keep adding equal quantities of each powder and stirring with the match stick until they had a thick, black paste. Once they had the consistency desired (not runny), they would scrape the salve into the storage jar (glass or plastic, with lid). It would be stored at room temperature. They say the shelf life is indefinite.

How Indian Dirt would be used:

For a black mole or other skin abnormality, a person would dip a very small amount of salve from the storage container, using the tip of a stainless steel knife or other stainless steel utensil. They would smear the salve on the area to be treated (taking care not to cover an area of skin larger than the size of a nickel at any one time), then cover with a bandage and leave for 24 hours. (If a person desired to treat a larger area, use multiple applications later). The skin a person treats, if cancerous or pre-cancerous, would usually begin to sting, and then go numb after a few minutes. The bandage would be left on for 24 hours, then removed. Using a cotton ball and 3% hydrogen peroxide, the person would wash away any remaining salve and cleanse the area. The area treated will usually be creamy white in color and numb to touch. The area would be cleaned well, and vitamin E oil would be applied to moisten it, then it would be covered with a clean bandage. The cleaning process would be repeated daily, cleaning with 3% hydrogen peroxide, applying vitamin E to moisten, and cover with a clean bandage.