Peruvian balsam vs. ichthammol

October 22, 2010 By

DEAR DR. GOTT: You mentioned ichthammol in a past column as a drawing salve but failed to mention Peruvian balsam, aka Balsam of Peru. My dad introduced me to this product 50 years ago, and it works wonderfully on slivers, stingers, etc. You might want to check this out for yourself.

I do enjoy your column and have learned a great deal from it. Keep up the good work.

DEAR READER: Frankly, I had never heard of Peruvian balsam prior to your letter but am passing the information on so others might benefit from it. Thank you for sharing this information.
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The skinny on ichthammol

April 16, 2010 By

DEAR DR. GOTT: Recently, you responded to a reader’s question regarding a drawing salve used by her entire family. The product resembled a Tootsie Roll. Your response was that she was likely looking for ichthammol and should request the product from her local pharmacy. Well, I asked my pharmacist for this but was told they no longer make it because they found it harmful. Now what?

DEAR READER: Once the article appeared in newspapers, my website was filled with responses from readers regarding this salve. One woman from North Carolina indicated her grandfather called it “grisly salve.” You would heat the end of the stick and apply the product to a bandage. And it is not made in that form anymore.
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