A salve is a medical ointment used to soothe the surface of the body.

Medical uses

Magnesium sulphate Magnesium sulfate or magnesium sulphate (in English-speaking countries other than the US) is a chemical compound, a salt with the formula , consisting of magnesium cations (20.19% by mass) and sulfate anions . It is a white crystalline solid, s ...

paste is used as a drawing salve to treat small boils and infected wounds and to remove 'draw' small splinters. Black ointment, or

Ichthyol Ammonium bituminosulfonate or ammonium bituminosulphonate (synonyms of ichthammol, CAS# brand name: Ichthyol) is a product of natural origin obtained in the first step by dry distillation of sulfur-rich oil shale (bituminous schists). By sulfonat ...

Salve, also called Drawing Salve, has been traditionally used to treat minor skin problems such as sebaceous cysts, boils,

ingrown toenail An ingrown nail, also known as onychocryptosis from el, ὄνυξ () 'nail' and () 'hidden', is a common form of nail disease. It is an often painful condition in which the nail grows so that it cuts into one or both sides of the paronychium ...

s and splinters. The main ingredients are often ichthammol, phenyl alcohol, or

Arnica montana ''Arnica montana'', also known as wolf's bane, leopard's bane, mountain tobacco and mountain arnica, is a moderately toxic European flowering plant in the daisy family Asteraceae. It is noted for its large yellow flower head. The names "wolf's ...

, and may contain herbs such as

echinacea ''Echinacea'' is a genus of herbaceous flowering plants in the daisy family. It has ten species, which are commonly called coneflowers. They are found only in eastern and central North America, where they grow in moist to dry prairies and open ...

or calendula. The name comes from archaic belief that an irritant can "draw out" evil

humors Humorism, the humoral theory, or humoralism, was a system of medicine detailing a supposed makeup and workings of the human body, adopted by Ancient Greek and Roman physicians and philosophers. Humorism began to fall out of favor in the 1850s ...

. (This should not be confused with

black salve Black salve, also known by the brand name Cansema, is a pseudoscientific alternative cancer treatment. The product is commonly classified as an escharotic—a topical paste which destroys skin tissue and leaves behind a scar called an eschar. E ...

which is dangerous.)

Agricultural uses

In the days before dipping, a greasy salve was rubbed into the wool of sheep in the autumn as a precautionary measure against parasites - as referenced in social literature about ancient farming areas in England.Pontefract, E. & Hartley, M. ''Wharfedale'' (1943 reprint) Dent & Sons

References

Ointments Magic substances {{treatment-stub

Medical uses

Agricultural uses

See also

References