Black Salve Treatment for Cutaneous Leishmaniasis
Links of Interest:
Leishmaniasis Links:
Efforts at Treatment:
Black Salve Links:
Redmond Clay Links:
Panamá News Links:
Personal Reports:
"What is it?"
Cutaneous Leishmaniasis (cue-TAY-knee-us LEASH-ma- NIGH-a-sis) is a parasitic disease spread by the bite of infected sand flies. The Leishmania is a single-celled parasitic protozoan that spends part of its life cycle in the gut of a sand fly and part in the blood and other tissues of a vertebrate.
Leishmania's period of incubation is not certain; sores can appear in the first week or not for months after the initial bite of an infected female sand fly. The sores develop into ulcers often looking somewhat like a volcano, with a raised edge and central crater. The sores can scab or not scab, be painful or not painful, and can cause similar cutaneous lesions to those produced by other diseases such as cutaneous tuberculosis, syphilis, leprosy and skin cancer, among others.
Leishmaniasis is found in parts of over 80 countries. Most of those countries are in the tropics or subtropics, but the settings in which leishmaniasis is found range from rain forests in Central and South America to the deserts of West Asia. For instance, leishmaniasis is present in Iraq and was contracted by a number of the troops involved in the 2003 invasion of that country and its subsequent occupation. The soldiers nicknamed the disease the Baghdad boil.
Cutaneous leishmaniasis is the most common form of the disease, causing numerous sores on the body which will self-heal in from several months to a few years, but leave unsightly, even deforming scars. If not treated, the cutaneous disease can also result in mucocutaneous leishmaniasis where skin ulcers spread causing tissue damage to (particularly) nose and mouth.
Two common therapies, both containing antimony—a potentially toxic heavy metal—are: meglumine antimoniate (Glucantim®) and sodium stibogluconate (Pentostam®). (Antimony, Atomic number 51, is a trivalent and pentavalent metalloid element used especially in alloys and semiconductors, but also in medicine as a constituent of some antiprotozoal agents.) It is not understood how this metal acts against the parasite; it may disrupt its energy production or trypanothione metabolism. In many cases the drugs don't work or become progressively ineffective with repeated use—patients are known to have received over a hundred of these shots, yet still exhibit the sores.
(Follow the links above to discover more about Leishmaniasis, Black Salve, etc.)
Supplies Needed:
- Black Salve
- Redmond Clay
- Chlorhexidine
- Aleve
- Tylenol
- Children's Tylenol
- Cacao Butter
- Vetrap™ Tape
- Cotton Swabs
- Gauze
- Band-Aids, paper tape, etc.
Cutaneous Leishmaniasis: This site describes how a bloodroot mixture commonly known as Black Salve is being used for the treatment of Cutaneous Leishmaniasis. Black Salve is being used by a retired RN from California to successfully treat cutaneous leishmaniasis.
This image shows Dee working on Jimmy's finger wound at his house in Cerro Azul, while other patients wait their turns.
CERRO AZUL, PANAMÁ:
Wednesday Leishmaniasis Clinics Resume
(report by TC McVey)
Beginning March 21, Dee, Janeth and I traveled each Wednesday to Jimmy and Sarah's house—recent expat arrivals—in Cerro Azul, a residential community located in the mountains east of Panamá City. Jimmy heard about the clinics from Kookie, so he initially drove all the way to Dee's house for treatment of leishmaniasis on his finger.
He came back a week later to see all of the parasite come out on the dressing, but also to see some tendon because the hole where the parasite had been was that deep! (See Photos in the sidebar). Still, Jimmy was so impressed with the results that he offered his house for a new Wednesday clinic to help other sufferers in the Cerro Azul area.
So far, only a few people have been treated there, but we've had excellent results with the patients seen. For instance, one little girl came with a sore on the bridge of her nose (photos in the sidebar), a most difficult spot to maintain a bandage. She and her mother, however, proved equal to the task, and the wound healed very quickly. Besides the little girl, there was also José, a man with a horribly large sore on his right cheek.
Click this image to see more pictures of José's treatment; be forewarned, they are extremely graphic and hard to look at. For instance, Jimmy's housekeeper, Ana, was present when we removed José's bandage after the first week, and she had to leave the room: she wasn't ready to look at something so gross (I knew exactly how she felt!).
Now, however, Ana is fully onboard. Along with a much improved José, they are both training to treat leishmaniasis victims. Not only will they spread the word to the more remote villages—those areas where the problem is the worst—but Ana is also wonderful at explaining to new arrivals exactly how the treatment works and what to expect.
Wednesday, May 16, will be our last trip to Jimmy's house; one last trip to observe the trainee's expertise. Dee is confident that, along with Jimmy and Sarah's help, Ana and José will be more than ready to handle the number of victims in their area. In fact, Jimmy and Sarah said they will be heading out into the hills with Ana and José on a regular basis to spread word of the successful treatment for the dreaded parasite.
We thank them and wish them all the best of luck, and especially thank Jimmy and Sarah for opening their home and being such enthusiastic supporters. The clinics continue to spread...
Other Clinic News
Pascuela's Clinic: (click title for clinic page)
Lovely Pascuela continues her work in Nuevo Paraiso, up in the far reaches of her mountains. On a few Saturdays in April, our most intrepid Janeth (see picture below) visited Pascuela to take supplies and to help out—it's a six hour journey from Picacho, via bus, chiva, and then on foot!
There was a communication problem, however, on the first visit, and Janeth arrived in Nuevo Paraiso only to discover that Pascuela was in La Chorerra. It was too late to return the same way to Picacho, and Janeth couldn't call someone to meet her because there's no cell coverage in the village. Fortunately, some kind villagers gave her a hot meal and a place to stay.
The next day Pascuela returned and the two of them spent the day treating victims. The local Paraiso health clinic is now available to Pascuela, so her patients meet her there on Saturdays. She still travels on horseback, however, to treat patients who can't make the trip to the clinic.
Mato Ahogado Clinic: (click title for clinic page)
Janeth took a camera to Mata Ahogado in December and January, and brought back some amazing photos of a particular ear case. We've seen it before: a patient is bit on the ear, we apply the black salve, a large piece of ear comes off with the dressing but, incredibly, within a week or two, the ear cartilage begins to grow back. And now, thanks to the ongoing efforts of Janeth, we have photos to document the fact. (See photos in the sidebar >)
A New "Traveling" Practitioner:
Aside from Pascuela, who was first to make house-calls on horseback, we now have a second "Have Horse—Will Travel" practitioner: Omar. At his behest, Dee trained Omar—who also works for her as a gardener—to treat leishmaniasis victims. Now, on Saturdays, he saddles up his horse and rides to remote locations in the mountains surrounding Manglarito, where he lives. So far, he sees from 10 to 15 patients on any given Saturday. "Way to go, Omar!"
Mantequilla de Cacao (cocoa butter):
During our Cacao clinic days, we heard about "Cacao Butter" and how it supposedly helps lessen scarring. We were never sure where to get it, however, nor if it actually worked. But then José, of the horrible cheek wound, began using the butter, and his scarring improved, dramatically. Consequently, we've discovered that most pharmacies carry small ½-ounce containers for forty-cents. The butter is made from the fruit of the cacao tree. We aren't sure how, but yes, it's the same tree whose beans are used to make chocolate—"What a tree!" So, now we are stocking up, and will give cacao butter to patients with scarring issues.
Donations
We wish to thank all of you who made donations in cash and supplies this past year. Your support, plus your confidence in us and our work is very encouraging. With your help the clinics will continue to srpead and victims of leishmaniasis will find relief.
"Thank You!"
Website: © 2007 McVey Design
Jimmy's Finger :
These pictures were taken at Jimmy's house on the third week of his treatment.
They show how his finger is slowly healing, slowly filling in the huge crater that the removal of the parasite created.
Little Girl's Nose :
On her first visit, this child exhibited a sore in one of the hardest spots to keep bandaged.
On her second visit all the parasite and affected flesh came out with the dressing removal—"It hurts!"
This image, taken during her third visit, shows how difficult it is to dress the area.
By her fourth visit, the girl's wound was greatly improved and we sent her home with a clean bill of health.
Mato Ahogado Ear Case :
The first picture was on this man's second visit when all of the parasite along with a chunk of his ear came off with the dressing.
By his third visit, however, the ear was healing well and some cartilage growth was observed.
By his fourth visit, most of the rawness was gone and even more cartilage had grown back.
On his fifth visit, the ear looked very good, and you could see where the cartilage line of the ear was actually extending back into the damaged area.