WARNING GRAPHIC IMAGE BELOW
A bogus "alternative medicine" ointment, purporting to cure cancer, burnt an inch-wide hole in a man's temple.
The Australian man created the gaping hole in his head after allegedly using Black salve – which contains sanguinarine – derived from bloodroot – and is often mixed with zinc chloride, working as a corrosive.
The 55-year-old entered a Brisbane hospital with a large lesion on his right temple after applying the salve for four months and he did not turn to professional medical care until there was a black hole in his head.
Doctors at Princess Alexandra Emergency Department in Brisbane said he was using a "strong narcotic analgesic used to relieve pain" to combat the agony and doctors initially believed they would have to operate.
Black salve has been listed as a "fake cancer treatment" by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) since 2004, and the organisation is actively trying to ban it in the US.