I will never again use any kind of salve that is made with zinc chloride, nor will I recommend it. But I would/will/do take the internal bloodroot forumlas made by the same companies that make black salve. The salve was simply too hard on me. One of the itchy spots was on my back. I am single. It was difficult to clean it properly with a Q-tip and mirror. It was difficult to see what I was doing back there. The sore lasted for months and my friends thought I should go to the emergency room when they saw it. I was hesitant to ask for help because one of my friends nearly threw up when she cleaned it. Chances are the disease is coming from the inside out anyway, because the skin is one of the major ways the body eliminates toxins, so taking it internally makes more sense to me.