Pinkdamsel (West Orange, Nj) on 07/27/2017:
Thought I would share my research and experience removing moles. I have fair skin and lots of moles all over. The ones that stick out really bother me.
I first learned about Bloodroot from Dr. Andrew Weil; in one of his books he described removing a growth on his dog and later medical students using it to remove moles. This sent me on a hunt for Bloodroot. I ended up purchasing an herbal product I THOUGHT was bloodroot at the time, but turned out not to have that specific ingredient. However, it did work, and apparently by the same mechanism as bloodroot.
It seems like most home remedies for mole removal are one of two types. The acid/caustic products burn the mole as well as any healthy skin they touch. That is why many recommend applying Vaseline or some other protectant to the skin around the mole before using the product. I believe garlic, and possibly ACV and iodine are examples of acid/caustic action. I have not tried any of these, but I would think scarring, etc. might depend on how precisely you apply the acid. Also, some products are stronger than others.
The other type, which includes bloodroot and the herbal product I used (maybe bananas also?), activates an immune response but does not damage healthy skin other than an initial irritation. In a few days the area becomes inflamed, a white ring usually forms around the mole. At that point you stop using the product and a scab forms. Eventually the scab falls off, leaving a crater that over several weeks/months fills in and heals. One theory I have read about how this works is that there is a microbe (virus) in the mole and the product removes the protein covering the microbe hides behind. The immune system then sees the microbe, shrieks “not self” and pushes it out of the body. It isn’t the product that removes the mole, it’s the immune system that does it and without affecting healthy tissue.
My experience: I purchased Bio-T and tried it on a small protruding mole in my armpit. Nothing happened after several days, I concluded it did not work and forgot about it. Several years later we were packing up to move and I came across the little pot of Bio-T and decided to try again. This time I used an emery board to rough up the mole – the very same mole I had tried before – then put on the Bio-T and a bandaid. Incidentally, they tell you not to use metal (something about changing the pH) or latex bandaids. Anyway, with the initial roughing, it worked as described, except it’s never clear to me exactly when the mole “falls out” – it’s just a messy little wound until it heals. I have since used it to remove another 6 moles, including 3 on my face (after deciding I would prefer a scar to the mole). Can barely see any scars, and only because I know they are there.
The mole looks worse, sometimes bigger, and very scary during this process unless you know what to expect. At the time I did my research there were a lot of photos on the web of moles in progress, so I did not panic.
I have not yet tried to remove my largest moles – most are on my back in hard-to-reach spots. The largest of all is on my breast, almost dime-size in circumference, and I’ve been wondering if I should try do a small area at a time. I’m also considering EVOCO; based on testimonials here about moles “rolling off in pieces” this seems like yet a third mechanism, perhaps the gentlest – and slowest! – one.
I’m still dithering ....
Brainbuster (Indianapolis) on 07/01/2017:
I'm a white male, age 31,135 lbs, 5'7". I have safely and effectively removed dozens of moles, some small as freckles, a few as large as a man's fingernail, and one (on someone else, a woman's neck) about the size of a large pea.
This is more reliable and effective than anything an M.D. can do, and it's about 100 times cheaper.
I simply "roughed up" the mole with either a needle or toothpick or dry toothbrush or emery board (for smoothing fingernails), then, after the surface of the mole is tenderized, cover the mole with bloodroot paste. Then put a bandaid on top.
I've left it alone, and I've also repeated the procedure the next day. It's probably best to just leave it alone. It will turn black, and become a scab, and in a few to a several days, the scab will fall off (the mole just falls off)--leaving a small indent which will heal in a few weeks or a month or two.
The worst that can happen, which is unlikely unless you go crazy and try to rush the process by excessive "roughing up, " is that when the mole is gone there will be a small indentation (still better than a mole).
Brainbuster (Indianapolis, Indiana) on 12/14/2012:
I'm a white male, age 31, 135 lbs, 5'7". I have safely and effectively removed dozens of moles, some small as freckles, a few as large as a man's fingernail, and one (on someone else, a woman's neck) about the size of a large pea.
This is more reliable and effective than anything an M. D. can do, and it's about 100 times cheaper.
I simply "roughed up" the mole with either a needle or toothpick or dry toothbrush or emery board (for smoothing fingernails), then, after the surface of the mole is tenderized, cover the mole with bloodroot paste. Then put a bandaid on top.
I've left it alone, and I've also repeated the procedure the next day. It's probably best to just leave it alone. It will turn black, and become a scab, and in a few to a several days, the scab will fall off (the mole just falls off)--leaving a small indent which will heal in a few weeks or a month or two.
The worst that can happen, which is unlikely unless you go crazy and try to rush the process by excessive "roughing up, " is that when the mole is gone there will be a small indentation (still better than a mole).
YEA! Every time I see someone with a mole, I want to tell them to just get some bloodroot for 10 bucks, but of course I can't just say that to people.
It's kind of like whitening your teeth or building muscles... You don't realize how yellow your teeth were until you see them so white. Then you feel a lot better about yourself, and you wonder why you waited so long to take care of it.
Gail (Sacramento, California) on 07/05/2010:
Sorry to hear some are having bad experiences with bloodroot salve. The best black salve I've used for years contains bloodroot, galangal, sheep sorrel and red clover. It works on surface skin moles and warts as well as tumors beneath the skin because it kills the growth and it's roots underneath the skin. ESSENTIAL to know however, is that the user should leave the paste ONLY 12 hours. Then the paste should be thoroughly washed off removing every particle of the salve, preferably with peroxide. Vitamin E should then be applied to the wound itself, and vaseline to the bandage to prevent sticking. The wound should be redressed the same way, vitamin E on the wound and vaseline on a clean bandage 2-4 times per day. It is ESSENTIAL the user understand that to remove moles with roots or tumors beneath the skin, that the area must be kept very moist and completely covered. The growth will return ONLY if you have not killed the roots. Be prepared to witness the mini "volcano" reaction as your body pushes bits of the growth right through the skin, bit by bit. Resist the temptation to pull or prod anything off. Allow your body to push out the debris on it's own time. Just keep the area clean, moist and covered and your body will do the rest. If you've had the misfortune of harming or burning facial skin, vitamin E will help repair skin damage at the cellular level. Be sure to use natural vitamin E (d-alpha tocopherol) liberally on those areas at night. If facial growths or moles are small and appear to be without roots, a good alternative to black salve that isn't as strong is ACV or Logol's iodine. But again, apply vitamin E to surrounding skin as they can also burn skin. Many health experts also recommend taking vitamin A internally to protect the skin from further unwanted skin growths. I hope this helps! View Entire Thread
Lisa (Mabou, Nova Scotia) on 07/31/2009:
Bloodroot, grown often as an ornamental in gardens has proven to be an amazing remedy for the removal of facial moles!!! I had on, dark brown mole on my chin that grew darker and larger over the years. I stumbled upon this remedy and decided to try it. Absolutely amazing! The pulverized root mixed with a little cayenne pepper and a drop of grapefuit seed extract was applied to the lightly scratched surface of the mole. This was covered with a bandaid and left overnight. In the morning I applied a hot compress for 1 minute. Then the bandaid was removed. A scab had formed over the surface of the mole. I applied an antibiotic ointment over this. It is important to let the scab fall of in it's own time! After three (!) days the scab fell off and my mole I had lived with for 15 years is COMPLETELY gone!!!
Nina (Racine, WI) on 12/29/2008:
I used bloodroot paste to remove an eraser size raised mole on my lower back. I have had this mole for 37 years. While the process is not for the faint of heart, it really does work. The whole process took approx. 1 month, but if you follow the instructions, it is pretty amazing. Now, all I have is a little pink spot where the mole was and this is only after 1 week. I would not, however, recommend using it on your face. In the beginning, it is alittle painful. I think this area would be too sensitive.
Anonymous (Edmond, OK) on 05/10/2008:
Warning
WARNING! Used Bloodroot Paste combined with Zinc Oxide 7 days again. It has been a nightmare and I would NEVER recommend anyone to use this. Especially, if you are like me and had a few small facial moles that really weren't even noticable. They are now. One eschar has fallen out onto a cotton ball but left behind some white matter. The others are still attached and one is swollen and looks infected. One in sunken into the side of my nose and I imagine I'll have a crater once it falls out. The surrounding area that I applied the Bloodroot paste turned into a mess of pustules and spots of dying skin. So, far,they have started to dry up a bit but I've been unable to leave the house due to the redness, swelling and unsightly mess all over my face. I have broken out on my neck and my entire face with red bumps. Obviously, I am either allergic or the formula was very strong ( Ebay). I am now waiting to see how severe the damage will be and it is a waiting game to find out how badly I am scarred. I feel stupid and so angry at myself that I attempted this on my face. All the glowing reports are so misleading. Nothing could have prepared me for the way this product affected my skin. It literally appeared that my skin was being eaten away by acid~ Don't do this. View Entire Thread
Donna (Washington, DC) on 05/09/2008:
Warning
I used the bloodroot salve almost three weeks ago. I only used a little bit on four small moles, probably the size of a pin head and covered the area with a bandaid. The next morning I had redenss and swelling under my eyes and scabs where the moles were. It looked like I was in a fight! I called the company and was very frustrated. The guy told me that the reaction was normal, and that it would heal. Within the next two days the scab came off of one which is healed, but light in color. On the left side of my face was the bigger mole. It was a little bigger than a pin head, but once the mole fell off the area was bigger.That area has also healed, but is white in color with some darkness around the circled area. Once again I contacted the company and the guy stated that the skin would repigment over time. The problem that I am experiencing now is on my left cheek where I removed three small moles. My excema has flared up, which is making my skin look terrible. I am trying to be patient with this process but it is very frustating. I would not advise using the cream on your face.
Peggy (Gulf Breeze, FL) on 04/17/2008:
About a year ago, I decided to use bloodroot to remove a pencil- eraser-sized mole on the left side of my chin close to the jaw line just below my mouth. I chose the bloodroot/DMSO combination since I understood that the DMSO would speed the process through the skin. I have to say that I was not prepared for what happened. Once I had started the process, though, there was no turning back. I covered just the mole with the bloodroot paste and kept it covered. I reapplied the paste for about a week. First, the mole turned a cheesy looking white. Then, it scabbed over and had a white ring completely around the edge of it. By this time, the whole thing was about the size of a dime. My jaw swelled up and there were shooting pains in it that kept me from sleeping. This really scared me and I contacted someone for advice. I was advised after about six days of applying the salve to stop applying it, just keep the scab area covered,swab around the OUTSIDE of it with peroxide and it would loosen and fall off. This seemed to take a little longer than I anticipated, but when I added a little warm compress, it truly did pop right out. You certainly don't want to rush this - it has to fall out on its own. The back of the "mole" was grayish and smoothe with little dots on it that I assume were the tiny blood vessels that had supplied blood to it. The spot where the mole had been looked like I had taken a paper punch and punched out a circle of skin. I thought I was in for a bad scar, but I started putting vitamin E on it and organic coconut oil. It's been a year now and the spot is not very noticable to anyone but me, and that's because I know its there. I continue to keep it oiled and also use anti-scar products just for good measure. The faint of heart should NOT use bloodroot, especially on their face. Using it on a floppy mole in some inconspicious place covered by clothing would probably be a lot less scary. My mole was fairly large and well anchored, and on my face - not the floppy kind on a stalk. I do think it is amazing stuff, BUT extreme care needs to be taken when using it.
Alex (London, United Kingdom) on 04/15/2008:
Warning
I tried bloodroot bought off ebay last autum (2007) I do like herbal alternate remedies and was quite excited when reading about bloodroot. Looking at my moles for years (and being vain) I rejoiced at the possibility of having them vanish in an easy and scarless fashion (as proclaimed) Got a bit carried away though and decided to eradicate all about 30-40 off them on front and back of torso at once. Thought if they do take a few weeks to heal and might be unseemly in the mean time (plus I won't be able to use the sunbed to avoid pigment scarring) it would be better to do them all at once, rather than one after the other (which would have taken month and month...) The result was major discomfort - after 2-3 applications my body seemed to turn into a sea of skin irritaion and itching!!! It really did drive me up the wall and since there was no position in which I could lie painless and itchfree (forget Paracetamol - won't help a bit), I did not really sleep for 2 weeks.
Now for the benefit of the procedure. Some moles fell off pretty soon (especially the more raised ones) and have vanished hence. Mostly though - especially the smaller ones were still there when the scabs came off and I still have slight reddening around them. For the bigger flat ones - one fell off (with about 5mm of underneath skin tissue leaving a 8mm itching crater in the skin - took about another 10 days to close up and the result is a reddish smoth round scar as big as the mole there used to be. Several other bigger moles did prevail as well and are now suspiciouse looking, i.e. they are now multicoloured and less regular shaped. It does also seem a bit as if I have a few more tiny moles in vicinity to where treated mole on my abdomen. (cannot swear on that though). The post-bloodroot look of the multicolored moles did get me worried and my GP had two biopsised. Fortunately the biopsies were benign. They will still cut them both out completly to make sure though(ergo in the end the bloodroot did help me get rid of two more big moles, by causing the NHS to pay for their excision). If someone were to ask me - don't use bloodroot for the heck of it. Make sure that the moles you treat are really draining your self worth and not just little beauty spots. Consider the options - when I had the biopsis done the process was much more 'comfortable' that the bloodroot procedure, it did not hurt, did not itch and left less scarring yet.
Maily (Melbourne, Australia) on 03/17/2008:
Is cancema and blood root the same thing? I put some cancema on a tiny mole I had on my shoulder - a tiny bit three days in a row. The area around the mole went quite red about 1cm immediately around the mole it was raised up a bit and creamish colour. I covered it with a bandaid each day as it took weeks to heal, but when the scab finally came off the mole had gone. It has slowly healed and now I'm putting a little lavender essential oil on it each day and the scar is disappearing quite noticeably. I am a real fan of this website....thank you.
Cheryl (Pensacola, Florida) on 10/18/2007:
I used bloodroot paste on a large mole on the back of my neck. It took several weeks because of the size, but it worked wonderfully. I got the idea from my brother in-law who has used it repeatedly on several facial moles. He has had no problems.
Chandi (Fairbanks, Alaska) on 08/06/2007:
Hey, I said I'd write back after I finished using the bloodroot paste on a mole on my arm, so here I am! I am mostly pleased with the results. The reason I say mostly is because I seem to have missed a tiny bit of the mole when I was applying the paste, and am left with a tiny speck of mole, about the size of a pen-tip. But the part of the mole that did get covered is completely gone. I had applied a fresh bit of paste to the mole after every daily shower (because the medical tape got wet and uncomfortable, mostly) for a week. A white ring developed around the mole (the part that I had missed didn't get the ring). The surrounding skin was red and felt itchy, rather uncomfortable. At the end of the week, I left the bandage off while in the shower, and when the water hit it the scab that had formed in the center of the ring, it just fell off. I was left with a hole in the skin, not very deep, and it didn't hurt at all. After that, I applied Neosporin and a bandage, kept it changed every day for another week, and after that I stopped applying anything to it at all, not even a bandage. Now it's all healed up,the skin is smooth and there's only a pink mark, and the little speck of mole that I missed. I plan to use the paste again to get rid of the speck.
Katherine (New Market, VA) on 02/01/2007:
I tried the Bloodroot Paste - I have many moles and I am very anti-doctor. I have been cursed with these moles since I was young. I read about Bloodroot & decided to give it a try. Well I started on one (to get a feel for the length of time & what to expect) I began at the beginning of Jan 2007 and on Jan 31,2007 that first mole just fell off!No bleeding -- nothing- it just simply fell off-WOW!! It is Feb 1ST &I am starting on #2 mole.. I did experience a small about of discomfort on the last day.. before it fell off- so I opted to do one at a time (some of mine are quite large) I am VERY pleased with the results!! And by the way-- this morning the spot where that first mole was.. is barely noticeable..
Alice (Washington, MI) on 12/22/2006:
My husband had a large mole on his back that has increased in size over the years. He's very anti-doctor. After some extensive research he decided to try the bloodroot paste. It has worked perfectly, just as described. Be prepared, it can be VERY painful, especially with a bigger lesion, but he is very satisfied with the results. I am an RN, and I am amazed by the results and complete and total removal of the mole. He now has a nice pink, granulated wound that I'm certain will heal quickly without infection. Had he had convential surgery, I'm certain he would have had a much larger wound with the probable need for a skin graft. We are very satisfied with the results.
