Euphorbia peplus, or milkweed, or cancer weed, or radium weed, or petty spurge has long been used as an effective treatment for skin lesions, actinic keratosis and even skin cancer by the natives of countries such as Australia and New Zealand; it is now thought of as a natural, alternative therapy for skin cancer.
Euphorbia is a species of wild plant common in Australia, New Zealand, throughout Europe, Africa and Asia. It's properties come from the plant stem sap, which is toxic to rapidly replicating human tissue. The sap contains the active ingredient ingenol mebutate.
Research on pre-cancerous Actinic keratosis
In 2009 Australian researchers led by Dr. Greg Siller of Siller Medical Brisbane, completed a Phase II randomised, double-blind, vehicle controlled, multi-centre study(1) on ingenol mebutate (known in research terms as PEP005). In this they used a gel made from the sap.
58 patients were included in the trial, all having actinic keratosis with more than 5 lesions. Three concentrations of the gel were used on five lesions in each subject - 0.0025%, 0.01%, and 0.05%. Two methods of administration were used. Arm A was day 1 and 2; Arm B was day 1 and 8.
The gel was well tolerated and there were no significant differences in toleration between levels used or Arms A and B.
Efficacy was greatest with 0.05% concentrated gel, with 71% of the treated lesions showing complete response. Overall, 67% of people had complete cliniical clearance in at least 4 lesions. Researchers stated that the gel is now being developed for patient use.
Radium Weed a traditional cure for skin cancer
It is more than folklore in Australia. Radium weed has been used for generations to treat sunspots, Basal Cell Carcinoma (BCC) and Squamous Cell Carcinoma (SCC) skin cancer. But then on my travels in Australia, I found people using Curaderm and Black Salve (Cansema). The latter is used world wide now, sometimes on its own, sometimes with CBD oil.
Only recently, Health Bodies in the UK were talking about a
cream containing aminolevilinic acid (ALA) which could treat actinic keratosis. On investigation, it turns out it is not available in the UK as yet - it is being developed in New Zealand. Again the product of Folklore but this time turned into an expensive Big Pharma cream.
Radium Weed is commonly used in Australia (despite authorities frowning on it). As in the Clinical Trial above, flaking, scabs and dry skin are the most common side effects along with a changed pigmentation sometimes. Locals seem to put the sap onto the lesion 100%, but it is known to be corrosive. People usually add just one drop of the sap to the spot for 2-4 days. Skin cancers then fester and scab. Often, people use aloe vera gel to calm the area. Fresh skin then grows underneath.
Radium weed has also been used to treat warts and corns.
References
- https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1111/j.1440-0960.2008.00497.x
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